What to do when a school is pressuring you to accept (already, way before april 15)

[meep95]

A school I applied to that is by no means my first choice is pressuring me to accept within the week. I still have two more interviews to go on before after they want to know by! I checked, and they did sign that declaration about April 15th.  I'm not sure what to do.  If I don't get into the two schools I still have to interview at (my first 2 choices), I might want to go to this school. But I don't want to commit and back out later. What is the best way to handle this? Have any of you been in this situation before? 

[TakeruK]

Ask for an extension. You can give the reason (interviewing at other schools). If they say no, then you don't really have another option except to commit and back out later. I'd say it's their fault for forcing to commit so early. 

[geologyninja13]

Hi Meep95,

Pressuring a student to commit before the April 15 deadline is considered unethical among graduate programs.It should be perfectly reasonable for you to state that you cannot give them an answer yet, as you are waiting for more information to make an educated decision. Maybe in your email asking for an extension, mention some aspects that you like about the school/professor so they know that you are still interested.

[Entangled Phantoms]

On 2/17/2017 at 0:10 AM, meep95 said:

A school I applied to that is by no means my first choice is pressuring me to accept within the week. I still have two more interviews to go on before after they want to know by! I checked, and they did sign that declaration about April 15th.  I'm not sure what to do.  If I don't get into the two schools I still have to interview at (my first 2 choices), I might want to go to this school. But I don't want to commit and back out later. What is the best way to handle this? Have any of you been in this situation before? 

How did they phrase it? I've seen people here interpret interest from a POI as pressuring to commit before 4/15.

[meep95]

2 hours ago, Entangled Phantoms said:

How did they phrase it? I've seen people here interpret interest from a POI as pressuring to commit before 4/15.

something like "We would like to know within the week whether or not you are planning to accept"

[Entangled Phantoms]

23 minutes ago, meep95 said:

something like "We would like to know within the week whether or not you are planning to accept"

Yeesh. 

[xyzpsych]

Hi,

I'm a PhD program applicant and I'm in a similar boat. But I thought the 415 resolution only pertains to financial offers? How about the admission part of it? I've been given different advice regarding the meaning of the current deadline. I'm so confused! Would appreciate help!

[goldentoast]

I had a school tell me something along those lines, "please confirm your enrollment within 15 days of receiving this letter." I was still waiting to hear back on two other schools that were much more appealing to me, but I didn't want to commit either way without knowing my full range of options. I simply emailed the program (you can also call, but I had already been in touch with someone from admissions before) and explain your situation. I said that I was very interested in the school and the program, but felt that it would be best to make an informed decision. Would it be possible to extend the enrollment deadline? You could also mention that you have two other interviews still. You could also say about when you would expect to make a decision so they can have an idea of when to expect your response. I would say make sure you remain polite, but mention how interested you are in the school, though you want to make sure you're leaving all your options open. Technically, they shouldn't pressure you into making an uninformed decision about your future/life. Although the worse thing they can say is no. It wouldn't hurt to ask anyways.