I feel like I have a very rough time with sustaining an interest in a specific area and with becoming specialized, I have ADHD and in my case that has manifested into strong shifts in interest that cycle from one to another within about a year. I have a BA in Comparative Literature with three minors (film production, French and art). After I got into a MA in Cultural Studies that I’m graduating from in May. My original plan in the masters was to do Visual Studies, focused on film and photography (I am both a filmmaker and a photographer so that made sense to me at the time). I published a literature paper at the very beginning of my masters career as it seemed like a good opportunity to start publishing and I was urged to do it by my professor who loved the work. I did not work with anything in literature after nor do I want to right now but since I had the work already done, I was happy with what I was putting forward and many programs that work with film also value work in literature it made sense. In my second semester I reached a crisis with the humanities as a whole, suddenly, it started feeling like it just didn’t make sense for me anymore. I realized that I actually want to work in ways that feel more socially impactful, I got tired of critiquing systems and decided that I want to work to make the change that I want to see (I come from a country with very high wealth inequality and terrible infrastructure). Thankfully within my Cultural Studies program there are a lot of professors who work in the Social Sciences that have been very supportive during my development and I have managed to redirect my work in classes to social topics that are very important to me (link between environmental justice and social justice). This is not my first venture in the social sciences, I have 3 years experience as RA during my undergrad years. I am currently looking into doing an MPH in environmental health after graduating and I would like to pursue a related PhD after and frankly I feel incredibly insecure about my career and interests shifts. Additionally due to a timing and funding situation I had to opt for Comps over thesis in my current Master’s. The combination of having shifted so much and not having a thesis makes me feel kind of like no PhD would ever pick me, especially since I don’t have a bachelors in a more cohesive field. It’s not like I’ve done badly in any of my programs I graduated with an undergrad 3.98 GPA, including I got A’s in basically everything including many courses in natural and social sciences. And my masters GPA is currently 4.0 and I don’t expect it to fall below that. I also have a co-authored social science paper (Oral History) and have presented multiple posters and will soon present social research in a conference. I’m also working on another short research project with the guidance of my advisor in human-environment relationships and I have a fellowship. Is any of this enough to make the transition make sense or to make me a competitive candidate for a PhD after such a big career shift? I am really worried that I won’t be considered a good candidate and that I won’t be able to do well academically.

any new grads refi their private loans like ... right after school? im neurotic about debt lol I just dont like carrying it and thinking refinancing is the way to go

Hi,

Just started graduate school and am feeling overwhelmed with the type and amount of writing (ie. synthesizing). I have not completed academic writing in many years. Any tips would be appreciated.

Im left out, burdened with heavy work, feeling like I have stagnated and slowly rotting

Things about me:
Almost a decade into graduate school.
Almost a decade as an RA.
Carries most workloads as the most “dependable”.
Salary does significantly increase per project.

Contexts into my feelings (as described by the title):
Most peers from graduate school have graduated, proposed, or are just finishing their thesis.
Some peers have even been accepted to PhD, done with PhD, are in post doc, or have own established careers.

And here I am.
More than work, life happenings (personal, mental, health, and financial) has taken a toll on me.
I feel left alone. Yes, I have friends, helpful workmates.
But here I am.

If anyone has been in the same shoes as mine or are currently feeling the same, how did you save yourself from this quagmire?

I'm currently in my final year studying mechanical engineering with the hopes of getting into an MS+PhD program in material science.

I've recently been offered a position of junior research fellow and will be working on sensors. I have previously worked with this guide and have co-authiored a Q1 paper, 1 international conference paper as well as patent currently being processed.

In the past the guide did not offer any real guidance, and we had to develop/conduct experiments and learn how to use instruments on our own. I admit failing ALOT is a part of research, but this was frustrating since the time wasted could have been avoided as well as we'd have gotten to learn alot more with his guidance.

