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Its hard to give specific advice as you don't give many details. Generally, I think you can be competitive for jobs in the US if you are going to a well known university and gain relevant experience while completing your PhD. I know some programs in Europe do not require teaching, so you need to gain some teaching experience if you are going to go into lecturing in the US (although I have a friend who who is completing her PhD from a European university while working as a lecturer in the US). You will be competing for jobs against graduates who had teaching duties throughout their degrees. Personally, I would try to get as much experience as you can while doing your PhD - publishing, teaching, research related internships, working on research projects with faculty in your department. This way, you will be well prepared for a range of positions when you graduate.

I have friends who took a full course load in my MA program while working full time. This was not uncommon as there are a lot of job opportunities in my field in the city where I did my masters. I worked part time my first year and then switched to full time work and a lighter course load my second year. I took classes in the summer so I would complete my degree on time. I was extremely busy but was able to manage it while still staying involved in extracurricular activities and social events. Toward the end, I took classes that I knew would be less intense so I could balance everything.

I can offer some thoughts mostly on the UK programs. Both are excellent but your experience depends on many different factors -- it is difficult to give general advice. At Oxford, you would have two terms of coursework but after that your interaction is mainly with your supervisors. So, your experience really hinges on your supervisor relationships. I am not sure how this would be different at Harvard (I'm imagining more coursework and maybe you have a dissertation committee rather than just one or two supervisors - but I'm not sure). One other distinction is that at Oxford and perhaps Cambridge, you would have three vivas (one at the proposal stage, one after submitting two chapters, and the final viva). I think you have two in the US. There is a strong feeling movement through the program because you have three milestones that should be completed in a certain timeframe. You are also getting feedback from your examiners which is particularly useful at the 'halfway' point when you do the second viva. This is a good thing. There is a lot of support available (at Oxford, I'm not sure about Cambridge) to help you meet the milestones toward the degree. Also, at Oxford and Cambridge there is a college system - it gives you a very interdisciplinary experience because you have the interaction with your department and then at your college you interact with students from across different departments. You might have more teaching opportunities in the US. At Oxford and Cambridge there aren't undergraduate degrees in education. Students still gain teaching experience but generally do so on their own initiative and sometimes at different universities - it is not a requirement or part of the PhD program. In terms of funding, there are options within the department and also at the different colleges. You really have to research the different grants and scholarships through the various colleges. Of course, there are also outside scholarships as well as research assistant positions in education and other departments. Some students work part time and some get positions working for the university as 'junior deans' to cover expenses. The timeline for completing a PhD at Cambridge or Oxford could generally be shorter than a similar program in the US (again, this really depends on your supervisor, some push their students more than others). You might want to compare this at the schools you are interested in. I also suggest contacting a supervisor you are interested in working with and also some students working under the prof. This will give you a much better idea of what your experience might be like

I am about 6 months or so away from completing my PhD and have started sending out resumes. I have looked at different ways of including my PhD research related experience and am wondering how others on this board have presented their grad school experience? For the past year and a half, I have just been writing up my dissertation and covered my costs with grant money and a part time job on campus doing administrative work. I am not sure if I should highlight this administrative position along with my other work experience as it's a very low responsibility job (basically receptionist duties). If I leave it off, I feel like my resume gives the impression I've been unemployed. I know doing a PhD is a full time job but I am wondering if I apply for jobs outside of academia (I am applying to both academic and non-academic positions) if I will be less competitive with gaps in my employment history. I am wondering if I should fill the gaps with my research and fieldwork experiences? Thanks for any thoughts!

I completed an MA in International Education at George Washington University and was very happy with my decision. They offered a lot of funding and grants and the location was great for me - there are a lot of organizations in DC hiring IE students. I did several internships and had a full time position in my field before I graduated. My friends are all working in the field in a range of high level positions. I know GW isn't as prestigious as Harvard or Stanford but I think everyone I know from GW are now in director level positions. I was also able to go from GW into a highly ranked Phd program. To answer your question - pick the progam that seems to be the best fit for you. I am sure Harvard opens certain doors but I think there are a lot of other great programs out there as well...

