Withdrawing admission decision

[Curlylets]

I've recently been accepted off the waitlist from a school that would be around $30,000 cheaper than the school that I've already accepted and paid the deposit for.  I really want to attend my first choice (which is higher ranked by about 100 spots) but the price difference is a huge consideration. Has anyone changed their decision this late?  Any advice for moving forward?

[Kanga]

Is the price difference just for tuition? How will this decision impact your living expenses? Will it be more expensive, the same, or less?

Aside from rankings, how do the programs compare?

How are you paying for school? Borrowing money? As a thought, 30K borrowed at 10 years at 7% interest is about $350 per month.

Good Luck with your decision.

Kanga

[Curlylets]

I'm living at home no matter which program I attend, my first choice is an hour commute by public transport into NY and the second is 20 min by car.  Aside from rankings, I feel like I'd get a better quality education at my first choice, their electives and info in general sounds more appealing than the second.  I'm borrowing for both schools, but I will be keeping a job with a salary of around $20 grand while I attend either program.  The job is mainly weekends and not too stressful.  I just don't want to regret this decision, $30 grand can be a down-payment for a condo, than again will my chances at getting a job with a great salary be affected by my choice? I know job prospects are good, but does school prestige factor into what type of job I'd get and therefore my eventual salary?

 

I really am at a loss.

[thespeechblog.com]

I´m not an SLP yet, but I interviewed and talked with many of them before deciding to go to grad school. One thing all of them told me was that it doesn´t matter which school you go to as long as you get your CCC after. The programs are all pretty much the same in order to meet strict licensing requirements. 

Personally, I don´t think program rankings mean much. What is much more important is 1) financial considerations and 2) your personal fit with the faculty and program. 

I would seriously think twice about spending an extra $30,000.00 (minimum!) just to be able to say that my school was ranked higher by a fairly subjective ranking system that reflects social prestige more than academic value added. 

[Warelin]

From my understanding, school prestige only is really only considered if you want to stay in Academia.

[flowerbloom]

I think it's also important to consider which program will give you the best opportunities for clinical externships. One plug for school prestige though--clinics, hospitals, etc. in the area DO know which schools consistently produce better students and often use this to choose which students to take on as interns and as full-time clinicians. Just some food for thought. It's a tough call when there are so many different variables to consider--best of luck and do be sure to let us know what you end up deciding!

[NorcalSLP]

14 hours ago, flowerbloom said:

 One plug for school prestige though--clinics, hospitals, etc. in the area DO know which schools consistently produce better students and often use this to choose which students to take on as interns

Not necessarily! My school was the "lowest" ranked of all the schools in my area and of the competitive, prestigious medical placements that take 1 student (and interview students from all area programs)? 100% went to girls in my cohort in my second year (and several went to girls in the cohort above me the year before). It's best to ask the schools what kind of placements students have received in the past rather than rely on the notion that the name of the school will get you further. Because yes, some schools do have a harder time placeing students in medical placements that are more significant and prestigious than a snf (nothing wrong with snfs but if you want to work in acute or sub-acute care you'll need the internship to prove you have what it takes). But that's a school to scho thing and has little to do with the rankings.

[MangoSmoothie]

You're trying to talk yourself in to paying 30,000 more. Don't. I was in the exact same position as you last year. Of three schools it came down to, one's tuition was $25,000, one was $36,000, and one was $68,000. I loved the most expensive program. They had an excellent on campus clinic, amazing opportunities, and I truly wanted to go there. It fit my interests perfectly. Superficially I was excited because of their good ranking. (The rankings system is bs by the way.) The $25,000 had... limited clinical opportunities both on and off campus, and you had to travel an hour for your externships usually. Good for some, not for me. The 36,000 had most of want I wanted, and I knew I'd get great placements, but I still wanted to go to that 68K program because it just felt right. 

But it's truly not worth it, and for me it wasn't. I ended up going to the school that was 36K in tuition. I knew the cheapest option would provide the worst opportunities for me in grad school. If I had had nothing to compare them to, it would have been fine. I would have gladly gone to that school. After all, I knew grads from that program who have secured highly coveted and prestigious positions, and they loved the program because it suited them. They shined in that program, and that's more important than where they graduated from. I am loving my time at the 36K school. At times I wonder what it would be like if I'd gone to the 68K school, but I'm getting great opportunities, I have an awesome cohort, invested faculty, and I just got a placement I'm pumped about. We even have another SLP program in the city, and we don't "compete" for externships really, since we have an arrangement with the other school. Plus we have opportunities I didn't even know existed before I toured, and those opportunities matter a lot to me!

The ranking of your school will only matter if you want to do a PhD, and that's only if you're doing a thesis anyway. "Local prestige" is important, but like Norcal said, it's better to ask the students rather than rely on some arbitrary impression. Even you don't really know the "local prestige" of the programs because you're not placements that are hiring, so don't rely on that.

Can you visit the school you just got accepted to before you make your decision? That really helped me. I didn't want it to help! I wanted it to show me I'd be happier at the 68K school, but it did just the opposite. See if they'll arrange for some grad students for you to talk to as well.

