majorchange

Hi all, I am in the process of applying to an M.S. program in a bio-related field. The program in question requires that applicants secure commitment from a faculty member to serve as their committee chair (in which case the student will work in that faculty member's lab) to gain acceptance, ideally before sending in the formal application. I recently had a campus visit to the department during which I met one particular faculty member who heavily implied throughout the visit that they would be willing to accept me into their lab, although it was never outright said. I later emailed the professor to thank him and let him know I plan on following up with him, and he said he looked forward to following up with me and provided me with his availability schedule for the upcoming months. I am very interested in working with this professor, although I am waiting to hear back from other faculty members who I am also interested in working with as well (I emailed them 2 days ago). The lab I am in will probably significantly affect the kind of work I will be doing, as these other professors are actually in a different (but related) department that offers the same M.S. program. The problem is I'm not exactly sure what to write in my follow-up email to him. It seems a bit silly to send the usual email asking if there are any openings in his lab as it seems to have been made pretty clear that there are openings and that he would be interested in having me in his lab. Also, should I wait until I've had enough time to be fairly sure the other faculty members will not reply? I' don't want to give up on the chance they might reply, but I'm nervous about this opportunity disappearing while I wait. Finally, when would be the appropriate time to ask about potential funding opportunities - bearing in mind that I'm not likely to receive funding in this lab given my background and what I've heard from other grad students about lack of funding in this lab? Thanks!

Hi all, I am in the process of applying to an M.S. program in a bio-related field. The program in question requires that applicants secure commitment from a faculty member to serve as their committee chair (in which case the student will work in that faculty member's lab) to gain acceptance, ideally before sending in the formal application. I recently had a campus visit to the department during which I met one particular faculty member who heavily implied throughout the visit that they would be willing to accept me into their lab, although it was never outright said. I later emailed the professor to thank him and let him know I plan on following up with him, and he said he looked forward to following up with me and provided me with his availability schedule for the upcoming months. I am very interested in working with this professor, although I am waiting to hear back from other faculty members who I am also interested in working with as well (I emailed them 2 days ago). The lab I am in will probably significantly affect the kind of work I will be doing, as these other professors are actually in a different (but related) department that offers the same M.S. program. The problem is I'm not exactly sure what to write in my follow-up email to him. It seems a bit silly to send the usual email asking if there are any openings in his lab as it seems to have been made pretty clear that there are openings and that he would be interested in having me in his lab. Also, should I wait until I've had enough time to be fairly sure the other faculty members will not reply? I' don't want to give up on the chance they might reply, but I'm nervous about this opportunity disappearing while I wait. Finally, when would be the appropriate time to ask about potential funding opportunities - bearing in mind that I'm not likely to receive funding in this lab given my background and what I've heard from other grad students about lack of funding in this lab? Thanks!

Just made an appointment at the career counseling center for tomorrow!

Also I hope my responses aren't coming off as combative. That's really not my intention. I'm just trying to understand. This whole quitting thing is the biggest life decision I've ever made, and it's kind of surreal.

I had not decided I would be leaving until recently. You also have to understand my adviser has been more of a research mentor than anything. He doesn't typically do much advising on non-research matters like many of the other advisers do, and although he is kind he is quite reclusive and somewhat unapproachable. I also haven't been involved enough in the lab's research yet for me leaving to have too much of a negative impact on anybody. My doubts have been present since I began the program and they have only accumulated over time - it's not something I was comfortable discussing with faculty until I had made a decision. We don't have that kind of relationship. As far as "finishing things up" - that does not refer to classes or research. I was vague about that to preserve anonymity. I would not stick around at all if that were an option, but due to the nature of our work it's something that requires some time to completely wrap up regardless of what point we're at in the academic year. This is also how it worked for the student who quit last year (they left in August). Also, I think it wise to get some field experience in the other field I plan to move to before making a decision on whether to go for the M.S. I really want to go into this new field, but I'm just trying not to have tunnel vision after having seriously misjudged what I want to do with my life once already due to lack of exposure. I cannot get that kind of experience while in this program because we are not permitted to take on outside classes or employment while we are enrolled here. I just don't quite understand "feeling the waters" before making a decision. Of course I want to do everything I can do to make it amicable, but ultimately I am leaving whether it's amicable or not. If my adviser isn't supportive of it, I can't imagine there's much I could really do about that anyway. I can't ever imagine myself continuing to work in this field, regardless of anything the faculty may have control over. It's not the program I've had doubts about - it's the entire career. I understand "feeling the waters" before bringing up rec letters - that's just tactful/respectful - but bringing up my doubts before I had made a decision would have posed unnecessary risks. Honestly I'm finding this whole thing very confusing. How can I be expected to know the "right" way to quit a graduate program? Nobody ever talks about it.

