beebeebee

I hope this is the best subforum to post this. If not, please let me know where would be a more appropriate location. My husband was let go from his job about a week ago. It was a restructuring move and he got a decent severance package, but now everything is up in the air. I'm just about to start Y2 of my PhD in Political Science but after a lot of discussion, my husband and I decided that the best solution is for us to move out-of-state. My husband had looked into other jobs within commuting distance to us and they are just not there. We have to move. This complicates my PhD plans immensely. I've run over all possible scenarios in my brain and there's no way I can stick around for another year and a half until my quals. I probably have at least 3 more semesters of coursework and with the way our finances are looking, we cannot afford to do long distance and fund two households. We also have two kids, so splitting up really isn't an option. I've come to the painful conclusion that I have to leave my program. I need advice on what to do. I really want to continue my doctoral studies and have already started looking into applying to other universities. I've accepted the fact that I'll be starting over and that my classes most likely will not transfer. Some questions: I'm leaning towards applying for a PhD in Public Policy instead of continuing Political Science. I can make an argument that my research interests are more aligned to the work being done in schools of public policy as opposed to pure poli sci. Will my time in a Political Science PhD help or hurt my chances with Public Policy programs? I do have an MPP from Princeton and years of professional experience working in state government, and I believe I'm a strong applicant in general. Will other departments view my application in a negative light or with prejudice? Will it be harder to get in the second time around? I've read around the internet that admissions committees don't like to see that you have history in other doctoral programs. Sorry if I'm being vague about my location and current program, they don't know yet and I don't want to risk outing myself before I tell them. But in general, I don't have anything bad to say about my current department and I'm in good academic standing. They've been really great to me with funding and support, and I think my advisor will write me a decent LOR. But truth be told, I don't love my advisor and the research fit with me and the faculty is off, which is why I can see the silver lining of all this as a chance to refocus on public policy instead of strict political science. I've talked to some grad school friends and advice has been all over the place. Your thoughts and feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.