<p>I finally have gotten an internship offer. </p>
<p>I have a dilema though. The company said they usually want a reply in two business days, but I have one application for an reu on campus, which if I were to get accepted to I would accept over anything else. The reu is at the top of my list, this internship is second. The reu accepts applications until the 25th. </p>
<p>I told the company this and they said they would get back to me as far as giving me time to decide. </p>
<p>I think my chances for getting into the reu are pretty good, but they aren't guaranteed. The professor who I have been working with in the math department just so happens to be the one running the reu, and I think he is the one who is reviewing applications too. I wouldn't say he knows me well, but we've met a few times and discussed stuff that I've been learning on my own. I don't think I should ask him what to do because of the conflict of interest. </p>
<p>I really want to go to grad school, so this reu would be really helpful. The internship isn't that interesting either, but it pays, and its something I can add on my resume.</p>
<p>I would tell them exactly what you just said. Let them know that you would like to consider all available options and that you will need a couple more weeks before you can make an educated decision that will benefit everyone. If they made an offer to you, they probably will be willing to wait for a response. </p>
<p>Whatever you do, do NOT accept and then renege later if you get this “reu” or whatever it is; that is considered unethical and can damage your reputation in the future.</p>
<p>I told them. They said they will continue interviewing and if anyone else accepts then they will rescind their offer.</p>
<p>A lot of my friends are telling me not to take the offer. This internship really is a menial job, and none of them think its worth it. However, it would be something to add to my resume. It also pays enough that after paying for summer housing and and transportation costs, i will have enough left over for food to break even for the summer. </p>
<p>Well that seems unethical on their part, and in some states it is actually illegal. To be honest, I would stay away from a company that forces your hand before letting you see all of your options. It’s tough since you don’t have any other offers on the table, but I think it would be to your advantage to just wait as long as you can before making a decision, and go with your gut.</p>
<p>I tend to agree with the company in this case. They have a job to fill and they can’t wait while you play for a better offer. They told you what they are going to do and you can decide if you want to take their offer or roll the dice on the other job. This is a common situation in the workplace; you generally have a short response time on job offers; employers have to get the jobs filled and are working on their schedule, not yours.</p>
<p>I’m not sure what companies you are applying to, but it is absolutely standard practice to work with applicants on acceptance deadlines. The key is what is classified as “undue pressure.” For example, if you need to relocate for this job but are only given two days to respond, that is completely unreasonable. Similarly, it would be unreasonable for you to ask for an expedited review process with this “reu” thing you’re talking about just for the sake of having options.</p>
<p>Think about it this way… you are applying for a summer internship. The job doesn’t start for several more months, so that means the company offering you the job has no urgent need for an acceptance. As a result, you should be able to exercise more control over the situation. If you express your continued interest but explain that you would want to have more time to evaluate options, you show fairness to the company and give the company the chance to show fairness to you. After all, would it be very good for the company if you begrudgingly accepted the offer, sacrificing even finding out if you got the offer you were hoping for? From the company’s perspective, they offered YOU the job, so that means they clearly want YOU, not the next guy behind you. If that is not the case, like I said earlier, I would be cautious about working for this company.</p>
<p>Exploding offers are not reasonable, not encouraged, sometimes legislated against, often advised against and certainly not things that should merely be accepted as a fact of life.</p>
<p>I don’t think their response was unreasonable. </p>
<p>I would need to find my own housing for this job. But, like I said above, it pays well enough that I would be able to afford to live on campus this summer, so finding housing isn’t a big issue. </p>
<p>Although they don’t really have an urgent need for me to accept, by waiting for me specifically, they may lose other people from their short list, who get offers elsewhere and decide to take those instead. </p>
<p>I think my best option is to just wait. If they rescind their offer, then they rescind it. If not then great. In the meantime I’ll continue applying elsewhere. Who knows, maybe I’ll get another offer that works out better with the timeline I’m dealing with and maybe by then I’ll have an acceptance or rejection from the reu.</p>
<p>I think the OP is 100 percent heading in the right direction and considering this situation in the correct light. How is it unethical for the company to say, “Hey, you’ve got two days to consider this and let us know. If you take longer than that, the offer might not be there anymore”? If you tell them you’re waiting to hear back from other companies before you take the position offered, then clearly what they’re offering you isn’t your first choice. I’m sure for other individuals, they <em>are</em> the first choice. So why employ someone who is settling?</p>
<p>Anyway–Good luck with your opportunities this summer, OP</p>
<p>I think the OP is handling this properly, but I really disagree with URichmond. Allowing applicants to review all of their options does not mean that they will be “settling;” rather, it means that they will make a decision that is beneficial to everybody. When I did recruiting, I wound up with two job offers. When the first came, I let them know that I wanted to wait until I heard back from my other applications, but that didn’t mean I didn’t want that first offer. As it turned out, I got a second offer, and since I wasn’t married to either opportunity, it was a very difficult decision. I wound up choosing a company closer to where I grew up since that was the best opportunity for me, but since I handled the matter honestly and professionally, I have maintained an ongoing relationship with the other company that could be mutually beneficial in the future.</p>
<p>Seeing options is just good business practice.</p>
<p>I got into the reu at school. So, I told the company. I have no idea if their offer is still available or not, because I haven’t been in contact with them since I initially told them about my situation.</p>
<p>I told the company that I got into a summer research program at school and will be turning down the offer they gave me. I’m not sure if they’re offer is still available or not though, as I haven’t been in contact with them since they gave me an offer. Mostly because I didn’t have anything to say.</p>