What To Do Once You Have Business School Offers
Congratulations on receiving one or more business school offers! Now that your hard work has paid off, there's only one thing left for you to do – respond "yes" or "no". Well, there's actually a little more to it than that. After accepting an offer, you should withdraw all other offers promptly. Remember, institutions are made up of people with pride, feelings, and (importantly) memories, so it's best to follow the rules. In terms of making the final decision, a good rule of thumb is to wait a few days before responding to an offer to allow yourself some time to think.
Respond By The Deadline Corresponding With Your Round
Many schools have multiple rounds of applications and the deadline by which you must reply and make a tuition deposit is determined accordingly. The earliest response deadlines are usually in March, and later ones extend through May and beyond. Visit your school's web site to learn more.
How to (Gracefully) Reject an Offer
Sometimes, the tables turn. Perhaps you've received two offers and need to turn one down. While it's tempting to reject a school with a one sentence email, there's something to be said about maintaining relationships. Academia is a small world and you never know when your short reply might come back to haunt you. In the same way that you'd like to be let down gently when rejected, schools do too. So email or call them, thank them for their confidence in you, and explain that you've decided to attend another program.
How to Deal With Deadlines If You Need More Time
You may run into a thorny situation where you receive an offer from "School A" that expires before you hear back from "School B". What in the dickens are you supposed to do then? In all likelihood, you won't be able to do much but you can try to speak to "School B" and inform them of the expiring offer. Reiterate your interest in their program and ask whether they've finalized their admission decisions. If they haven't, contact "School A" and request an extension. Explain that you haven't heard back from all schools and want to make a fully informed decision about your business school offers. If you can't get a complete answer, find out whether the admissions committee is leaning one way or the other on your application.