And just to reiterate: the program you choose will not affect your job prospects significantly, and you won't be making more or less in the same position because of the program you graduated from.

Good luck making your decision. $30,000 is a lot, and I would not make this decision lightly or based on arbitrary rankings.

[Curlylets]

So I've read everyone's responses and I'm leaning towards accepting the second school, but has anyone withdrawn their acceptance? Is this frowned upon, and would it be harder than just sending an email to the first school telling them that I'm withdrawing my place in the program?

[thespeechblog.com]

I've not done it, but this is what I'm guessing... You'll definitely lose your deposit. I think to avoid offending anyone, you'll want to call and speak with the professors (which won't be easy) and explain that you accepted in order to secure your spot in their fantastic program, but upon closer reflection you wont' be able to afford it. Explain that you would love their program, but that financially it is not attainable. Explain that you let them know as soon as you could, and apologize sincerely for causing any issues for putting together the cohort. 

Oh, and I would accept at the school you're going to before doing all of this. Maybe even call that school (the one you're going to enroll in) and explain your situation. Maybe the professors can offer some better advice!

It definitely is not an easy situation to be in! Remember though, schools/programs are looking out for their interests at the end of the day and there is no shame in you doing the same for yours (as long as its done ethically and fairly of course).   

Edited May 8, 2016 by mcamp

[NorcalSLP]

13 minutes ago, Curlylets said:

So I've read everyone's responses and I'm leaning towards accepting the second school, but has anyone withdrawn their acceptance? Is this frowned upon, and would it be harder than just sending an email to the first school telling them that I'm withdrawing my place in the program?

Not at all frowned upon. Happens all the time for reasons just like yours (edited to add: I got this information directly from a member of the admissions committee at a very highly ranked school who seemed shocked when someone was worried they would offend a school by withdrawing a decision)  It's why people get pulled from wait lists through the summer. I think an email would suffice. If you were in touch via phone with anyone at the first program you could call too (either way have it in writing). Be polite about it. Explain that you were accepted into a program that is a better fit for personal reasons but that you very much respect all that they do and wish them the best of luck with the new cohort (or words to that effect). And you pulling your place will probably allow someone to get off of their wait list so it all works out in the end.

Edited May 8, 2016 by NorcalSLP

[Curlylets]

Ok, I didn't know if that could possibly affect my acceptance at the second school, thanks for your help!

[MangoSmoothie]

Again, I was literally in the exact same situation, almost to the day! I received an offer for the 36K school on May 7th last year. I emailed the program director at the expensive school to let her know of my decision, and she arranged for a phone conversation. She probed a little bit to figure out why exactly I was withdrawing, since I had been so excited during my visit, but she was very understanding when I told her it was because a school that was $30,000 cheaper accepted me. She agreed 100% with my decision, since this much money is not a small undertaking, and I will get a job no matter where I go. She actually tried to find me funding to get me to stay at that program, but unfortunately that didn't happen. The phone call really eased my mind about the whole thing, and I felt a lot better about withdrawing than I did after just an email.

So to repeat what others have said, don't fret too much about it! It's a little bit awkward, but they're understanding, as long as you're very polite and professional about it.

 

[SpeechieM]

I'm in the exact position. I got into a pretty prestigious program (NYU) after accepting a much cheaper in state school. But I ended up deciding to stay with the cheaper school because I really did feel like my education there would be great and I couldn't value my experience at NYU at another $30-$40k. To me I'd rather be able to buy a house one day than say I went to NYU and be in debt for the rest of my life. But thats a personal call to make. Whatever feels right, go with your instinct!

[Curlylets]

On 5/9/2016 at 11:05 PM, SpeechieM said:

I'm in the exact position. I got into a pretty prestigious program (NYU) after accepting a much cheaper in state school. But I ended up deciding to stay with the cheaper school because I really did feel like my education there would be great and I couldn't value my experience at NYU at another $30-$40k. To me I'd rather be able to buy a house one day than say I went to NYU and be in debt for the rest of my life. But thats a personal call to make. Whatever feels right, go with your instinct!

It'd be a coincidence if we ended up at the same state school...., I really was looking forward to attending the first school this fall...um did some poking around...yep I guess we'll be in the same cohort! And yep home ownership was a biggie for me too! Starting to feel a little better that this decision is the right choice.  I was just really concerned academics at the cheaper school were going to be sub par.  I really want to receive good training so I know what I'm doing once I'm graduating.

Edited May 10, 2016 by Curlylets

[SpeechieM]

8 hours ago, Curlylets said:

It'd be a coincidence if we ended up at the same state school...., I really was looking forward to attending the first school this fall...um did some poking around...yep I guess we'll be in the same cohort! And yep home ownership was a biggie for me too! Starting to feel a little better that this decision is the right choice.  I was just really concerned academics at the cheaper school were going to be sub par.  I really want to receive good training so I know what I'm doing once I'm graduating.

Haha hang on I'm going to message you about this!