politely canceling??

[sparklyface681]

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Hi All,

I have an interview scheduled for Monday but I have just accepted an offer else where. What is the polite way to cancel my interview??

 

[CatoftheCanals]

For me, it depended on the level of interaction I already had with my POI at the school. Not very much interaction yet (ie an email or two): I sent an email informing the professor that I was appreciative of the invitation, but that I had accepted an offer elsewhere due to (research fit? career interests? funding? etc you get the idea.) I also apologized for an inconveniences my canceling may have caused. For a POI that I had spoken with over the phone (thus more interaction), I called and essentially said the same thing.
Hope this helps. And congrats!

 

[ClinicalGal]

i agree that it depends on the level of interaction had with POI. I needed to turn down an interview with a prof i had met at a conference last year so i called her, to more clearly explain my situation and apologize for not being able to work with her over the next few years. I also said something along the lines of any student she choses will be lucky to work with her. I felt like i owed her that much since we had interacted in person and spoke on the phone prior. I think everyone realizes these situations are uncomfortable but everyone respects honesty and promptness. You definitely don't want to burn bridges, who knows who you may be working with/for years from now 🙂

 

[Psych1212]

i agree that it depends on the level of interaction had with POI. I needed to turn down an interview with a prof i had met at a conference last year so i called her, to more clearly explain my situation and apologize for not being able to work with her over the next few years. I also said something along the lines of any student she choses will be lucky to work with her. I felt like i owed her that much since we had interacted in person and spoke on the phone prior. I think everyone realizes these situations are uncomfortable but everyone respects honesty and promptness. You definitely don't want to burn bridges, who knows who you may be working with/for years from now 🙂

Always, always, always keep that in mind in this field. I've witnessed too many cases of people not tying up loose ends and having it come back to hurt them later.

That said, in this case I'd echo what was said above. A professor or a program won't take anything like this personally, as it is part of the game. If they do, it isn't someone you want to work with anyway.