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Accepting offer after April 15th

Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 12:31 pm
by phy94
What to do if one is already committed to a program and receives a better offer after April 15th?

Re: Accepting offer after April 15th

Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 10:13 pm
by astroprof
The Council of Graduate School's April 15 Resolution https://cgsnet.org/april-15-resolution states:
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.
If you are waiting to hear whether you will receive further offers (from a waitlist, for example) on or after April 15, you should contact the school that is your current top choice and explain your situation. It is far better to discuss this in advance than it is to attempt to withdraw your acceptance after April 15. For example, they may be willing to extend the deadline for your final decision. However, I will also note that most programs want their students to succeed, and having a student in the program that is unhappy is not a good prospect for anyone. It is also true that students quit graduate school at various times, so quiting before starting is always a possibility. Nonetheless, it is best not to burn bridges. The physics and astronomy communities are quite small and stories will get around if you behave inappropriately. So, just let everyone know your situation and work with both of the programs to find the optimum solution.

Re: Accepting offer after April 15th

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 2:11 am
by phy94
This was really helpful! Thank you.
astroprof wrote:The Council of Graduate School's April 15 Resolution https://cgsnet.org/april-15-resolution states:
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.
If you are waiting to hear whether you will receive further offers (from a waitlist, for example) on or after April 15, you should contact the school that is your current top choice and explain your situation. It is far better to discuss this in advance than it is to attempt to withdraw your acceptance after April 15. For example, they may be willing to extend the deadline for your final decision. However, I will also note that most programs want their students to succeed, and having a student in the program that is unhappy is not a good prospect for anyone. It is also true that students quit graduate school at various times, so quiting before starting is always a possibility. Nonetheless, it is best not to burn bridges. The physics and astronomy communities are quite small and stories will get around if you behave inappropriately. So, just let everyone know your situation and work with both of the programs to find the optimum solution.