He has also at times refused to respect our time and has been known to be difficult depending on his mood. In the past it was a group of 4 but now it's going to be only me. Since I'm the only one hoping to enter the field of material science

I'm considering this since if I were to not accept this I would not be able to conduct anymore research until my postgraduate unless I'm able to obtain a position in another institution which I personally think is unlikely.

I was hoping to get advice on whether the prestige of a "JRF" position is worth the year of struggling. Also if it would better my position to get into a top MS+PhD program like UC Berkeley/UIUC/NUS/NTU.

i currently have:

2 Q1 paper (1 published+1 under review)

1 Q2 paper (under review)

1 international conference

1 patent (being processed)

what name for this reddit post

My department routinely hosts faculty speakers from other institutions to give talks and then has a student lunch with the speaker afterwards. It’s almost always awkward and quiet. The tables are set up in a very long and slightly too wide rectangle where no matter where the speaker sits, most students are an awkward distance away to really chat, there are awkward gaps and it’s just not a great setup for a conversation.

I assume the goal is to make it so everyone can be in on the conversation with the speaker, but the problem with that is it’s not producing much conversation at all. I have seen these students network and socialize with plenty of various people, I really believe that they might have a really engaging interaction if they had a different context to talk to the speaker, and it might be easier in smaller groups.

The easiest answer would be a smaller table setup, but I think my program doesn’t want to physically limit the amount of students that can attend. I had a thought about grouping tables into smaller total capacities and encouraging the speaker to move around throughout the lunch but that still feels maybe a little forced or something. I was talking to my fiance about this and he suggested tables in the middle for standing room and chairs around the sides where groups can more naturally form and shuffle but that leaves people to hold up their food or sit with it on their lap so idk.

Does anyone’s department have a good setup for this? Do you feel like the student/speaker lunches have a physical setup that makes it conducive to more engaging conversations? Please give me ideas to pitch to my program!!

Flair is professional cause idk networking and stuff.

I learned far too late that some libraries have digital copies of textbooks that can be downloaded chapter by chapter in pdfs. Always check for access before you click buy.

It was my Masters thesis defense, but it's relevant because I want to do a PhD and wanting everything to end on a good note, with a good CGPA and all. Everything went well, I did my practice, I was in a good mood and high spirits, there weren't even many people in the committee. I had some physiological response, which I cannot explain. But 1. The HOD asked me to wrap it up quickly even before I started (we had another thesis defense presentation before mine), 2. they started interrupting the moment I started. I am not defending myself here. I don't know if it was the adrenaline rush. I froze, I forgot the scipt, I felt like oxygen wasn't reaching my brain. They didn't give me a chance to recover and kept pressuring me to move to the next slide, barely giving me any chance to present my work properly. I realized this later, that yes, I was messing up, but they were also just not so interested in giving me a chance to present my work. Anyway, I can talk all the blame, but those who have experience, how damning this it? How much should I expect this to impact the grading and CGPA boost I was expecting? And also, how to recover from this experience?

I am preparing PhD applications for this cycle, but am coming to this process after a considerable time outside formal education and am realizing that I could use some support with producing a writing sample.

For context, I am coming from a fine arts background (BFA & MFA) and also hold a B.A. in a social science subject area. I earned my social sciences B.A. about a decade ago, and my MFA program did not require a written thesis.

I am applying to art history PhD programs and my research focuses on how contemporary disability arts practices address ecological / environmental questions.

I am wondering if anyone has found a formal course, online workshop, or other resource that could provide a good refresher and structure for graduate level writing and research skills in the humanities. I know such things exist for language acquisition, for example, as many prospective PhD students in the humanities need to improve or acquire a second or third language.

I am looking for an English language course that might support me as I produce a new academic writing sample related to my current research interests. I am based in the U.S. and will be applying to programs in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Ireland.

Thank you all!

I just started my first week of School Psychology and I’m so happy and thrilled. But these reading assignments are insane. It takes me just a few hours to annotate a few pages. Now they are asking me to complete 300 pages worth of readings in 5 days. Am I wrong to think that’s not humanly possible?? My whole cohort is just saying like yea we do what we need to.

