Take the offer or not?

tkm256
Sun, 14 Dec 2008 14:34:15 +0000

I’ve read that outside the US, PhD students often do not take classes for the first couple of years as we do here, but already have an outline for their dissertation when accepted and jump straight into research. So this Australian school may be operating the way we would if quals were included in the admissions process instead of two years down the line. Of course, I don’t have any personal experience, and this may mostly be because students are required to receive masters degrees first.

To answer the question, though, I agree with the poster who suggested contacting the school and asking that your final answer be given after the results from other schools have come in. They may say that, in that case, other candidates for the scholarship who reply in January will be given priority, but it’s better than giving a definite yes only to receive an acceptance letter from a school you’d be happier at later.