prettyuff1

What I was told is that as Long as the research I am doing is relevant to my phd I can go with anyone in any department. So I'm in the pharmacology department but I can do research with someone in the chemistry department with out applying to the chemistry phd program. Things are much more flexible when it comes to who you work with. I agree to pick the best department and apply and you can work with several people

i wish i could... my stipend is pennies on the dollar

Hi.... I am a Black, single parent and in Pharmacology department at a pretty heavy research university.. My department has such an initiative and thats why there is usually a minority in each class. For me, it doesnt really matter. Usually I am the only black person where I am , so it doesnt bother me. Most of the time people treat you just the same. It has been interesting, because i am ready to walk away from the department and they are like NOOOOOOO YOU ARE STAYING.. I think it can be used to your advantage because they will want to keep you in the program, and will be more willing to work with you to make sure you're happy and progressing.

Good Luck.. I am in the process of leaving now and untangling with my advisor has been the most difficult... However I came to this decision after months of meeting with a counselor, planning my post grad school options, and sticking it out. My plan does involve going back to school, but to train another definite job.I recommend taking time off where you don't think about academia/bench work and really think about what you want in life. Is an industry career right for you? what do you want from life? Not just professionally, but family wise, financially how will getting your PhD help you? I answered those questions and realized that getting a PhD wouldn't help me achieve those goals in the next 10 years. Answer those questions for you, or if you have done them make them clear.. dont let anyone talk you down for doing it.. PM me if you want to know how to leave.. It's actually pretty easy

i wish...

I can write your post.... PM Me if you wanna discuss

I have situation similar to the OP.I am chucking up the deuces and leaving my program at the end of this year because graduate school/academia isn't what i want to do for the rest of my life.. I have a graduate degree before I got my PhD and I was sure that I wanted to get into academia. However this frist year has really changed me . My first year has been very overwhelming. Pretty much i was thrust into " Get in on this research paper at all costs." including working most weekends and evenings. I want to work hard, but if it becomes difficult to even function, it's too much. I cry in the parking lot/cafeteria/bathroom at work daily, then there is some issue with what is going on. Most of the professors in my department are very unapproachable and complains that we ware overwhelmed fall on deaf ears. I thought I picked a pretty good mentor but for my personality it isn't working... He is very deep in the publish or perish methodology and that isn't what i wanted for myself. I have a bit of an issue with the academic life, the concept of the ivory tower is really prevalent in the sciences... I feel like the only one who doesnt get it... Most of the time it feels like academics write articles that are geared to their peers that pump themselves up, but then complain when no one wants to fund science... Perhaps I was a bit naieve to what I wanted to do with a PhD. I really hoped to teach and become a great science professor. But that isnt the point. I dont mind working hard. But when i take a step back to survey the academic/graduate school path, i realize that the ends do not really justify the means. I am not interested enough to deal with low pay, very high stress life( always working) life.. I also really would like to teach, but a PhD in the sciences is designed to create researchers who are heavily interested in the science, not cultivating and imparting knowledge in ways that make science accessible. So for me, the time has come for me to step back and look to what i want to do. I am excited to do that.

Petroleum engineers make a TON OF MONEY.. They will just about always out-earn a PhD level chemist because the skill set is different, more specialized and in higher demand. I think it would be a good move for you, but what are the hire/fire rates of this profession. Is there high turnover? As someone who is jumping ship soon, i would encourage you to somehow shadow and see if all aspects of the new profession are what you want to do .

I would suggest going to a counselor and talk to them about your concerns and your confusion about the program and what you want to do long term. It sometimes helps to have an outside opinion.

I am in the same boat as you only I'm staying for the ms portion. I would speak with a counselor about you feelings of disappointment and letting everyon down. I had the same feelings but when I told my mother about my plan she was very receptive and supportive of my reasons why. I haven't told my advisor yet but in trying to make sure what I plan do is really what I want. I got in contact with one at school for free who told me how to do it and gave me support with emotions of it all. I would finish the year strongly even if you aren't staying on. You may decide to go back to school for a different field later in life and may want to use those grades. Good luck. I know how it feels to be in the dumps with this. It will get better.

i have considered this but I dont think it is somethng i can transfer into.. I am going to ask admissions department on monday regarding this

So there is another one of these" i am leaving my program" threads. I am about 95% sure that i am leaving my program after my masters and applying to medical school I am trying to wait that long to ensure my decision is what i want to do but i am fairly certain that this is the way. My reason for leaving is that I have always wanted to become a physician. I have shadowed a physician before in several settings( apart of a program of my masters degree) and i did enjoy it greatly. I am preparing to start volunteering in the hospital here and will begin working at a hospital. I am open to applying to Physician assistant/ MSN for non nurses programs if i am not accepted to medical school. I have kind of gone alongside medicine but after working along side it, i decided that i need to just go for what i really want. I was going to apply to medical school after i finish my PhD anyway so I am willing to just go with it now. The issue i have with research is the everyday life of a professor is not what i want to do. Grant writing, writing papers are the bulk of the job and thats not what i want. The interaction with people and the public is what i want. The life of academia is not what i thought it would be. My naivety' about research stem from coming to a major research institute from a smaller liberal arts school. At the liberal arts college while we did conduct research, the main focus was student development and teaching. That is not the focus here and frankly those teaching positions aren't opening up. With that said. I want to know how people broke it to their advisor/ mentor that they were leaving? And how did they do it administratively? Thanks

I think you do. There is someone in my program now who has her degree in english, but when back to school and got the necessary biology classes and she is now in a PhD in Pharmacology. There is another one who is a Lawyer in his 30s ( practiced for 10 years) The fact that you have a high GPA in the sciences and an authorship on a paper will look very good.. APPLY Good Luck

My current PhD program has a Lawyer in it, and my cohort has someone who was an English Major and took a few biology courses. But too you can begin at the masters level, decided that you want to get a PhD and apply to the same university from there. It has happened a lot in the program I am in where people decide to transfer departments. I think you should feel out the department and see how what the funding options are for PhD as an international student

nope.. I have been to a few networking events.. the bulk of the questions i was asked had to deal with " what high school i went to". I went to some meet up events " new in louisville" was one of them. I think it is a mindset problem here. I am pretty progressive living in one of the least integrated states in the union.