m.cyrax

That's a good way to look at it, as well. I'm certainly not ruling out the possibility of just waiting and seeing if things turn for the better--but I'd rather not chew up more of the department's time and resources, and my own time, if I were to stay longer only to eventually leave.

Thanks for the pointer! I considered this as well and I agree that a leave of absence would be viable option... I was just concerned that this would burn bridges even harder at my current school if I were to drop out after the leave of absence, since going on a leave of absence would imply that I'll be returning. And from the perspective of my current department, that I dragged out the process of departing instead of biting the bullet and being up front.

I would be looking to get a statistics-related industry job, something that could help cultivate future research interests. I could also do one more semester, and leave after the fall semester. This would give me almost one full year before starting applications, but set me back another year. But at that point, I may as well complete two full years...

Thanks for the response--I didn't mean I would actively try and hide it, just that I wouldn't necessarily explicitly bring it up or dwell on it. In a personal statement, I could just mention that I got my Master's, then moved on to do something else for awhile, and am now looking to join a PhD program.

Did the candidate get the Master's along the way? Would the candidate have been competitive if not for having left a PhD program previously?

Thanks for the feedback. Were you considering this at one point yourself? Although not specifically on leave-with-Master's-and-re-applying, I've seen feedback on transferring range from "it's going to burn all your bridges and be a kiss of death at any school you apply!" to "it's perfectly fine and normal as long as you're not a jerk about it, my friend/classmate/Professor has done it before!"

This would be a few months after I obtain the Master's; receive in the summer and apply in the winter. I would be circling back to the Professors I've had for graduate courses to ask for letters.

If I am a current, funded, PhD student, and I don't feel completely satisfied with my program... would it be prudent to leave with a one-year coursework (so non-thesis) Master's in hand, and then re-apply to PhD programs after a few months? I would have a full year's worth of coursework to show on applications, and my program is well-regarded. Nothing in particular is wrong. I just don't feel particularly content, and I'd rather nip this in the bud than have it continue on and exacerbate. Would adcoms even know I was initially in a PhD program, if my recommenders don't mention it? To what extent would I be obligated to explicitly communicate this? If they do know, Would adcoms be suspicious, and/or would I need a good story? Would it affect recommendations from my current school, i.e. to what extent would my current professors be displeased/offended, even if I did well in their courses? I imagine this would be a bit different than straight-up transferring (hopefully not as provocative), and is not that rare of a situation. It does seem like a substantial risk, but it's a risk I may be willing to take.