<p>OK, so this has been posted before, but my situation has a twist.</p>
<p>One of the schools I applied to accepted me (yay!), though I guess I expected it because it was my safety. Their visit day was conveniently scheduled on the same visit weekend that one of my top choice schools had its visit weekend. Needless to say, I turned their offer of visiting down for the better choice school. </p>
<p>Even though I declined to go, I still told them I was interested in their program (mainly because I had only heard back from these two schools at this point). This school countered and asked me if I wanted to come on a different day and have a more low-key visit day. I said sure, why not. It was kind of up in the air until today, when they actually scheduled it. It's not much - informal interviews with a few faculty, dinner with a grad student, and a campus tour. This would take place in a month.</p>
<p>At this point, I'm committed to going to one of the better programs I've been accepted at. I don't want to waste their time and mine if I know I'm not going to this school, but I feel bad because they went to all this trouble for just me. Any advice?</p>
<p>A straight-forward, concise letter thanking them for the acceptance and explaining that you have recently committed elsewhere will suffice.</p>
<p>However if I were to ever find myself in this situation, I will consider writing a letter that mirrors a standard student rejection:</p>
<p>"While your program is extremely strong and will doubtless produce many fine graduates, you must realize that the number of exellent graduate programs that have admitted me far exceed the number I can attend. This is in no way a reflection upon your program's continuing ability to educate leaders in this field, and I wish you luck with your recruiting this year.</p>
<p>comfortably_numb, congratulations on your acceptances. Your instinct that you don't want to take up their time and $$ (they would probably pay some of your visit expenses) is a good instinct. Just let them know that you will be accepting an offer elsewhere and thank them for their time.</p>
<p>momof3sons is correct. Look at it this way: You are wasting their time. They could be wining and dining somebody who is really interested. Let them know ASAP and clear the way for the others! (Of course, some students have been persuaded to attend the school by these visits!)</p>
<p>I wrote a very short and sweet "Dear School X, I appreciate the offer of an interview weekend but will not be attending, as I have already accepted admission into the ___ program at School Y. Thank you very much blah blah"</p>
<p>and they responded very quickly and nicely :)</p>