I’ve received an offer with a short reply window –can I request an extension of my offer deadline? If yes, how do I go about doing so?
MIT Sloan’s Recruiting Policies state that any employer extending an offer to an MFin student gives the student a minimum of 4 weeks from the date of the written offer to evaluate that offer. If your offer deadline is shorter than 4 weeks, we encourage you to ask for an extension. Here are some specific tips and suggestions around asking for an extension of your offer deadline:
- Ask for the extension sooner rather than later – employers don’t always look favorably on a last-minute request for more time.
- Requests can be made by email or by phone/Zoom and should be directed to your HR contact. If you do send an email, mention your willingness to schedule a phone call or Zoom to discuss your request further if necessary.
- Start by reiterating your excitement to have received the offer.
- Share MIT Sloan’s Recruiting Policies with your contact, specifically addressing that MIT Sloan asks employers to give students a minimum of 4 weeks to evaluate offers.
- Consider mentioning that you’d appreciate the additional time to evaluate the offer so you can discuss this important career decision with your family/network/friends/etc.
- At this point in the semester, you could also mention how busy things are as you near the end of the semester and that you could use the extra time to reflect upon such an important decision.
- If you’d like more time than what was initially provided to evaluate the offer but don’t need a full 4 weeks, you can speak to that as well by saying: “While I do not think I will need a full 4 weeks to evaluate this offer, I would be grateful if the reply deadline could be extended to [insert date].”
Your career advisors are here to support you. Please let us know as soon as you receive an offer with a short reply window so we can coach you through the process of requesting an extension. We are also available to help you evaluate and negotiate your offer more broadly
Remember these questions, and more, are found in the MFin Career FAQs available to you at anytime.
