waitlist withdrawal etiquette

[buzzworm]

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Yesterday, after months of agonizing and practically giving myself a heart attack with the stress of the application process, I was fortunate enough to receive an acceptance from my top program - my only acceptance so far out of the 17 places I applied.

I'm on the wait list for my second-choice program, and as soon as I receive my acceptance offer in writing, I plan to withdraw myself from consideration for that program. My question is this: when withdrawing myself from the wait list, is it appropriate/expected to say where I am planning to attend, or should I just leave it at "I am planning to accept an offer of admission at another school"?

Thanks for your input, and good luck to all of those who are still waiting. I was convinced until yesterday that I wasn't going to be going to grad school next year; but like everyone keeps saying, it only takes one. Hang in there!

 

[Kat 22]

I didn't actually pull out after being waitlisted, but I did withdraw my application from consideration following interviews because I had received an offer from my first choice.

I didn't say where I was going, though all three people emailed me back to ask where I would be going out of interest. My email said something along the lines of: Thank you very much for the offer, I really enjoyed meeting you... etc etc. Unfortunately, I have received an offer from another school that suits my research interests and career aspirations in such a way that I cannot turn it down. At this time I would like to respectfully withdraw my application to X school for the Clinical Psychology program.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

It seems to be personal preference. Obviously do not withdraw from consideration until you have a formal offer in writing, and you sign off and submit it.

Some places may ask, or they may just wish you well on your studies. The research community is surprisingly small once you get into your specific niche, so often times you'll get asked because a lot of people know each other. When I accepted my fellowship, every place I declined asked where I was going because it is a tight community of professionals that often do studies together.

Congrats on being accepted!!

 

[PsychPhDone]

Yesterday, after months of agonizing and practically giving myself a heart attack with the stress of the application process, I was fortunate enough to receive an acceptance from my top program - my only acceptance so far out of the 17 places I applied.

I'm on the wait list for my second-choice program, and as soon as I receive my acceptance offer in writing, I plan to withdraw myself from consideration for that program. My question is this: when withdrawing myself from the wait list, is it appropriate/expected to say where I am planning to attend, or should I just leave it at "I am planning to accept an offer of admission at another school"?

Thanks for your input, and good luck to all of those who are still waiting. I was convinced until yesterday that I wasn't going to be going to grad school next year; but like everyone keeps saying, it only takes one. Hang in there!

Agreed with others. I just wrote, "I wanted to thank you for your consideration. At this time, I have received an offer at a program where I think I have the best fit, and I plan on accepting there. I thought I'd let you know so you can remove me from the waitlist. Once again, thank you for your consideration, and I truly enjoyed meeting with you." Or something like that.

 

[buzzworm]

Thanks, guys. I think I'll follow your lead and not mention a particular school name unless asked.