Getting kicked out of PhD.. covid, supervision, and the UK

[charles_the_historian]

Hello all,

 

I have never posted on a forum like this before, and was hoping that some of you might have some advice. I am a current PhD student, at one of the top schools in the UK, and am getting kicked out of a second PhD. I am kind of losing it.. any advice anyone has would help.

I graduated from undergrad at an Ivy League, with a 4.0 GPA. I was admitted into a doctoral programme at Cambridge in 2016 (the year I graduated from my combined undergrad/ma). I was there for 1.5 years and my supervising professor retired (I passed my QT, and then he decided he was leaving, it was a personal issue with his wife and I do not blame him). I spent nearly a year trying to find alternative supervision. My project area was extremely specific, and it wasn't going to happen. Every alternative supervisor wanted to significantly modify the project, and I just could not figure out how to make it work. I took the university's offer of leaving with a (second) masters degree, and decided to leave and start again. 

I spent a year re-applying and was accepted to another top school in the UK (I do not want to mention where because of the ongoing issues). At the end of year one, our QT was delayed due to COVID, and instead of a standard QT your supervisor(s) were supposed to have an informal meeting. My project I was told, needed more significant modification due to Covid. I made these changes, and my professor --like deja vu-- left the university (this time it was that he was hired at a different university, this one pisses me off). The university told me I could look for different supervision within the department, but if none could be found, I would have to leave. As I was looking for this alternative supervision, I was notified by someone senior in the department that I was going to have to leave. They changed the reason several times: 1) no supervision, 2) covid, 3) insufficient progress. I was finally notified last week that I am getting expelled.

I have gotten legal advice, and am appealing. But this whole situation has been appalling. I am getting kicked out of the country and only have 60 days to get my affairs in order (and I had moved my stuff and set everything up for the next 4-5 years here) so it will be a nightmare --I am not sure I can even go home for Christmas and even re-enter the country because of Covid... and that I think once I leave my visa automatically cancels. So I guess I get to have christmas alone in my flat. 

Has anyone ever successfully appealed? Does anyone have any advice about what to do? I have put a lawyer on retainer for about £10k.. but Im running out of my savings. I am approaching 30 and have no job/career going --and dont see what I could get with two esoteric masters degrees (and possibly a third, if they even offer that on appeal, which they so far haven't). My whole life I have planned on an academic career, and have kind of put all of my eggs in one basket.

 

Any help or advice is appreciated.

Thanks,

Charlie

[Daisy_2020]

It is not weird to hear such episode in the more authoritarian Europe campus. If you don't want one more master degree, then ask for compensation$. Life is unpredictable, so can only make plan for the future and move on. If you apply for PHD again (for sure not in UK), you will have the fear of not able to complete. Do you want to take such risk? Do you know how to handle such fear ? What is your backup plan if the same thing happen?

If you go to job market, a Cambridge branded master degree applicant is offered more opportunities than PHD , as less openings for such a high degree holder as PHD.

The most important thing so far is to make yourself happy and relaxable, then you will figure out that you can still live a good life despite of such shits.Do not make your life a tragedy because of nasty people.

Wish you a Merry Christmas!

 

 

[Sigaba]

Something is missing from the narrative.

On 11/29/2020 at 7:06 AM, charles_the_historian said:

I spent nearly a year trying to find alternative supervision. My project area was extremely specific, and it wasn't going to happen. Every alternative supervisor wanted to significantly modify the project, and I just could not figure out how to make it work.

My project I was told, needed more significant modification due to Covid. I made these changes, and my professor --like deja vu-- left the university (this time it was that he was hired at a different university, this one pisses me off). The university told me I could look for different supervision within the department, but if none could be found, I would have to leave. As I was looking for this alternative supervision, I was notified by someone senior in the department that I was going to have to leave. They changed the reason several times: 1) no supervision, 2) covid, 3) insufficient progress. I was finally notified last week that I am getting expelled.

By my reading, the first time you were unwilling to make adjustments to your work based upon the recommendations of multiple professors. The second time, despite your previous experience with an "extremely specific" project area, a similar dynamic played out but in a shorter time span, and you got PNGed "by someone senior."

Now, you're doubling down by consulting a lawyer using money you need to get back home.

Something is missing from the narrative.

Recommendations 

I suggest that you use your remaining time in the UK

• figuring what you need to do to get home as soon as possible,
• attempting to salvage a couple of relationships so professors will write letters of recommendation for jobs (if not also future applications), but most of all,
• figuring out as honestly and gently as possible how your choices influenced events at both schools.
  • Did you do as well as you might have managing relationships with professors and managing your expectations for your project?
  • Did you receive actionable (and pretty good guidance) both times about your project being too complex and did not handle the information well?
  • Did you bring with you a chip on your shoulder that may have helped you as an undergraduate but might have weighed you down in the UK?

[AP]

I'm sorry you are going through this unquestionably stressful situation. 

I agree with @Sigaba in that something seems to be missing from what you are telling us. While you might no be ready to share, I would take their advice to salvage as many relationships as possible. 

For the sake of just putting things out there for others, be aware that professors can change jobs at their pleasure. They should not have any loyalty to any institution and, least of all, to a student. Seriously, you'd expect someone not to change jobs because of you? 

That said, I am very surprised that this person completely disappeared. I've had friends whose supervisors changed institutions (even countries), and they continued to advise them. Each program has it rules and maybe this was discipline-specific, but is there a way to apply to their current program? 

[Jacko-Dark]

PhD seems like too stressful for me... won't do one and will instead go straight to industry