need advice regarding politics of acceptance and interviews

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rachel9

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couple of questions:

turns out i have been been accepted to my top choice program (woohoo! i wish you all the best of luck in achieving the same - so excited!). it was my first interview, and all of my other interviews are scheduled for much later.

the first question is this: i feel a bit strange not going to other interviews and giving other programs a chance. also, someone who i may want to work with in the future encouraged me to go to a specific program, and i feel weird turning the program down without even interviewing. however, i don't find it ethical to take an interview spot when i'm 100% sure i will attend said program.

second: is it standard to accept an invitation immediately? I just feel funny about this, as I don't know if it's typical to have such conviction about ONE program.

third: i sent thank-you letters after the interviews. should i send again to all profs. who interviewed me after acceptance?

suppose these are nice problems to have though. thanks in advance for any advice.

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I would wait to cancel your other interviews until you have a written offer (including specifications of your financial aid setup) in hand that you are happy with. (From your description, I wasn't totally sure whether that is the case yet). If you have all details in writing, then I believe you should cancel the other interviews. I think it's not great to lead programs on if you are 100% sure you will not attend.

Don't accept the offer until/ unless you have full info in writing (see above). Then go ahead whenever you're ready.

I would not resend thank-you letters after the acceptance.

Hope that helps!
 
I would wait to cancel your other interviews until you have a written offer (including specifications of your financial aid setup) in hand that you are happy with. (From your description, I wasn't totally sure whether that is the case yet). If you have all details in writing, then I believe you should cancel the other interviews. I think it's not great to lead programs on if you are 100% sure you will not attend.

Don't accept the offer until/ unless you have full info in writing (see above). Then go ahead whenever you're ready.

I would not resend thank-you letters after the acceptance.

Hope that helps!

i edited my post a bit before you wrote this, sorry about any confusion. anyhow, this is good advice, so thank you!
 
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If you're 100% sure then you should withdrw your application. You may give someone whose 1st choice is that program a chance to interview :)
 
I vote that you go to the other programs. Going to other programs may make you realize your first choice isn't so great. Or you might get a dynamite financial package from one school that will make it easier to be productive. My choices changed a lot after visiting.

The only reason I would immediately accept and turn down the other invites is if you had specific reason for your top choice that the others couldn't possibly offer (i.e. your top choice is where you live and now your spouse doesn't have to get a new job).
 
If you got into your top choice, and you have a written offer, withdraw all of your other applications. Unless you think you could be swayed from your choice by a really good financial deal, and you know that another school is in a position to offer you that, there's no reason to expend time and money when you got an offer you know you're going to take. It's going to let the other programs focus on students who they might actually recruit. You don't get bonus points or something for having more than one offer.

When I got in at my #1 school, I withdrew everywhere else the day I got the letter from them. All the profs I withdrew from thanked me for being considerate of them and the other interviewees.
 
If you really are 100% sure than I would withdraw other applications.

That said, it might be worth going...unless this program is just absolutely head and shoulders above the rest, there are many subjective aspects of programs that you don't get a feel for until the interview process and can really make a difference in how you might rank them. Or if there are exceptional circumstances (those KTpsych mentioned, etc.). My rankings changed quite a bit through the interview process...if you feel like you "know" the other programs well enough to know they won't be as good, then great, but again - it can really be hard to get a sense of that online. You can look at faculty publications, but some may have new, ongoing studies that you are really excited about that you don't know about, there might be other great opportunities that you just aren't aware of at those schools.

Its nice to think of others, but at the same time if there is any doubt in your mind about whether your acceptance is really your #1 choice, you've earned the right to go to these other schools and find out. So that is definitely not something to feel bad about doing.
 
thanks all for the excellent advice. basically, i don't think i necessarily know the other programs as well as i could if i interviewed. at the same time, i am sure that i won't find the combination of program match + poi, someone i really want to work with, at these other schools. i suppose i'll have to think about it a bit more. thanks again for your thoughts - much appreciated! :)
 
thanks all for the excellent advice. basically, i don't think i necessarily know the other programs as well as i could if i interviewed. at the same time, i am sure that i won't find the combination of program match + poi, someone i really want to work with, at these other schools. i suppose i'll have to think about it a bit more. thanks again for your thoughts - much appreciated! :)

I'd say if you were accepted into a program that you like, and you plan on accepting the offer, then you should save yourself the time and money and cancel your other interviews. The minuscule chance that you will fall in love with another program seems unlikely...If I am accepted into my first choice, I'd be thrilled to be done with this process...