I am just now finishing Summer I. I'm not sure I understand. Why would I spend another year in a program I plan to leave?

Not yet. I plan on doing it some time in the next week. If my experience is similar to that of the previous student I talked to then I will meet with my adviser and the program director after that to discuss plans to phase me out of the program. There will probably be a time period of somewhere from a few weeks to a few months after those meetings where I'm finishing things up before I'm officially done (can't stop immediately in this field for personal ethical reasons). At what point in this process do you think it would be best to bring it up?

After much consideration, I have made the decision to quit my funded Ph.D. program to pursue another field after 1 year in the program. I am certain now that this field is no longer for me, and I plan to pursue an M.S. in a very different field (I do not plan to go beyond the M.S.). My problem is that the M.S. program I plan to apply to requires three letters of recommendation. I have done well in my program and my annual review was very positive, but I suspect that my professors/supervisors/adviser may not be willing to write strong letters of recommendation for me given that I am quitting this program. Further, my former letter-writers might also be hesitant to write me letters given that they recommended me to this Ph.D. program and I am now leaving it. That said, I have spoken with a former student of the same program who quit after his first year and he said the faculty were very nice and understanding. So my question is: would it be unreasonable or disrespectful to ask if they would be willing to write me strong letters a little bit down the line after I leave this program? I certainly do not feel I am entitled to letters from them, and I understand why they might balk at such a request. Then again, it would help me immensely in breaking into another field down the line and I figure I might as well ask. If it is appropriate to ask, how would I even bring up such a request if they don't bring it up first? Has anyone else faced a similar dilemma?

Hi all! I am currently a Ph.D. student in a healthcare field. I just finished my first year of the program, and I am now almost certain that I want to quit to pursue a career in agronomy. My program is very well-respected within my (formerly) intended field and fully funded with a stipend, so naturally this is a very hard decision to make. However, I just cannot see myself in any healthcare field and I have always struggled to maintain even a moderate level of interest in the research within my field. I just had no concept of what working in a healthcare field would be like - especially as a very introverted person - prior to beginning clinical work in graduate school. I've gotten good grades, positive feedback from supervisors, etc. but I find no joy in what I do. My strengths lie in attention to detail and "puzzle-solving" based on observation. I also deeply want to be in a career where I can spend a good deal of time doing outdoor fieldwork as well as indoor lab work. I was a chemistry major during my first two years of undergrad and I deeply miss the time spent in chemistry labs. Based on what I've found online, it seems a career in agronomy would open a variety of opportunities that are in line with my strengths and preferences. I have developed an interest particularly in soil sciences, but I am interested in crops as well and not entirely sure if I would rather specialize in plants or soils. The question now is where to move forward with this decision. There is a nearby university (~1.5 hours away) with a good agronomy department that offers both a B.S. and M.S. in plant and soil sciences. If all of my gen ed and basic science courses from the chemistry major transfer over (it looks like they will), I could complete the B.S. in 2-3 years and could afford the tuition using a portion of my savings without taking on any debt, assuming I could work at least a part-time (if not full-time) job to support myself. The tricky but workable part is that the house I am living in is paid for and my partner needs to keep his job in town. So moving is not an option, meaning I would have to manage with the long commute to the school. After getting the B.S. we would both be ready to move so I could apply to a variety of M.S. programs and go to one with good funding. Another option is that the university in question would allow me to go for the M.S. even though my B.A. is in an unrelated field, provided I take some extra courses at the beginning. However, funding is not guaranteed and provided by faculty members as a condition of acceptance into their lab. I seriously question whether a faculty member would be willing to accept me, much less secure funding for me, given I have no prior exposure to this field. Further, I am not sure whether any of my former professors (except for maybe the chem professors whom I haven't seen in years and may not remember me) would be willing to write rec letters given I will have abandoned my current program. Funding is very important for the M.S., as paying graduate-level tuition would mean taking on student debt which I want to avoid at all costs. Another factor to consider is that I completed my GRE approximately 2 years ago, meaning I have only 3 years left before it expires. I did *very* well on all portions of the GRE and it would likely be my biggest strength in reapplying to graduate school, so I would really rather not take it again as I am not certain if I would do as well the second time around. Questions: Is it worth trying for the M.S. straight away, or should I go for the B.S. first? Any other miscellaneous advice? I want to learn everything I possibly can about my options as well as this field in general (i.e. what the work is like, job prospects, etc.)! Thanks in advance!