Fall 2017 Applicants

[AmityDuPeuple]

1 minute ago, suisui said:

Can school actually demand you to decide so early? I thought most schools follow the 415 timeline. 

I don't think it is ethical to ask you to make a decision before you have all of your offers. I have never been asked to make a decision early, but had a friend who was pressured by a university to make an early decision and multiple professors told her to decline outright because of this demand. It can be tough though if you don't have any other offers or you are waiting for offers that you would accept over the ones you have. 

At the very least, I would send them a polite email indicating that you are unable to make a decision that early, as you don't have all offers in and you want to make the most informed decision possible. Ask for more time, indicating that you should hear from all programs by mid-March, and will notify them as soon as you can. If they seem short, impatient, or indicate in any way that they are unwilling to wait or that it will impact your funding, I would think that would be a good indicator that they might not be the best fit. 

[AmityDuPeuple]

4 minutes ago, suisui said:

Thanks for the information! I notice that some school have campus visit/interviews before they give offers (I believe that's the case with ND?). Maybe schools what give offer directly without interviewing will admit more than what their aimed cohort? 

Yes. This is the case for ND.

I still don't think they would offer too many extra spots, as it is hard to tell who is serious about coming to the school and who isn't. As much as the application process is a game of skill and chance on our side, it is on theirs too. If they offer to 10 students but only have available funding for 5 and 8 end up accepting offers, they are put in a tough position. I would imagine sending out offers for the number of spaces they have and then filling in from there would make more sense, but I don't really know. They also probably have much more data and can better predict from year to year how many will accept and matriculate, so that probably factors in to the amount of offers they make. 

[mayyam]

48 minutes ago, suisui said:

Can school actually demand you to decide so early? I thought most schools follow the 415 timeline. 

Well the school is in Montreal. I think they have a different system.

[limonchello]

I wanted to leave this here for @mayyam and @AmityDuPeuple:

 

'...Council of Graduate Schools and supports their "April 15 Resolution," which outlines the obligations of graduate institutions and prospective graduate students regarding offers and acceptances of financial support.

The resolution reads:

Acceptance of an offer of financial support* (such as a graduate scholarship, fellowship, traineeship, or assistantship) for the next academic year by a prospective or enrolled graduate student completes an agreement that both student and graduate school expect to honor. In that context, the conditions affecting such offers and their acceptance must be defined carefully and understood by all parties.

Students are under no obligation to respond to offers of financial support prior to April 15; earlier deadlines for acceptance of such offers violate the intent of this Resolution. In those instances in which a student accepts an offer before April 15, and subsequently desires to withdraw that acceptance, the student may submit in writing a resignation of the appointment at any time through April 15. However, an acceptance given or left in force after April 15 commits the student not to accept another offer without first obtaining a written release from the institution to which a commitment has been made. Similarly, an offer by an institution after April 15 is conditional on presentation by the student of the written release from any previously accepted offer. It is further agreed by the institutions and organizations subscribing to the above Resolution that a copy of this Resolution or a link to the URL should accompany every scholarship, fellowship, traineeship, and assistantship offer. '

 

Obviously Montreal is not a part of this, but if you still need to talk with them that may help!

[a little-stitious]

@limonchello

Thanks for posting that! I was accepted to a university today that is asking for a decision by April 3. I'd love to be able to decide by then, but I'll likely be waiting til right up to the April 15 deadline to hear about a waitlist. Guess I'm going to need to email the university with the earlier deadline and mention the April 15 resolution to see what they say. 

[mayyam]

9 hours ago, a little-stitious said:

@limonchello

Thanks for posting that! I was accepted to a university today that is asking for a decision by April 3. I'd love to be able to decide by then, but I'll likely be waiting til right up to the April 15 deadline to hear about a waitlist. Guess I'm going to need to email the university with the earlier deadline and mention the April 15 resolution to see what they say. 

Thank you for sharing this with us! I actually emailed them  but haven't heard anything yet. I cannot wait till April  - ugh- so I guess I will forget about it since I have to respond to Montreal. 

[limonchello]

19 hours ago, mayyam said:

Thank you for sharing this with us! I actually emailed them  but haven't heard anything yet. I cannot wait till April  - ugh- so I guess I will forget about it since I have to respond to Montreal. 

 

I thinkkkk you could always claim the acceptance and if something better comes through go back and turn it down. It's unfair to you what they're asking so