Help to juggle accepts / waitlist

[magic]

I have 2 offers, 1 reject, 1 waitlist at Harvard, and 6 more schools to go. The schools all have the April 15th clause. But the accept schools asked me to respond ASAP. What deadline should I aim for, as a courtesy to the schools and the candidates they waitlisted?

According to Harvard, the waitlist might not resolve until April 15. But they won't tell me details of the funding (how much money, how much teaching), so I cannot make an informed comparison of their possibility vs. the real offers.

What should I do?

Actually I was never keen on attending Harvard (not familiar with research/faculty, coursework respectable but not as comprehensive as I like). However, Harvard has the Harvard name. And ever since the schools started replying, everybody and their grandmother is telling me the importance of being pragmatic. Am I just at a weak moment, falling into the peer pressure?

For comparison: I am thrilled about the 2 offers. One is a state school which is my favorite of all 10 places. They are not ranked high (~50), but I believe in their program, and several faculty do research in an area that really interests me (none of the other schools research this area). Cons: bad location, TAship is heavy at 20 hrs/week. The second school is an Ivy, where my advisor-to-be is a very productive, diverse, well-known figure in the field. Pros: location, Taship is very light at 10 hrs/week.

[Venetia]

Congrats on your offers! Okay, this is my first time applying, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt.

Firstly, you have until April 15th to make your decision, right? Regardless of what the schools are encouraging you to do? So if you're undecided or waiting for decisions (or waitlist results) why don't you let the colleges pressuring you to make a decision know? I'm sure there are loads of other people in the same situation. If there was a school you definitely did not want to attend, then it would be courteous to let them know right away, but if you're still waiting I don't think it's rude or inconsiderate to keep your options open.

[kdilks]

I have 2 offers, 1 reject, 1 waitlist at Harvard, and 6 more schools to go. The schools all have the April 15th clause. But the accept schools asked me to respond ASAP. What deadline should I aim for, as a courtesy to the schools and the candidates they waitlisted?

According to Harvard, the waitlist might not resolve until April 15. But they won't tell me details of the funding (how much money, how much teaching), so I cannot make an informed comparison of their possibility vs. the real offers.

What should I do?

Actually I was never keen on attending Harvard (not familiar with research/faculty, coursework respectable but not as comprehensive as I like). However, Harvard has the Harvard name. And ever since the schools started replying, everybody and their grandmother is telling me the importance of being pragmatic. Am I just at a weak moment, falling into the peer pressure?

For comparison: I am thrilled about the 2 offers. One is a state school which is my favorite of all 10 places. They are not ranked high (~50), but I believe in their program, and several faculty do research in an area that really interests me (none of the other schools research this area). Cons: bad location, TAship is heavy at 20 hrs/week. The second school is an Ivy, where my advisor-to-be is a very productive, diverse, well-known figure in the field. Pros: location, Taship is very light at 10 hrs/week.

Make a decision between all the schools you get accepted to. Tell the ones you're not going to that you're not going. Tell the one you decide on that you're likely going to attend, but are still waiting to hear back from the waitlist Harvard before you make a final decision. Do as much research on Harvard as you can in the mean time (hopefully you should be able to find what a standard TA position entails, if not then try and set some limits on what kind of pay/workload you would/wouldn't be ok with). If it's feasible/you think it's necessary, be prepared to make a visit on short notice. Hold out until the bitter end. You don't need to potentially compromise your future as a "courtesy" to anybody.

[fauxtog]

it sort of sounds like you know which one you want to choose

[focused]

First, let me reiterate what others have said above: don't rush yourself into an important career decision as a "courtesy." Only notify schools when you feel absolutely comfortable.

Second, do not let people sway your decision by talking about the "Harvard name." I don't know whether Harvard is/is not the right program for you, but certainly don't let people who likely know little about grad school (if they knew about it, they wouldn't be suggesting a place based on its undergrad/medical/law school ranking) influence your decision on the matter. This is not to say anything bad of those people--I assume they are your friends and family and merely want the best for you. I come from a working class family, so they do not understand how this process works much either. They just want what is best for me, but I have had to listen to the same type of thing. In my case, it's even more odd because they can't understand why I might select Stanford over Harvard.

Bottom line: go with what you know is best and don't worry what others think about it.

[johndiligent]

I'd choose out of the places that you've been officially accepted, and let them all know to that effect by April 15th. If, after you've accepted somewhere else, you get admitted to Harvard, then you can make a decision from there. You certainly wouldn't be the first to politely back out of a school after receiving a better but late offer.