Hi AnonymousAcademic, That does sound frustrating. Why don't you ask one of the administrators of the program if you could be in touch with one or two of your potential supervisor's advisees? They might even be listed on the department's website. Of course, its always hard to determine for sure what it will be like to work with someone, but you could get a general idea from other students. I did however do this when I was checking out my PhD program years ago and contacted one of my current supervisor's students. She sounded completely positive. It was only when I actually arrived on campus that I heard negative stories and warnings from other students. That said, my issues only started this year - now that I am getting closer to completing. Each persons experience is different, even with the same supervisor - I recommend doing as much research and asking around as you can, but in the end, you will just have to weigh out all the pros and cons of each program and make the best decision you can with the information you have.

Thanks Dal PhDer. I have been going back and forth about this decision for quite some time and I appreciate your advice. The graduate coordinator in my department is aware of the situation (though it has been a while since I have talked to him), as well as two other profs in my department who stepped in on their own to offer me advice (it seems my supervisor has a reputation and these two profs expressed their concern and also offered to help). I have tried different tactics to try to improve and focus my meetings with my supervisor. Yes...it is difficult because I am so far along (but I will feel like I have a way to go before being ready to submit). I can see the benefits of either staying with him or trying to make a change. Another worry is that I recently found out that there are a few other advisees of his that have now gone two years over the expected time for completion (of course I don't know their situations so I don't want to get too worried over this). I will take your advice though and try talking with my coordinator again. I am willing to try anything at this stage and maybe there is someone in my dept. who could serve as a mentor to help get me through to completion...

I am in the midst of writing my dissertation and am trying to figure out if it is worth it at this stage to push for a second supervisor or new supervisor. It's tough for me to look at this objectively, so I am hoping for some advice. I have had difficulty getting advising from my supervisor since I started my PhD and know his other advisees face the same difficulty - so it's not just me. He's a nice guy though and we do get along which has made it difficult to decide if I should do anything or just keep getting advice on my dissertation from friends and other professors to 'fill in' for the lack of supervision. I also don't know if I am expecting too much. In the past, he held up my fieldwork (I won't go into detail in order to maintain my anonymity, but in the end, it cost me money and several months). I could add to this that he has ignored my emails requesting LOR's for grants and research fellowships, but I don't want to totally go off on a rant. To be blunt, he usually doesn't read my work prior to supervision meetings. Usually he scans my work during our meetings. The advice I have received this year has been minimal and he only made himself available to meet three times during the academic year. His advice, when I ask him questions about a chapter, is to write another chapter and he assures me that will help me figure it out. I now have a deadline with my university to submit two completed chapters for my next defence. My supervisor does not seemed concerned about helping me meet this deadline and I am left with work that hasn't been developed to a stage where it can be submitted but I do have rough (really rough) drafts of several chapters. The other issue I have right now is that during our last meeting, he decided that I should review an unpublished set of chapters loosely related to my topic and make the ideas from these chapters a major part of my dissertation. There is other more relevant work which would be better placed in my dissertation. To me, it seems he wants me to summarise these unpublished chapters because he can then use that as part of the introduction to the book these chapters are part of. This is just a guess though. I have been working with my supervisor for several years now, so I am hesitant to make a complete switch to a new supervisor. But, if I try to get a second supervisor, I know it will affect our relationship as he has not been open to this idea when I have brought it up in the past. This is why I would be open to making a switch to a new supervisor. On the positive side, de does have a good sense of when my work is complete and ready for submission. I trust his advice on that - but I am at a point now where I need the help of a supervisor to help me get my chapters to that point. Does anyone have any advice on how to deal with this? Should I just keep plugging along as I have been? I do think eventually I will finish (I am determined), but I am running out of time and finances are also a big concern. If I do push for a second supervisor, what would be the best way to do this without totally ruining my relationship with my supervisor? Or should I not be worried about that? My main priority is to graduate at this point, after all the time I have invested but I also want to be strategic about this so I don't get into a worse situation....

