Offers

Navigating multiple offers is a wonderful problem to have! Here are a couple thoughts as to how to steer your way through this situation.

Be honest with yourself.  

If you are not interested in pursuing one of the offers on the table, then decline the offer. If you have already received an offer from an opportunity that you are excited to pursue, please remove yourself from other competitions of opportunities that you are less excited about.

Be a clear communicator.  

If you are waiting to hear about a decision from a competing opportunity, it is fine to ask for a reasonable and specific extension for the decision deadline from your first opportunity. Do your best to have all of the decision timelines at hand so that you do not go back to any administrator to ask for an extension more than once and so that you have time to make a thoughtful decision about which opportunity you would like to accept.  

• Please Note: any program administrator has the right to deny your request for an extension. At that point, please make the best decision that you can with the information that you have at the time.

Stick to your word.  

It is in poor taste, is often seen as disrespectful, and reflects poorly on Harvard if you accept an opportunity and then decline that opportunity down the road if you believe that a better offer has come your way. Do the best that you can to make a wise choice and only accept an offer for an opportunity that you intend to pursue.