Josh70

Hey just in case anyone else ever has this issue wanted to update. Everything worked out fine! It was likely being honest was what made it a non issue really. So my advice to anyone in a situation like this just be totally honest. 

Hey just in case anyone else ever has this issue wanted to update. Everything worked out fine! It was likely being honest was what made it a non issue really. So my advice to anyone in a situation like this just be totally honest. 

Hey just in case anyone else ever has this issue wanted to update. Everything worked out fine! It was likely being honest was what made it a non issue really. So my advice to anyone in a situation like this just be totally honest. 

I want to point out that I called the problems "deal with it problems", not because I was trying to be nasty and saying suck it up, but because they are things that I have dealt with in my own life (some on multiple occasions) and these types of problems will continue to occur your entire life. There will almost always be people who don't get along with around and it is really likely that you could have another awkward situation with an ex. Hell, at the moment I am dealing with a guy in my own lab who is stalkerish and is seriously sending me multiple harressing emails a week. I will not let him force me out of a lab I love though. I want to be in control of my future and happiness and will not let someone else control it.
 
These problems will keep coming though! No matter where you are you will run into these things and I think that it really important to learn how to deal with them instead of throwing away a great situation. In my opinion, you would be throwing away something really really great due to an issue that you should learn to deal with. Why not go to the counsling center and get some advice for dealing with these types of issues? Getting someone else invovled might help you figure out coping mechanisms that can benefit you for the rest of your life. Good luck with this situation. I bet that most people in this forum have dealt with something similar at some point. Everyone recognizes how bad these situations suck and how hard they can be emotionally but if you push through then I think that you will come out stronger on the other side AND will have a phd in a couple years!

I disagree; letting the people know who want you to be successful that you have a problem can do wonders! Let your department and advisor fight for you .

It is hard to give advice without knowing what your problem is. There may be options other than leaving the program that should be considered. I want to point out that finding a school that you really love with an advisor that you work well with is very hard to do and if you do want to transfer then you should realize that you may not end up in a situation that you like as much. In any work situation, it is ilkely that you will run into personal problems and you can't necesarily leave every time you run into one. Again, without knowing your situation its impossible to tell whether yours falls under the 'normal personal problem that you need to learn how to deal with' or '1 time only extreme situation'. Things like dealing with an ex in the department, being mugged and feeling unsafe in the building now, being the social outcast of your cohort all fall under the 'learn how to deal with it' category in my opinion.
 
I agree that you should talk to your advisor about this since that you guys seems get along well. Even if the issue is completely unrelated to the department or professors, they may be able to suggest things that can help. They can possibly move your office to a location you prefer or suggest alternate lab hours for you that allow you to avoid someone who makes you uncomfortable. It may also help them understand why you are leaving which can make the process more uncomfortable and result in better LORs since they understand your situation.

When I suggested talking to the profs, I didn't mean that it would be a problem directly or even indirectly involving them. Instead, like the others said above, profs have power and ability to do things that can help you even if it's not their problem. After all, they want you to be happy and comfortable too!

Like GeoDUDE! said, the normal solution to someone wanting to "change grad school" is that you will quit** your current program (leave with a Masters where possible) and apply this year to start a brand new PhD program in Fall 2015.
 
(**in this case, either leave immediately because the personal problem is a big one, or stick it out for one more year to tie up loose ends).
 
However, you are going to encounter a ton of people surprised at this decision. I am not sure if you are finishing your 3rd year or about to begin your 3rd year, but either way, you are walking away from a PhD program after 3-4 years of work and you want to start over at a new school and spend another 5-6 years in grad school? 
 
A lot of schools are not going to like this and I would expect that programs that accepted you in the past will be more hesitant to do so again since you are quitting 3-4 years into the first school. It would be a big risk for them to invest ~$200,000+ in you only to have you quit before you get your PhD. 
 
I think you should definitely talk to your boss and other professors you trust and see what they think. You may still get good LORs from them, but there are going to be a lot of red flags into accepting someone who quit after 3-4 full years. Instead, I really think you should talk to these professors and first try to find a way to resolve the issue so that you don't have to quit but also don't have to deal with your personal problem either.
 
