MS - Assigned Advisor is Leaving

[NEHiker17]

I was close to accepting an MS offer, but two days ago, my advisor told me she's leaving for another university. Her research interests closely match mine, she had two great projects I was excited to work on that would likely fund my second year and had a large influence on my decision to accept the offer, and I like her current students and the way they described how the research group is run.  I had just visited the week before, and no one had mentioned the possibility of her leaving.  Maybe they had no idea.  I understand that she got a good offer, but I'm so disappointed.  Now I have no idea who my advisor will be (although she's trying to help me figure it out, and the department really wants me to attend, which might help), where my second year of funding will come from since I don't know who my advisor will be, where my work space will be, etc.  And I was awarded a first-year assistantship that I'd need to accept by April 15th.  It just doesn't seem like enough time to get things figured out.?

Has this happened to others?

[MarineBluePsy]

This has not happened to me, but I know others that experienced this.  Do you have the option of going with her to the new university?  Sometimes faculty incorporate this into the plan when they switch universities and for students early in their program it can be worth considering.  If this is not an option then you need to find out who your contact person is at the current program to discuss your concerns.  Vague answers like "we'll figure it out" or "don't worry about it" are not acceptable with such a big decision at stake.  Depending on your career goals and training needs this program may not be the right fit without your advisor and it may be better to decline and reapply if you don't have other offers.