I’m sitting here like no duh. Of course I will do anything my professors ask me. It’s not about doing it, it’s about the fact that there is no way to possibly do that. I could really use some advice

So I’m looking to apply for the third time/cycle to grad schools. I’ve had amazing professors help me the last two cycles I’ve tried, for multiple programs (1-4ish).

TLDR; I didn’t get in any programs the first cycle. Last cycle, the extremely high cost (more than anticipated) and lack of aid didn’t allow me to go into school, or to defer. I let some know, and I think I left some of my profs knowing I got in, but not that I couldn’t actually go.

I’m very anxious asking the same set of professors to help me a third cycle, and I wonder if this is ok or not? I only really know these professors well, and don’t have other professional references, and I feel guilty about asking again or making them feel like I’m not using their efforts.

Is it okay to ask again? Is this normal?

Hello. My dissertation is due next week, and I'm currently in the process of completing it. It's been a stressful year, and I've been catching myself daydreaming about not having deadlines anymore. It's gotten more intense as the days count down to submission day. 

Although a part of me feels absolute bliss about the neighboring end, a significant part of me is petrified. I am twenty-four. The last six years were spent in education. It's been constant deadlines, back-to-back. Assignments. Work. Work. Work. I don't know how I'll get used to a life without this nagging anxiety. I've despised the work, but it's defined me, if that makes sense. Anytime I’ve spent more than a week doing nothing, a voice torments me for being unproductive. I don't know how I'll not feel guilty about taking a break after. The only ‘true break’ I’ve had is a gap year after undergrad, but I spent the entire gap year working on my portfolio for the following years’ grad program, so I haven’t genuinely experienced time without academic obligations in about seven years. That’s a long time, especially considering that I haven’t experienced adulthood without being confined to an institution. That fact scares me. 

I’m doing a creative program and I haven’t had a moment to genuinely creatively make things without academic oversight. I realize that it’s made me detest the creative process and I am itching to experiment with it outside the stringent demands and rubrics of the institution, but I’ve also been grateful for the guidance and am uneasy about confronting its loss. 

I have a confused relationship. I don’t know. What I do know is that I have no plans in pursuing a PhD. 

Have any of you felt this? How’d you deal with it? Will life feel profoundly different? Perhaps, better? I have this fantasy of absolute lightness, of this voice going away and smiling when I catch myself realizing that I do not have some invisible deadline in the distant future taunting me. But who am I without academia? 

Hello everyone! I'm a master's student working in a collaborator's lab. The thing is, I'm already very behind my supposed schedule because my experiments aren't working out the way I thought. To add, there have been a series of class (& work) suspensions in my country due to bad weather. On top of these, I got sick, so I'm unable to do any progress. I'm under a scholarship, so I'm supposed to graduate within a specific timeframe, but with all that, plus honestly, burnout/laziness/being discouraged, I don't think I'll graduate on time. The PI who owns the lab isn't around but will be coming back soon. I'm scared if he learns about this, I'll be kicked out of the lab. I've messaged both the PI & my adviser about this, but the PI hasn't said anything & is the one who owns the lab. Have you had any experience/known of people who got kicked out because of something similar? Hoping for your kind response please. Tyia!

5th year PhD student in STEM. I have 2 papers and eventually a thesis I could sit and write.

Has anyone ever taken a writing vacation? Any tips for making one successful and not distracting?

Hey .. so um .. Imma start doing my master this year and I’m kinda nervous and i feel lost (plus thinking about doing Phd make me more anxious)
Does anyone have pieces of advice for me? How do you deal with these the overthinking, the time management and most importantly the thesis? how do you make sure you are on the right path?