Are you in contact with any potential supervisors at Oxford? If not, I recommend getting in touch with one or two professors (the department of ed assigns students two supervisors) to get a better idea if you would be a good fit. Is there anyone in higher ed who does ethnography? If you have identified one or two profs, I would also recommend getting in touch with their advisees and ask about their experience studying at Oxford under the professor you have in mind. Your experience at Oxford really depends on your supervisor and finding the right fit - its also important to make sure your potential supervisor has students who move through the program and graduate somewhat on time. The program at Oxford is very research focused with the first two terms being coursework and after that your primary interaction with the department is usually meetings with your supervisor (though there are lectures throughout the academic year). You might also want to contact someone associated with the research group. Find out how active the group is and how often they meet and hold lectures. I don't know anything about that particular research group but I do know there are some that are less active than others. So, if the activity of the research group is one of your deciding factors, definitely inquire more about the group. Another thing to think about - you probably have to submit a research proposal as part of your application to Oxford. You might want to think more about how your proposed project could be completed in approximately three years. You mention doing ethnographic research in three different countries. If most of the first year at Oxford is coursework and your proposal is due at the end of the first year, this leaves a relatively short amount of time for fieldwork if you intend to submit your confirmation of status by the end of the second year (this would be two chapters, one being a chapter of 'findings'). This is just something to think about as you get your application together - but could you realistically do three case study ethnographies given this rough time frame (especially since one case study involves a network of charter schools)? I think it would add strength to your application if you can show that you have a project that can be completed within the time frame of the phd and have also identified potential superivors who match well with your project and methodology. I also recommend looking into IOE - it is also a good option. Cambridge has a good dept of ed as well and would be worth looking into (Camb also offers the gates scholarship).

It appears that your research interests would make you a good fit for a phd in international education. If you decide to pursue a political science phd, it would probably be a good idea to make sure you can find an advisor with a research interest in education and also ask if the department has other students working on similar projects. Personally, I think you would find more support and resources for your topic in an education department. But, I also am not familiar at all with political science. I think it really depends on what type of department and what type of students you would prefer to work with.

I am a phd student in social sciences and have been trying to write the first of three findings chapters. I came back from my fieldwork with a lot of data (probably too much) and have been trying to figure out how to structure my data into a decent chapter. I went through several months using NVivo to code everything. I know the major themes emering from the transcripts. However, I am having difficulty just figuring out how to write it up and present it in a logical way. If anyone has any tips for me, I would really appreciate it. Everything is there in the data and I have written sevearl drafts, but its just not coming together (and the only advice I get from my supervisor is to just write it). I feel like I have hit a brick will - maybe writers block - and need to get through it before my deadline (in two months).

I had a similar experience during my MA -- I started with just a little bit in scholarship money and a work study position. In my first year, I got a really high GPA and went to my advisor and asked him if there were any scholarships I might qualify for in the next year. I emphasised my GPA and the internships and work study I had been doing. My advisor put me on a list of students to be considered for scholarships. I then went to the financial aid office and met in person with the financial aid officer. I explained my situation and asked if there was anything I could apply for or be considered for. I am not sure if this approach made the difference, but I did end up getting a summer fellowship and increased scholarship money the next year. I felt that meeting the financial aid officer in person was key. It's definitely worth a try before you look into transferring. One more thought -- does your school offer tuition remission if you work in an administrative position? This might also be an option.

I am completing my degree in about a year and have just started my job search. I figured it would be good to start looking around now so I can get a sense of the current job market. I'm also applying for a few postdoc positions that have deadlines coming up for positions next year. I do feel worried when I read the news though about high unemployment. However, I have friends that are in the process of completing their PhD's and have found adjunct teaching positions (they are working part time and wanted to work part time while writing up). A few friends found positions easily and I think in just a few months. I know it all depends on the field and how attractive your resume is....I'm hoping I have decent luck once my job search is in full swing...

DPhilbound, I think your school's secretary would be the best person to ask about a possible limit to a students working hours since each department has its own rules. I would think it would depend where you are at in the DPhil. If you have finished the residency requirement and are working on writing up the dissertation from 'home' I'm not sure the school could impose a limit to your working hours. However, there are usually time limits for submitting parts of the DPhil (again this varies by program), so if you can make the milestones toward the degree and hold down a job, it doesn't seem like there would be a problem. Also, if your school does have a requirement about working hours, it is possible that this requirement could be negotiated or waived with your supervisor. So, I would check first with the school, then if you already have a supervisor you could check with him/her. If you are talking about living in Oxford as an international student, then there are a limited number of hours you can work on an international student visa. As far as I know, that limit is 20 hours/week. But, this may have changed recently, so I would double check with the student immigration officers at Oxford who know all the rules.

This year should be the final year of my PhD and I am considering working during part of the year (maybe from Spring onward). I know this will probably slow down the pace of my writing, but I don't mind if my graduation is delayed a bit. I have heard of just a few other students in my department working full time in their final year and am wondering if anyone else here has done that. My finances will be tight next year and working would really help relieve some of the financial pressure. However, I'm wondering if I should just buckle down and finish my writing and then worry about job hunting.

