Should I accept an offer now?

[123letsgo]

So I applied to seven schools for a Sociology Ph.D, and received a response from 3 of them - 1 acceptance and two rejections.  The schools I haven'the heard from, 2 are a longshot, 1 is probably done making decisions but haven'the notified me, and the last is the school I went to for my undergrad.

I'very spoken to a professor I know very well, and she told me that the funding offer I received is very, very good.  I don'the want to keep them waiting too long, but I feel guilty doing so (and part of me just wants this entire process done and over with so I can start the next part of my life).

Should I just take the offer?  Part of me feels like doing so would just be impatient of me; after all, there's no guarantee that the last four schools ARE rejections (or acceptances).  Plus, the time and money I spent applying to the last four would automatically just go down the drain.

But the offer is so very tempting... it's not my dream school, but it's definitely a fantastic program.

I don'the think i'm the only one in this situation, so anyone care to give some advice?  Maybe I just need more patience haha.

[123letsgo]

Btw sorry for typos, i'm writing this on my phone...

[Cat_Robutt]

@123letsgo I'm not sure how things work with Sociology, but in my field candidates have until April 15th to make a final decision, and that seems to be fairly standard across disciplines. If a program is pressuring you to accept, they need to chill out.

For the program to which you've been accepted, some things to think about are: Have you visited? What is the overall vibe you received upon meeting faculty, staff, and current students? This is very important. What is the cost of living, rent, and the surrounding area like? What are retention and matriculation rates? Is there summer funding and insurance?

Finally, how good is the fit? Is this a program you would be genuinely happy attending for the next 4-5 years? 

All of these are questions you should think about before making a decision; if your gut feeling and the evidence point toward this school, then making a decision now may be best. If, however, you would like to visit other schools so you won't suffer from buyer's remorse later on, that may be wise as well. Ultimately, it is up to you; just know that you do have time.

[fencergirl]

I think you should wait. You haven't heard back from other programs that you would seriously consider against this school if you were accepted to them, so why rush? I know the feeling of guilt of making friendly POIs wait when you want to tell them yes, but this is not a decision to rush into without knowing your other options! It's still quite early anyway, so I don't think that schools/POIs should be annoyed if you haven't decided yet.

I totally understand the feeling though; I was accepted to my top program early on and wanted to just commit right away but am forcing myself to wait until I hear back from other schools and can make the best-informed decision.

[rising_star]

The literature folks are having a related discussion: 

Personally, I'd hold off on accepting until you've heard back from the other programs and had a chance to visit the one you've been accepted to.