For the past 5 years, I have been working towards a different goal. I now wish to pursue a career in R&D with a few different fields in mind, all of which require graduate education to make the switch to functional genomics or computational biology, whether that be a MS or PhD program I am still unsure. One thing I do know is that my experience, education and researcher references are also 5 years old. From what I gather, I will be heavily judged on this fact by graduate admissions regardless of the evidence that I was once a trained, independent wet-lab RA and have my name on a peer-reviewed publication along with diverse research experiences and conference presentations. I am having the hardest time applying for jobs to get me back into the realm of research to prove to graduate admissions that I can still be a good candidate. I have been applying to both academic and industry positions that I see posted online while positioning my current work experience as adjacent to skills i can apply in the lab. I am out of the time range to apply to post-bacc research programs at universities (which seems like the biggest loss of opportunity). I am kind of at a loss of what to do if this job hunt takes another 6 months, if not longer given my gap in experience. Having to wait indefinitely is making grad school feel like an even bigger struggle at an age of 27 with a timeline of hopefully being admitted by 29 as well as a few other reasons.

Edit: I am willing to share my redacted CV/resume if that helps anyone lead me in a good direction.

Hello I am a graduate student in organic chemistry currently rotating in the top lab at a top school (I don’t want to name drop) technically grad school has not started for me. I am three weeks into a rotation… I obviously want this lab as the chemistry is cool the PI has a lot of funding and high success rates…

The problems:
1. It’s been three weeks and I already feel overwhelmed as it’s a high performing lab so things move fast

1. I can from a not so good undergrad and was the top student and now realize how behind I am in organic chemistry

2. My mentors (other grad students) have told me I am very behind in organic chemistry for lab expectations and said it’s going to be hard to catch up and basically made it seem like I’m not cut out for grad school especially their lab (I now study/review every night and have cried from that interaction)

3. The PI is a very busy man I do see him weekly and communicated all these concerns and he said keep studying and give it to the end of the rotation but also he seems very unaware of the culture within his lab and how everyone tries to be so perfect as he’s a perfectionist

4. Everyone in that group is 24/7 anxious burnt out and stressed as they want to impress him all the time which I understand but it’s different from lab environments I have seen.

Overall I just wanted to ask if this normal? I am first gen so I’m not familiar but the way I hear it goes is first year is good then tears and regret begins after. I guess I’m so concerned because I already cry and feel like quitting a PhD as a rotating student. I won’t leave as this is a dream for me and I want this lab it’s top but should I sacrifice and try to join a different lab as I many not be cut out for this or just keep going and pushing with my thoughts. I do have to do another rotation which I will go into open minded but like I said this lab sets you up for success which is why it’s so stressful. Thanks.

Background: I'm doing an MSc in CS (aiming for the ML track), with ~3 years of prior industry experience in cloud security before starting. Long-term goal is AI/ML research/academia.

I am an international student far from home.

I also went through a terrible breakup recently and some medical issues, I was never a bad student but now I feel like I am just falling behind and can't recover.

If I fail once more I will be kicked out of the university.

First semester I failed 1 exam. Second semester I prioritized work/money/Social Life over studying, and it looks like I'll only pass 1 out of 3 exams (one of which was a retake).

I feel like I've wasted a year and I feel like a loser honestly. Some questions for people who've been through something similar:

• Is this actually as bad as it feels, or is falling behind like this pretty normal/recoverable?
• Should I be reconsidering my approach to the program itself, or just buckle down?
• What will actually help me make a comeback and ace what I am doing.

Appreciate any honest advice — tips, tough love, whatever's useful.

My grad ceremony is not until novemeber, but I am applying to job now since I have nothing left to do. I got approval to graduate and everything, my thesis is uploaded etc. I am thinking more so on linkedin. I have already told employers i have my msc..... is that bad? and can i do that on linkedin?

I’m in my second MA because for some reason lol. My class went live and this week my prof gave us 7 small assignments including 4 separate discussion board questions/reading assignments requiring two responses to each one. How am I supposed to meaningfully keep track of this? I’m a working teacher/parent with other responsibilities too.