Hashem1, You can live outside of Oxford once you complete the residency requirement. You could then have supervision meetings with your supervisor via skype, if this is something your supervisor is comfortable with. I also have some friends who work on their dissertations from 'home' and come to campus a few times a year for supervision meetings. It is possible. It is also possible, in some cases, to be away from campus during the residency requirement. For example, if you were working on fieldwork in another country during the second year.

Hi Lantern, The title of your post really struck me because I am experiencing the exact same thing. My mom unexpectedly and suddenly passed on about three months ago. The time has gone by in a blur but very slowly and very gradually I have started to feel a little bit better. I am so, so sorry for your loss and I relate to everything you wrote. I too felt like dropping out of my PhD, but kept with it because it was something my mom really supported and would have wanted me to continue with. I really didn't feel like continuing with school, but it has gotten better. I went back to campus after just a few weeks home and had to take an exam and then start fieldwork. I wasn't very productive at first but I've been letting myself take more time and have also let myself veg when needed. I've also tried to stay connected with friends and family. Talking to a few other friends who have gone through and are currently going through the same thing has helped too. It is just a really unimaginable experience and felt surreal at first. I also had that feeling of being run over by a train and couldn't think or communicate much in those first few weeks. I would suggest you keep going with school. Try and stay focused as much as you can but also give yourself time out whenever you need it. You might want to just try going to counselling....try and find one who specialises in grief. I went to a counsellor on campus right away and it was comforting in a way when she told me other students had gone through the same thing and continued with their studies --- it really did seem impossible at first to work on my research. Like Unlikelygrad mentioned, forcing myself to exercise daily has been helpful in calming my mind in the evenings. I was going on a lot of long 2 hour walks the first two months after and I have tapered off a bit now. I can tell it will take a long time to really come to terms with this kind of loss (my mom was my best friend too)...but it will get better. Again...I am sorry for your loss and wish you the best...

I looked into this briefly not too long ago because I have been having a horrible time with my supervisor and wanted to look into my options. In my case, I have one year left of my PhD -- basically just writing up. I emailed a few other PhD programs and one wrote back and told me I could not switch into their program as it has a cohort structure. Another program wouldn't allow me to enter at this point without taking additional classes. I recommend emailing programs you are interested to see what would be involved in switching. I should also mention that a good friend of mine at my university switched PhD programs -- he was in one previously for one year before 'upgrading' to the program he is in now (he is getting a much better stipend and his current program is in the top 5). Interestingly, this past school year he applied once again to another PhD program because his research project totally fell through (he is in the sciences) -- he did gain acceptance and another generous stipend offer at university #3 but in the end decided to stay where he is at, but he did switch supervisors and projects. Also -- I used to work in a research related position and many of my co-workers had PhD's and many had worked in academia -- one of these co-workers told me that people do switch programs. So...while it seems to be a difficult process, it's not unheard of. In my case, I have decided against trying to change programs. I have an advisor, not my academic supervisor, but more of a general advisor, who is helping me through the process of getting a second supervisor. I am hoping this helps me get through my (hopefully!) final year. If you do end up applying to other programs, I'm not sure how you would deal with letters of recommendation without offending your current supervisor. If you are close with another professor and think you may be able to explain your situation and reason for applying elsewhere, that could work. You could also just get recommendations from your previous degree program. If you have worked in your field previously -- you could get a professional reference.

Most of my classmates in my MA program had undergrad majors in different subjects -- though some had related work experience. Now I'm working on my PhD and I've noticed many people have majors -- grad and undergrad -- in different fields. Of course, I also know a few students who went straight from undergrad to masters to PhD all in the same subject. I am in the social sciences, so I imagine it could be different depending on the field -- but it also seems that some programs value varied experiences -- as long as you have a strong reason for pursuing your chosen field. In my case, when I changed directions between undergrad and my MA, I had relevant work experience and had also taken a couple of classes related to the MA program I applied for -- this was not required, but I felt more confidant in my decision having taken a couple of courses and I think it also added strength to my personal statement.

I just wanted to add to this: I worked part-time in an administrative position at my university and received partial tuition remission (I combined this with scholarships and took on very little debt during my MA). The full time admin jobs all came with 100% tuition remission and many of my friends held these jobs and graduated with their MA debt free. Other universities offer this benefit and it's definitely worth looking into.

