[Venting Thread- Vent about anything.]

I just had an emotional breakdown in my office. Luckily my officemate already went home, so no one saw me crying my eyes out. But it certainly was challenging trying to silence my sniffling or else my professors might hear me, not that they care anyway. I've always known that grad school is hard, but I never expect it to be this hard, to the point that I'm starting to hate the very research which I was so passionate about...Life sucks...especially when you have to TA with puffy eyes in an hour

[Tips for transferring to another PhD program?]

2 hours ago, Concordia said:

In the meantime-- noise-cancelling headphones.

Thank you for the advice! I do have a noise-canceling headphone, but it doesn't help much since my office is surrounded by clinical professors who have students coming to their office for questions all day long...

[Tips for transferring to another PhD program?]

2 hours ago, fuzzylogician said:

Usually transfers at the graduate school stage mean simply re-applying and starting over at a new program. It sounds like you could have a good explanation in your SOP as to why you're leaving and seeking another program (but be careful about how you frame it! negatives may not go over well, even if true and justified). It would be a big help if you still have your advisor's support and if she'd agree to write a LOR for you explaining what happened and still showing support for you. If that's the case, you might also talk to her about what would be better fits for you, and see what her advice is on where to apply and what to do next. 

An alternative, if you got admitted to another program and chose this one instead is to reach out to them again and see if there's a chance to go there next year. No guarantees, but in that case if they still like you, you might have an easier time getting in. This time at your program that you're leaving will raise a red flag, but one that you can explain away, so be sure to do so. Otherwise, usually, there is not much more to it. It's not like undergrad; you actually have to go through the application process again. 

Thank you so much for the reply! I will be sure to pass this information along to my colleagues who are also having doubts about the program and are thinking about transferring. In fact, I just went to one of my colleagues' office to give him an ibuprofen for his terrible headache. He is afraid that if he goes home and rests now, it might reflect badly on him.... (yes...we are not allowed to work from home even when we are sick...)

[Tips for transferring to another PhD program?]

Hello all! I was wondering if anyone could give me some tips for transferring to another PhD program?

I just started my first year here at my current program because I wanted to continue working with my undergrad advisor (she moved here a year ago). However, after the past two months of learning and research experience, I find that both the program culture and research focus are not a good "fit" for me.

1. Students are expected to work in their office (a tiny shared office space with no windows) from 8am to 10pm everyday including weekends. Although I know this is part of the impression management process, my productivity has been very low since I work best when I'm alone and when it's very quiet.

2. My current program is in the business school and almost all faculty members focus on either meso or macro topics. I came from a very micro psychology research background, and my research interest is too micro for the program.

3. I was under a completely different impression of the program before I came here. I wasn't able to get much information from my advisor during the application process because she was also new to the program. For various reasons, I thought students were given more autonomy regarding their working style and research interest, but it's definitely not the case. I felt like I was always being micro-managed.

I know it's still too early in the year to tell whether things would get better or not. But I wanted to be prepared just in case I do find the need to transfer. It would be wonderful if you could give me some suggestions and tips. Thank you!!!!!