But maybe I am just a little biased...Are you interviewing at any of the same schools as I am? :)
 
go to at least 1 more interview, your next best choice, for comparison's sake.

my favorite indicator is to compare how happy the graduate students look/act/are. happiness is big.

my 0.02

:luck:
 
The minuscule chance that you will fall in love with another program seems unlikely

I don't know that I would call the chance minuscule...almost everyone I know who went on multiple interviews experienced some shuffling in the rankings afterwards. It wasn't always #1, but I think it happens more often than you might think. Like I said before, there are a lot of very important aspects of programs that you simply cannot get from reading their website and looking at faculty bios/CVs.

Its unlikely your last choice will become your first choice. In the case of this post it sounds like the school was simply a far better match than other programs, so it makes sense, but I think most folks have multiple schools that would be an excellent match. In those situations, I really think picking whichever one you went to first and liked would be a serious mistake.
 
I have to agree with Ollie123. Maybe you don't need to go to all of your interviews but I'd go to your next favorite (as someone said) just so you have someothing to campare it to. A lot of times the area, cost of living can make a difference. More important than that the training, externship sites, the department itself, research and grant opportunities... it's all stuff you only learn about at the interview and can change your mind.
 
I have to agree with Ollie123. Maybe you don't need to go to all of your interviews but I'd go to your next favorite (as someone said) just so you have someothing to campare it to. A lot of times the area, cost of living can make a difference. More important than that the training, externship sites, the department itself, research and grant opportunities... it's all stuff you only learn about at the interview and can change your mind.

I'd agree with that....I surely wouldn't be interviewing at my 3rd-5th choice schools.

I used the term minuscule based on the language that the O.P. used....He/she is "100%" sure they will be accepting the current offer, and their following question is about immediately accepting an offer.

If you are "100% sure" and said program is a great match, has comparable funding, and is in a permissible location, then there isn't much left to really make another school jump ahead.

I know that if I'm accepted into my first choice, I will gladly be canceling travel plans over the next month.
 
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thanks all - excellent advice. i do understand that ranks shuffle a bit during the interview process. one of the main reasons i'm so attached to this program is because of my POI, whose interests match mine in a very unique way. i may cancel my other interviews, though i will weigh the idea of going to just one more.

thanks again to all for your input. really helps! :)
 
How kosher is it to cancel an interview only a few days in advance? I'm guessing that I won't have to, but I thought I'd ask just in case.
 
I'd echo the other advice up here. You may think you've figured out the other programs, but you'd be surprised how your rankings -- and impressions -- change after the interviews. You should definitely give the other schools a chance.

On paper, I never would have thought that my current school was that good, but after I came, I changed my mind completely.
 
thanks all - excellent advice. i do understand that ranks shuffle a bit during the interview process. one of the main reasons i'm so attached to this program is because of my POI, whose interests match mine in a very unique way. i may cancel my other interviews, though i will weigh the idea of going to just one more.

thanks again to all for your input. really helps! :)

Although it may not be likely, have you considered how you'd feel about the program if that POI left while you are attending there? I think it's a good idea to have some broader interests too, just in case.
 
I have more than one "unofficial" offer of acceptance, but I'm still waiting to hear about funding and have not seen anything in writing. I know some schools are dealing with smaller budgets due to the recession which has slowed the process, but I feel as though making a decision without all of the information is foolhardy (not to mention, without an official offer, I still have no guarantees that one spot would work out.) I feel terrible knowing someone who is #2 on someone's list is waiting on my decision, but don't want to rush it either (I was someone's #2 last year... the wait is agonizing!) Does anyone have a suggestion about the best course of action?
 
I have more than one "unofficial" offer of acceptance, but I'm still waiting to hear about funding and have not seen anything in writing. I know some schools are dealing with smaller budgets due to the recession which has slowed the process, but I feel as though making a decision without all of the information is foolhardy (not to mention, without an official offer, I still have no guarantees that one spot would work out.) I feel terrible knowing someone who is #2 on someone's list is waiting on my decision, but don't want to rush it either (I was someone's #2 last year... the wait is agonizing!) Does anyone have a suggestion about the best course of action?