Thanks for the advice. I think you both have very good points. I have just been getting so frustrated (mostly with my supervisor) that it's hard to think clearly right now. The past month things have been coming to a head because he hasn't returned any of my emails regarding short but important questions about my fieldwork. Usually, he at least offers some kind of a response. I will talk to my DGS, either over email right now or in person when I finish my fieldwork and talk about my options. I think an informal (or formal) second supervisor might be the answer. I don't think I can get through the next year if my situation doesn't change in some way. Some colleagues have told me I just need to finish the PhD on my own, but I really don't think that's reasonable. I need some guidance to help me get through the next year -- and to help me structure my dissertation and flesh out my ideas. I've also thought about transferring to another PhD program, but I'm not sure that is the best idea either since I have just one year left where I am at. I have the feeling transferring would prolong things. Thanks again for your thoughts and suggestions.

I am at a point of complete frustration with my PhD program and really need some advice. I am doing the fieldwork for my dissertation right now and should be done by the fall. Next year could be my final year, but it could also take a bit longer depending on how I progress. Right now it's looking like it may also take longer if I start working part time to help support myself. My frustration right now is stemming from the fact that my supervisor is becoming really difficult to work with. He doesn't respond to my emails (I'm overseas right now doing fieldwork), skips our supervision meetings, and when he does show up to our meetings he usually hasn't read any of my work. I feel like my project has gotten unwieldy due to my supervision having gone down hill the past year. I am also really irritated because my fieldwork was delayed by months because of his disorganisation -- this delay also ended up costing me a lot of money because I am not fully funded and relying on grants and scholarships, which were not enough to cover my expenses during these delays. I have tried various tactics to try and take control of the situation (sending him reminders about our meetings, calling to remind him, showing up with a list of things to discuss, and emailing him a list of the points discussed -- not to mention expressing my concerns about my finances and the numerous delays), but still feel like I am all alone and on an uphill battle. I also put a lot of volunteer time this past year in to help him with a project, thinking that if I did that, he would give me better quality supervision and I also thought this extra project could benefit my career. Now I'm feeling a like he took advantage of me because I haven't gotten much out of all the time I put in helping him. The results of the project also don't seem on track to be published since he has dropped the ball on it completely. Financial concerns are also weighing heavily on me right now as I did not get a grant I had hoped to for next year. This means more student loans (I already had some from my MA and have taken out more along the way while working on my PhD) -- and this just adds to my frustration. My SO keeps telling me to stick with it no matter what and just get the degree. Achieving a PhD has been one of my dreams and I am studying a topic that I am very interested in and I have been very lucky to gain access to the site where I am conducting my research. I'm also at a very highly ranked school so I do think that if I could get the PhD, it could be worth it. I just feel like my heart isn't in it anymore and I'm not sure if its worth the sacrifice of time, money and stress to keep going. I have also thought that maybe I should just finish my fieldwork and take a year off. However, I also think that if I did that it would be hard to get back into school mode again. I'm just really not sure what to do. I feel like dropping out and just taking a second MA and being done with it. Yet, I also think I could regret this decision later on. I feel stuck. Does anyone have any advice that could help me with this decision? Thank you so much for reading through my post.

I sent you a private message...

I think you could relate your background to International Education (IE programs often have international/intercultural communication as part of the coursework). I did an MA in International Education, and my classmates came from a range of backgrounds. A few had teaching experience and teaching degrees, but the majority came from backgrounds in International Relations, Political Science, History, Art, Anthroplogy, Area Studies, etc. etc. I can see your friends point about getting funding. You could apply to a few different programs and just see where you get accepted and choose the offer with the best funding. Some schools websites will have brief profiles of current students. You can look at those to get an idea of the backgrounds of students who have been accepted. This could be a good way to identify schools that might be a good fit!

I was admitted to TC a couple years ago for the EdD. I attended an admitted students day and was told that TC does not offer full funding (i.e. tuition waiver and living stipend)for any of their programs (though maybe this only applies to EdD and MA students?). I was told that some students take administrative jobs with the university because those positions offer full tuition remission. Personally, I was offered a certain number of free tuition credits a year (I calculated the costs though and even with the tuition credits, TC was out of my price range due to the cost of living in NY). I got the impression that receiving tuition credits is common, but getting full funding is unlikely. You should call someone in the financial aid office and ask -- everyone I met at TC seemed very informative and helpful.