Reapplying to schools later

[AGingeryGinger]

So my family is in a current financial bind. I am from Ohio, and applied to several grad schools in places such as Alabama and Georiga.

i applied to a masters in history in Cincinnati, and the rest of the schools were MDiv program. UC (Cinci school) offered a full ride and stipend, while the rest at best offered a full ride.

although I would like to attend the other institutions, given my family's financial situation it would be impossible to attend the schools for the MDiv, but given the stipend with the MA it would be affordable to do.

would it be possible to take the MA, then when I finish it reapply to those same schools with the hope that they will give me a same or better offer than before? One school I was given the highest offer, a full ride, just at the moment it wouldn't be financially practical. But if I do the MA I would be able to save money and then do the MDiv after.

my main concern is that I'm talking with a professor and they're concerned those schools will take it as a slight against them and not accept me or give me a lower offer if I reject the offer for their MDiv, do the MA, then reapply with an MA and better financial situation.

thank you for your help!

 

Edited April 5, 2016 by AGingeryGinger

[fuzzylogician]

I am not sure I followed all of that, since you didn't quite specify what MA we are talking about and what your long-term goals are. Best I could make sense of your post, it seems to me that taking the offer that is financially responsible is the smart choice. Declining the other offers while explaining that you are very excited about the program but it doesn't make financial sense to you right now is something that shouldn't burn any bridges. You could even say that you intend to apply again in a few years, after your finances stabilize, maybe even ask for any advice on improving your application for the next time around. I don't know if MDiv offers are usually funded or not so it's hard for me to say anything more about your chances of improving your offer after the MA, and of course none of us know what the applicant pool will look like two years from now. But all things being equal, one would think that you should have similar or better chances compared to this application cycle.

[AGingeryGinger]

13 hours ago, fuzzylogician said:

I am not sure I followed all of that, since you didn't quite specify what MA we are talking about and what your long-term goals are. Best I could make sense of your post, it seems to me that taking the offer that is financially responsible is the smart choice. Declining the other offers while explaining that you are very excited about the program but it doesn't make financial sense to you right now is something that shouldn't burn any bridges. You could even say that you intend to apply again in a few years, after your finances stabilize, maybe even ask for any advice on improving your application for the next time around. I don't know if MDiv offers are usually funded or not so it's hard for me to say anything more about your chances of improving your offer after the MA, and of course none of us know what the applicant pool will look like two years from now. But all things being equal, one would think that you should have similar or better chances compared to this application cycle.

Thank you for your help. And sorry for the mess of a post that that was. 

In short, I applied to 4 MDiv's and 1 MA (history), the MA gave me the best offer, but I still want to do the MDiv down the road just at the moment my financial situation doesn't permit it. I was unsure if denying the offer of MDiv only to apply two years later would result in rejection due to previously turning down the offer.

i was told by a professor at my undergrad institution  that if I turned down the MDiv offer I would never get the opportunity or same again.

thank you! 

Edited April 6, 2016 by AGingeryGinger

[fuzzylogician]

The professor from your undergraduate institution will know the culture of your field better than I do, so I wouldn't just disregard what he ways. And I think the question of whether funding is usually offered or not is also relevant: if the offers you got are as good as it gets then the language you want to use when you decline would be different than if the offer isn't that good (=if better offers would also include a stipend). But I really can't imagine that if you decline citing financial reasons for the decision and reiterate your interest in the program and plans to reapply when your personal situation improves that you would necessarily burn a bridge and be immediately disqualified in the future.