As one of the waiters (for some schools, at least) it pains me to say this, but: don't do anything until you have the official letter. You can ask (once) about the letter (as in when you might expect it, perhaps who issues it) but you can't accept an offer until you have an offer, which you don't until you actually have a signed letter in your hands. And you shouldn't reject any offer until you have one to accept. Which again requires the letter.
 
As one of the waiters (for some schools, at least) it pains me to say this, but: don't do anything until you have the official letter. You can ask (once) about the letter (as in when you might expect it, perhaps who issues it) but you can't accept an offer until you have an offer, which you don't until you actually have a signed letter in your hands. And you shouldn't reject any offer until you have one to accept. Which again requires the letter.

Thanks for the reply. I'm feeling some pressure from a POI and a lot of guilt from myself, but I don't want to mess this up either. Best of luck to you.
 
As one of the waiters (for some schools, at least) it pains me to say this, but: don't do anything until you have the official letter. You can ask (once) about the letter (as in when you might expect it, perhaps who issues it) but you can't accept an offer until you have an offer, which you don't until you actually have a signed letter in your hands. And you shouldn't reject any offer until you have one to accept. Which again requires the letter.

I don't know that I agree with this. It is my understanding that a verbal offer is as good as a written one and cannot be rescinded. That being said, I waited for the paper copy and it is probably a good thing to do in general just to make sure it is what you think it is.
 
Thanks for the reply. I'm feeling some pressure from a POI and a lot of guilt from myself, but I don't want to mess this up either. Best of luck to you.

If the POI is in touch with you pushing to accept, you can use that channel of communication to say you're waiting for the letter with the details of the offer, and ask if s/he knows when you'll get that.

A verbal offer doesn't obligate the university to anything (IANAL). For you to act on the basis of a verbal offer means you're not only trusting that person not to change his or her mind, but also trusting that s/he actually has the authority to make an offer and remembers all the details (e.g., funding) of the offer correctly.

I haven't dealt with situation in a graduate school context, but I have (many time) in a corporate employment context (on both sides). The hiring manager (or professor) should understand that the formal letter is more than a formality.
 
Thanks for the reply. I'm feeling some pressure from a POI and a lot of guilt from myself, but I don't want to mess this up either. Best of luck to you.

It's not fair for the POI to pressure you, especially if you don't have a formal letter. Also, as much as the POI may dislike it, according to APA rules, you technically have until April 15 to make a decision. In any event, as FranklinR said, you cannot accept anything until you have the official letter.
 
I posted this under the official acceptance thread too, but thought it might get more responses and belong here as well. Hope that's ok!

I have been offered admission to Texas Woman's and University of South Carolina. TX Woman's didn't have an interview, and their open house isn't until 3/6. I read on here the APA policy is if you have two offers you have to pick one immediately. So I can't wait until I go to the open house and learn about the program? B/c right now I don't know much about TX Woman's besides what's on the website.

Also about internship match rates, which source are you using for this? I see on the APPIC website they show match rates from 2000-2006. (I don't see any later for individual programs.) That is what I was initially using. But then when looking at programs' websites they seem to show better statistics (probably b/c they are more recent and probably also b/c they tend to show them in the best "light"). I also have APA's Graduate Study in Psychology from 2007 and the Insider's Guide 2008-2009 which list percentage of matches. Which source would you consider the best? Which are you using to help you make decisions?
 
I posted this under the official acceptance thread too, but thought it might get more responses and belong here as well. Hope that's ok!

I have been offered admission to Texas Woman's and University of South Carolina. TX Woman's didn't have an interview, and their open house isn't until 3/6. I read on here the APA policy is if you have two offers you have to pick one immediately. So I can't wait until I go to the open house and learn about the program? B/c right now I don't know much about TX Woman's besides what's on the website.
It seems ok for you to wait until you see TX Woman's first. This is a big decision in your life and it does not seem fair that you have to make this decision based on limited knowledge about a program. I do not think schools know who got accepted into each other programs, so I doubt everyone is going to call you out on it. Just make sure to promptly notify the schools after March 6 when you can make a decision.

Congratulations!!!! I wish I was in your boat. :)
 
I read on here the APA policy is if you have two offers you have to pick one immediately. So I can't wait until I go to the open house and learn about the program? B/c right now I don't know much about TX Woman's besides what's on the website.

It seems to me that you don't have all the information you need to make a decision. Waiting until you have that information isn't unethical.

I agree that nobody is likely to call you on it, but I think that's really secondary at best, since I think waiting is on pretty firm ethical ground.
 
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