Melissa333

Hey, I just posted a thread about this in another category! Honestly, a grad program in creative writing is a personal and important choice! I wouldn't just take suggestions from other people. Look at geography, if they offer full funding, stipends, course loads and all that fun stuff. I help monitor LitBridge for the literary community. A team is gathering interviews from graduate programs that offer an MFA or PhD in creative writing. Check it out here. These students answer some questions about their program. It doesn't include every MFA program but certainly lists the prestigious and highly ranked ones. http://www.litbridge.com/writing-programs/interviews-with-graduate-programs/ I hope that helps!

Hi Folks, I thought this might be a pretty cool link to share with everyone. The folks at LitBridge are doing graduate program interviews with current students attending their MFA and PhD program. They have about 10 or so currently listed but they keep adding to this list every few days or so, according to their Facebook page. http://www.litbridge.com/writing-programs/interviews-with-graduate-programs/ I thought this might be helpful to some people using the forum! Thanks!

Definitely don't mention it. Like the other poster said, only mention it if they specifically want to place you in a contract where you have to work for over a year. Most companies know realistically that people right out of school may not commit for awhile.Just don't mention it since you might end up missing out on a great opportunity and you may never know how the future will turn out.

Oh and one other thing for anyone reading who may be in a similar situation, although this might vary depending on what field you are in. I decided to volunteer and put myself out there in the area I would really enjoy doing research in. It's not exactly doing research in that field but I am getting related experience to it which will really help me when I officially begin working on that research at a different institution. Also it's a volunteer service so I am helping an organization and the people I encounter. Just a possible recommendation for anyone feeling like they aren't doing research they intended to do. It might not make you feel completely better about the situation, but helps nonetheless.

Thank you so much for your replies! I thought about it and decided to just try and bump out a Master's thesis as quickly as possible. I figure I can get something good done over the summer and/or fall if I work hard at it. I do have enough job experience to get a good position somewhere so will try and get this done as quickly as I can, and try and find a position elsewhere. Thank you again for all your help!

One more thing... if anyone gives me the advice to stick it out, could you give me advice on how long it might take to complete a thesis? I am actually finished with my coursework at the end of this semester. Overloaded big time (with a 4.0) and had some transfers from undergrad go through. My adviser basically expected me to finish it by spring. If I do decide to complete the last requirement of the thesis and do something completely uninteresting, how long does that take for most students? I'd really rather not stay to do work on the thesis but considering I need to wait a year to reapply anyway, I'm not sure what the best route is. Thanks again!

Hi guys! So I am currently a first year in a PhD program straight from a Bachelors degree. I added on the MS option a couple of weeks ago so I could get my MS then my PhD. I met with my adviser to talk to him about potential master's thesis topics. A few things concerned me. First of all he completely was against all my ideas! These are good ideas too, but apparently not in the scope of the program. I don't want to give away too many details but the research I would like to do is in a similar field but the research I am currently doing for my Research assistantship deals with a very specific research focus which I am not interested in pursuing at all! He wants me to do my thesis on something related to my RA. I told him I would rather do something related to my interests, and he questioned me about if I had mentioned this when we interviewed. Just so you know, I did AND I looked at the personal statement I sent to the program and it said very explicitly my research interests were in this. So his options were for me to work entirely with a different university, like request using their data, or doing something completely out of line of my interests! Just so you know I do really like the program and the people here. I am very unhappy at the location and had been planning to just stop going here once I get my MS. I had thought I would be able to pursue a thesis with my research interest since he had told me on the interview that this could occur but apparently that is not the case. I also don't want to spend the next year and summer doing a thesis that has nothing to do with what I want to do research in or designing a product that I do not have the appropriate skills for. Also what bothered me is my advisor did not even remember I was a PhD. student, he thought I was a MS and to make matters worse at the end of the conversation, he implied I talked unprofessionally. I do talk professionally and am open to critiques but honestly I felt very nervous after he told me my options or lack of options. Now I want to transfer. Why waste their funding, my time, etc. on doing something completely unrelated to my interests. Considering I am a first year I do know I can get a letter or two from undergrad again, and also there are two professors at this university who really like me and have done some research with me who I think would be willing to write me a recommendation letter. I just don't know what to do? I've read some posts and it seems like people tend to tell people to NOT transfer and just stick it out.