In my field, you don't always have to be on campus, so some students actually go off to some other part of the country (or leave the country even) and finish up their dissertation there, especially if the main data collecting is complete and they just need to write. Or, maybe you can take a leave of absence. Or, you can request to be transferred to a completely different office/building etc. I don't know what the issue is (and you don't have to share!) but just throwing out a few ideas that might solve a few general non-advisor related problems that would make one want to leave the school. 

Its super hard; You might have to start over, as the grant funding you might get will require you to work on a different project. Its a lot easier if you go to a top 20ish program ect. You might want to talk to your advisor about this; ultimately your ability to transfer will be on his/her word and the departments. If they dont write you Stellar reccomendations (because you have to reapply to new department) then you are out of luck. 

I think tons of us feel just like that. It's the nasty old impostor syndrome where you don't think you are good enough and so if they are accepting you there must be something wrong with that school. I felt like that all the time during acceptance and still feel like that in graduate school some days. 

My first application round in 2010 for the 2011 year, I was told NO PUBLICATIONS and ALL rejected me. All but one rejected me but it turns out I SHLOUD have rejected them, but discovered too too late what a shitty progrm I ended up in. So no I reapplied to ev
 
I applied for NSF GRFP twice and it really seems to depend on WHO is reviewing your app with NSF. I discussed my learning disability and how i overcame it and provided precise examples where my unique experiences ggave em the tools and empathy to help encourage and inspire others while tutoring science courses to other college students.
-The 1st app it was received positively
-the 2nd time around they pretty much said "intellectual Merit" was "very poor" for the named category of merit. Of course my transcripts had not changed, my letters of rec were strong and not much different. The primary difference was WHICH REVIEWERS REVIEWED my info.
 
On personal statements to grad studies admission committees I now do not mention it at all. 3 of the programs wouldnt even review my app after reading DISABILITY and refunded (not by my choice) my app fee.
 
The one that accepted me to the masters program I omitted my disability and was later discriminated and told "IF I KNEW YOU HAD A DISABILITY, I WOULD HAVE NEVER LET YOU IN THIS PROGRAM WITH YOUR PROBLEM" (ie required extended time on exams and thats it).
 
Its a harsh vicious cruel evil world! FAKE IT TIL YOU MAKE IT! Often time a disability isnt even accepted as a form of "Under-represented group" Even those programs turn people away in a discriminatory fashion.

No kidding! I listed topics covered NOT "sections" to be filled out in the NSF application. Try to read more carefuly next time. What YOU need to do is STOP TWISTING MY WORDS and stop claiming that I said something that I never did. Go get your rocks off somewhere else!

Of course broader impact runs throughout. DUH!!! Thats why I didnt refer to them as "sections" but rather topics that need to be covered within and/or throughout depending on which youre talking about. Was that too abstract for you?
Is this you making assumptions again? Or no?

Take some advice: When in doubt, or when you do not concretely know something, ask more questions instead of speculating. Gather more info, don't spit clouds of assumptions about things you do not know, and read more carefully.

Clearly too late, as we're up 6 whole pages since earlier this afternoon.

Welcome to the FastLane Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP).
 
FastLane will be unavailable from 10:00 PM ET Monday March 31st - 2:00 AM ET Tuesday April 1st for scheduled maintenance. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Mkay. Distraction game.
 
1. What are you currently doing?
 
2. What did you do this weekend?
 
3. What would you do if you won the GRF?

Someone with a lot of time on their hands be a good detective and see if this vanishing maintenance post has occurred on the day of for prior years...

LOL, All i know if that I have a acceptance notification and you all do not ( besides a select few)
They prolly told you that to spare your feelings until the bulk of the notifications are released
Think about it, they want to retain the really good applicants
because the more days that pass, we could accept other fellowships
so to all who disliked
keep hating

I think we all have, I was pretty good about not worrying about this until this week and now today I can barely get anything done in the lab.

I don't understand how that is entertainment for others though. Seems to me only a sad and pathetic person would see that as entertaining. 

Alright, everybody had better calm down fast. Enough with the accusations and name calling. I understand that waiting is no fun, but you are not helping it one bit. 

I'm assuming you post refers to the angry posters that keep disliking people's posts. If that's the case, I agree. 

I don't understand how that is entertainment for others though. Seems to me only a sad and pathetic person would see that as entertaining. 

I don't understand how that is entertainment for others though. Seems to me only a sad and pathetic person would see that as entertaining. 

Are all of you a bunch of cry baby pussies or what? You guys are what? At least 22 and still bitch about these trivial things? pathetic