Waiting until April 15th

[soloman]

Hi all,

I've been accepted to a great program and waitlisted at my top choice. The great program has told me that I have until the 15th to respond to the offer, and the top choice has told me that they may not be able to let me know until the 15th. 

What makes the most sense to me is to wait until I hear back from my top choice before responding to my offer at the great program, even if that's not until the 15th. 

However, a couple of people in my life, one of whom is in academia, has told me to accept the offer at the great program so that I don't lose that opportunity (and then back out if I end up accepted at my top choice). To me, though, this seems unnecessary, as the great program has made it clear at every stage thus far that the offer stands until the 15th. 

Do these people know something that I don't? Or am I correct in assuming that I have until the 15th to respond to the great program? 

In case it helps, I am in the social sciences, both programs are top ten, and the waitlist at my top choice is extremely short. Several professors have also told me that it's fine to wait until the 15th, but I just want to make sure. Though I would love to get into my top choice, I would hate to blow the fantastic opportunity offered by the great program.

Thank you so much for your input! 

[TakeruK]

This is one of the cases where it's fine to wait until April 15 and actually the reason, in my opinion, why we have a common deadline in the first place. Imagine if there was no April 15 convention and Great Program University said you must respond by April 10 and Top Choice University gives their top candidates until April 12, so they won't be able to tell you about getting off the waitlist until after April 12! You would be forced to accept the Great Program offer and then go back on your word if you hear from Top Choice University. The April 15 convention is meant to prevent scenarios like this and ensuring a fair environment for students and schools.

What a person in your situation should do is:
1. Inform Top Choice University that you are still very interested in their offer and find out your current status (i.e. confirm that you are actually on a waitlist with a reasonable chance to get in, instead of a silent rejection). Ask for an estimate of decision timeline.

2. Tell Great Program University that you are interested but need to hear back from one other school before you can commit to Great Program University. Tell them the other school's timeline. You can ask for an extension beyond April 15 if Top Choice University tells you that they won't know until, say, April 18.

3. Contact all other schools you might have applied to and either decline their offers or withdraw your application because you already narrowed down your top 2 final choices. This will help other people in similar situations as you at other schools.

4. Stay in touch with both Top Choice University and Great Program University and let them know if anything changes ASAP.

5. Wait until April 15, it's almost there!!

I think from your description, you have done all of this already, so it sounds like to me you have done the responsible and correct thing!  Hope the wait from Top Choice University isn't too long for you.

[soloman]

Thank you!

Yes, I've done all of these things, and that's largely due to information I've gotten from here (much of which was posted by you, so I'm especially pleased that you responded to my post!).

I'll go ahead and 'wait it out' another 10 days.

Again, thanks so much!

[TakeruK]

Good luck

[rack_attack124]

I think it's fine to pay a deposit to secure your spot in case you didn't get in off the waitlist. I'm in a similar situation and thinking of paying the deposit or asking for an extension. I'd rather have that option than none.

[TakeruK]

4 minutes ago, rack_attack124 said:

I think it's fine to pay a deposit to secure your spot in case you didn't get in off the waitlist. I'm in a similar situation and thinking of paying the deposit or asking for an extension. I'd rather have that option than none.

Maybe this depends on the field? For many PhD programs, I think there is either no deposit at all or they ask for it way later in the process, like in June or something. You rarely have to pay a deposit to just accept an offer---they generally wait for you to accept, process everything and then ask for a deposit before you can formally register etc. But many funding packages come with a tuition waiver too, so a deposit doesn't make sense (i.e. what would it go towards?)

In any case, even if there was a deposit, I would not pay the deposit now because if you do get off the waitlist, you lose it! Your offer is valid until April 15, so there is nothing else you need to do to secure a spot.

[rack_attack124]

2 minutes ago, TakeruK said:

Maybe this depends on the field? For many PhD programs, I think there is either no deposit at all or they ask for it way later in the process, like in June or something. You rarely have to pay a deposit to just accept an offer---they generally wait for you to accept, process everything and then ask for a deposit before you can formally register etc. But many funding packages come with a tuition waiver too, so a deposit doesn't make sense (i.e. what would it go towards?)

In any case, even if there was a deposit, I would not pay the deposit now because if you do get off the waitlist, you lose it! Your offer is valid until April 15, so there is nothing else you need to do to secure a spot.

my situation is different than what you're talking about. I applied to master's not PhD and I would have to pay $500 deposit to secure my spot in the program I've been accepted to. If I don't pay the deposit, then my offer is gone I think. And right now I have no other offers so I would rather take $500 as a sunk cost than get nothing at all. I'm submitting 1-2 more apps. Currently waitlisted two other master's. 

[TakeruK]

1 hour ago, rack_attack124 said:

my situation is different than what you're talking about. I applied to master's not PhD and I would have to pay $500 deposit to secure my spot in the program I've been accepted to. If I don't pay the deposit, then my offer is gone I think. And right now I have no other offers so I would rather take $500 as a sunk cost than get nothing at all. I'm submitting 1-2 more apps. Currently waitlisted two other master's. 

Sorry, I re-read what I wrote and I see I was not very clear! I did not mean "you" as in you personally, but the original author of the post (solomon). I was replying to what I thought was your suggestion that solomon pay the deposit now. I think you are definitely doing the right thing for your case! Good luck with the other waitlists!!

[rack_attack124]

On April 6, 2016 at 10:47 PM, TakeruK said:

Sorry, I re-read what I wrote and I see I was not very clear! I did not mean "you" as in you personally, but the original author of the post (solomon). I was replying to what I thought was your suggestion that solomon pay the deposit now. I think you are definitely doing the right thing for your case! Good luck with the other waitlists!!

still haven't heard from anywhere I'm waitlisted. this struggle is too real. time seems to pass so slow and I'm checking my email incessantly. I want to send out more apps but I'm sick of spending time and money on them to not get the results I want. 

[msmalcolmx]

On 4/5/2016 at 11:10 AM, TakeruK said:

5. Wait until April 15, it's almost there!!

I think from your description, you have done all of this already, so it sounds like to me you have done the responsible and correct thing!  Hope the wait from Top Choice University isn't too long for you.

So easy to say.... much harder to do!!!!