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(Reverse) Alum reach out post admit 31 Jan 2013, 22:07
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I have got an admit at a top school. So now, alums have started reaching out to me in order to take questions and extend help.
But the first question they invariably ask - have you made a decision?

I absolutely love the school's program, and there are very high chances that I will attend.
However, I am still waiting for couple of results and considering my options (schol etc.)

So, what is the best way to handle this? I do not want to lie, but at the same time I don't want their interest to vanish by divulging them my options.
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Kjar
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(Reverse) Alum reach out post admit 31 Jan 2013, 22:32
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Well, the obvious answer is "no, I didn't make a decision yet" :)

I see no problem in this, everyone knows how it works and those who are reaching you out now in most cases faced the same situation at some point.

You could use the situation to ask some additional questions about the school, which could help you to make a choice. Imagine that you are accepted by all schools left on your list - do you have any additional factors to consider before deciding? I mean, not those you usually investigate when making a short list of schools to apply, but more "down to earth" ones. Weather, places to go, big cities nearby - all this stuff, you've got to live there for two years!
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(Reverse) Alum reach out post admit 01 Feb 2013, 01:47
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Well, the obvious answer is "no, I didn't make a decision yet" :)

I see no problem in this, everyone knows how it works and those who are reaching you out now in most cases faced the same situation at some point.

You could use the situation to ask some additional questions about the school, which could help you to make a choice. Imagine that you are accepted by all schools left on your list - do you have any additional factors to consider before deciding? I mean, not those you usually investigate when making a short list of schools to apply, but more "down to earth" ones. Weather, places to go, big cities nearby - all this stuff, you've got to live there for two years!
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Fair point on ' down to earth' questions. I was wondering over how candid the conversation could be at this point. Discussing negatives, placement reports ?

However, I don't think ' everyone knows how it works' shall be a factor/reason while framing a response. Case in point, adcom knows that every school you apply can't be your top choice. Nonetheless, every app one writes, she writes as if she were born to be at that school.
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(Reverse) Alum reach out post admit 01 Feb 2013, 04:39
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Adcom is different from alums. Alums were in your shoes x numbers of years ago. While they'd like you to attend their alma mater, they also want you to find the best school for you. Depending on how your conversation goes, you could ask what schools they were deciding among. If it's the same set of schools you're considering, they could talk you through how they made their decision.

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(Reverse) Alum reach out post admit 01 Feb 2013, 21:38
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Alums were likely in the same shoes as you, perhaps even considering the same schools. I would say be candid with them and perhaps ask them about what they considered when they made their decisions.
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(Reverse) Alum reach out post admit 01 Feb 2013, 21:54
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Okay. I think I was more conservative in my conversation than needed. I understand that I can now loosen up a bit and be more candid.
Thank you all.
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(Reverse) Alum reach out post admit 03 Feb 2013, 20:44
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Okay. I think I was more conservative in my conversation than needed. I understand that I can now loosen up a bit and be more candid.
Thank you all.
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Be as candid as you are comfortable being. Not everyone has the same tolerance for sharing this type of information, and not all alums will be as receptive to it as we think most will be. You could probably start small and based on their reactions gradually share more. Just a thought.

Good luck ;)