kagildersleeve Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 I am in a bit of a dilemma, although it is admittedly not a bad situation to be in! I recently received word of my acceptance to a PA program that starts in January. Here are the issues: - This school starts a lot earlier than I'd like it to. I live across the country, so would have to move in 2 months and leave my family behind until my husband could find a job out there, etc. While I will do whatever it takes to get into PA school, the situation is not ideal. I have already asked about the possibility of deferring, and they will not allow it. It is the only school I applied to with this early a start time, and I applied mainly to expand my options. - It is a new PA program this year, and while I have confidence that it will be an exceptional program based on their facilities, program faculty, and reputation of their grad schools and medical school, it is still a risk, and difficult to assess how well the first year will go. - I have five more interviews lined up so far (including an interview my top choice), all for programs that start at a later date. I am still waiting to hear from seven other programs. What do you think I should do??? Even though I have a good number of interviews left, that certainly does not guarantee me an offer, and I would really regret declining this invitation if it turned out the be the only one I got! $500 is a lot though...and I won't necessarily hear from all of the schools before the program start time. The deadline for a response is coming up at the end of next week, so I really need to make a decision soon. I am feeling very stuck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gebaldwi Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 i would wait until the day the deposit is due. if you are confident you will get another offer, you could let it go. if you aren't 100% confident and if you have no further information on deposit due day, i'd bite the bullet. it depends on how much you want to start this year vs. where you want to go. just my thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinntsp Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 $500 isn't much when you consider the $80k+ in lost earnings should you not accept the offer and not get into another school this cycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaston Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Eat the $500. It sounds like a lot now, but you will laugh about it when you are staring down the barrel of your student loans at the end of PA school. Secure your spot then interview with the others. Short term pain for long term benefit. Keep it in perspective :) Besides, if your top choice school really wants you, you may be able to use the early start date from the accepted program to get your #1 school moving a bit faster with their decision process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa6 Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 $500 isn't much when you consider the $80k+ in lost earnings should you not accept the offer and not get into another school this cycle. Excellent point! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemegroup Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 Grab it while you have it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcreid2 Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 The same thing happened to me. I was accepted into a PA program that started last May. I didn't finish taking prerequisites until early that May. The program is is Pennsylvania and we (me, my wife, and 2 kids) were living in Montana at the time. I had two months from when i got accepted to when school started. I decided not to wait to see if i got in another program and bit the bullet. I moved and started in May and my family just moved out here in august. It was tough, but take the chance while you can... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deseablev Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 I would do it based on if you really want to go to the school or not. Yes it is only $500 but imagine if you end up depositing $500 for every school you get accepted to, if you hear back at different times, to hold all the spots? That can add up. It seems like you have a very good chance at getting accepted to other schools, especially with how many interviews you already have scheduled and it is only September. You could also be taking the spot of someone who really wants to go there. I would think of it this way. What happens if you hold your spot and you don't hear from your other school choices by the end of the year, would you definitely go to this school? What if you get accepted to any of the other schools you applied to, would you rescind this offer? Think about if you actually really want to go to this school and well you think your chances are for other schools. Also I believe someone mentioned you using this offer to get your top choice to speed up their decision. That could go one of two ways and I think one way would come off as if your top choice really isn't your top choice and you want to make yourself seem more appealing by saying other schools want you and if they don't give you an answer quick enough you're going somewhere else. That to some may come off as smart- you don't want to blow your chance- or may come off as if your top choice really isn't the school you want to go to and it may just be more convenient if it's a closer location (or whatever reason you have). It is a very risky game. Good luck with your decision. Do what is best for you and your family! (Sidenote I don't know what field your husband is in but maybe check out what his job prospects are like in the city where the program is. Like 3 hospitals in my major city cut between 45-150 jobs each this past month.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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