Considering Mastering Out, Reapplying 2021

[BigBoyBabeuf]

Hi everyone,

Looking for any insight you might have, particularly if you're aware of anyone who has been in a similar position. I'm a first year PhD student without a prior MA, but I'm having some serious doubts about my department after spending a semester here. While I'm aware that every department will have its flaws and disappointments, there are problems affecting graduate students here with respect to coursework and institutional support that I feel could potentially be harming my development as a philosopher and my ability to start professionalizing effectively. And I feel as though some of the promises made to incoming students were done under misleading pretenses, making me uneasy with this program overall. To that end, I'm kicking around the prospect of mastering out at the end of the next school year and trying to enter another program. I never intended to use my school as a stepping stone, but I can't deny that my time in graduate school will have done wonders for the biggest flaws in my application last cycle.  I haven't made up my mind and I won't one way or the other until this coming summer, but I don't want to get caught flat-footed if I decide to go through with it. My questions are:

 

1. Were I to commit to this course of action, would I have status as a transfer student? Or would I be considered the same as any other applicant entering with a terminal masters? 

2. I understand I will be burning some bridges in this process, but I'd like to know what kind of professional arson I'm undertaking. Would attempting such a course of action make my current position untenable? Or if the cycle were to go poorly, could I expect to return to school the next year and continue my progress? 

3. Is it necessary to be up front about what I'm doing to prospective schools? Or would it be better to indicate that I will have earned a masters by the end of the cycle and keep mum about how that masters was earned? 

And if anyone has gone through such a process before or knows someone who has, please tell me about your experience in as much or as little detail as you feel comfortable with. Thanks!

[Olórin]

1. It will depend on the program. Probably any program that accepts you will offer the possibility of transferring in some coursework, but it depends. I don't think there is such thing as "transfer" student status, because any new program you go to will probably have you start as a first year. It's possible a program will reduce your total funding time and let you enter with advanced standing based on your previous record. You'll only have a master's degree though, so really you'll be in the pool like anyone else with a master's degree in terms of assessing your application.

2. If your professors are invested in your development, they will want you to be in a place that you feel is best for making that happen. I think the extent to which you burn bridges will be incumbent upon how you interact with them throughout the application process. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to keep up friendly relations as far as that is possible, because these people might be all you've got in the end.

3. Be direct, but don't harp on it. Your capacity to present yourself soberly could factor into whether they think you will be a good presence in their program, and no one will want to go to a pity party for you. Focus on showing why the program you would like to go to is in fact the best possible program for you.

4. Three clichés as a word of caution:

The devil you know is better than the devil you don't.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
The grass is always greener on the other side.

5. The first semester of a PhD comes with lots of intangible difficulties. Things may even out, or they may not.

[Duns Eith]

The advice that @Olórin gives is great.

 

You might find this other relatively recent thread useful to you:

 

For example, the poster asks about whether leaving will involve burning bridges or how the program will treat them differently.

[BigBoyBabeuf]

On 12/7/2019 at 7:38 AM, Olórin said:

1. It will depend on the program. Probably any program that accepts you will offer the possibility of transferring in some coursework, but it depends. I don't think there is such thing as "transfer" student status, because any new program you go to will probably have you start as a first year. It's possible a program will reduce your total funding time and let you enter with advanced standing based on your previous record. You'll only have a master's degree though, so really you'll be in the pool like anyone else with a master's degree in terms of assessing your application.

2. If your professors are invested in your development, they will want you to be in a place that you feel is best for making that happen. I think the extent to which you burn bridges will be incumbent upon how you interact with them throughout the application process. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to keep up friendly relations as far as that is possible, because these people might be all you've got in the end.

3. Be direct, but don't harp on it. Your capacity to present yourself soberly could factor into whether they think you will be a good presence in their program, and no one will want to go to a pity party for you. Focus on showing why the program you would like to go to is in fact the best possible program for you.

4. Three clichés as a word of caution:

The devil you know is better than the devil you don't.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
The grass is always greener on the other side.

5. The first semester of a PhD comes with lots of intangible difficulties. Things may even out, or they may not.

Thank you for your response. Points #4 and #5 are playing heavily into my thought process and I won't be doing this unless I'm confident that it's worth the risk. First semesters are often rough and so I won't be firming up my position one way or the other until summer comes. It may all come to nought and I end up happy with my lot by the time spring ends, which would be my ultimate preference. I'm trying to assess exactly what I would be throwing myself into if I feel compelled to jump back in for another cycle. And if I ultimately decide to reapply, I want to maintain as many of my relationships here as I can, both as a matter of professional prudence and because I genuinely like most of them. 

[BigBoyBabeuf]

22 hours ago, Duns Eith said:

The advice that @Olórin gives is great.

 

You might find this other relatively recent thread useful to you:

 

For example, the poster asks about whether leaving will involve burning bridges or how the program will treat them differently.

Cool, thanks for the link.

[feralgrad]

I have no experience with this issue, but as someone who's worked in HR, I have thoughts on #3. 

If your program doesn't usually award stand-alone MAs, you should address it. Academia is a small world, and there's a chance someone on the admissions committee will be familiar with your program and get suspicious. 

If you choose to address it, I would advise against discussing personal or institutional issues. I assume your complaints would be  valid, but it will come off as unprofessional and disagreeable. You want to present yourself as reliable and dedicated, not someone who might drop out over an argument (again, not saying you seem like the type, but you risk looking that way). Instead, you might say that the program wasn't a great fit for your research interests or career goals. You mentioned that you don't think your program is preparing you for the job market, so you could lean on that defense.

[BigBoyBabeuf]

19 hours ago, feralgrad said:

I have no experience with this issue, but as someone who's worked in HR, I have thoughts on #3. 

If your program doesn't usually award stand-alone MAs, you should address it. Academia is a small world, and there's a chance someone on the admissions committee will be familiar with your program and get suspicious. 

If you choose to address it, I would advise against discussing personal or institutional issues. I assume your complaints would be  valid, but it will come off as unprofessional and disagreeable. You want to present yourself as reliable and dedicated, not someone who might drop out over an argument (again, not saying you seem like the type, but you risk looking that way). Instead, you might say that the program wasn't a great fit for your research interests or career goals. You mentioned that you don't think your program is preparing you for the job market, so you could lean on that defense.

Keeping the focus on my goals rather than blame-shifting is a great point and something I would keep in the forefront of my mind when writing my app. 

 

My institution does grant terminal masters as well so I could potentially have cover there. There is the possibility that my status as a PhD student might be disclosed elsewhere, but I can't think of a way to inquire about that without tipping my hand prematurely. I may need to address it no matter the case.