Want to transfer but didnt get in anywhere else this year - Advice please.

[Zues]

So, I am in my second year of study at my PhD program. I have full funding through my fourth year and am about to finish my MS within the next few weeks. I wanted to transfer to a more demanding program because, frankly, my current one is not challenging me intellectually and there are some departmental issues that are contributing to an overall negative atmosphere. Further, as my research focus have evolved, my interests do not fit into my departments strengths even remotely. I do have a good advisor and other faculty have expressed interest in working with me even though they do not specialize in my area. I applied to several higher ranked programs with better academic fits this fall but it doesnt seem like I will be admitted into any of them.

The dilemma: Do I complete my PhD at a program that I am not satisfied with, do I apply again next fall while staying in my current program, or do I leave post MS and apply again next fall after gaining some other type of experience. My first inclination is to go with option one or two but would like to hear other perspectives.

Thanks

[soc486]

Hi Zues, I am contemplating doing the same thing (applying to a department with a better fit when I finish my MS next year), and while I can not give an informed opinion regarding your situation I am curious how you handled applying to other schools without offending those in your current program. Any advice would be appreciated.

For what it is worth I would say leaving and coming back is the least favorable course, it will take a lot of explaining and may still not work out in your favor.

[suerte]

just to be clear - when you say you would apply next fall, do you mean you will submit your applications in December 2011?

It would be a leap of faith perhaps, and I am sure there are counter-arguments against this that I have not considered, but I would lean towards option 3. It shows you are committed to going somewhere more rigorous. Perhaps you can see if you can line up a cool work/volunteer opportunity to put on your CV before deciding. I assume you finish up your MS in the middle of this year (may/june?). That would leave you wide open, work aside, to focus whole-heartedly on applying to other programs. Of course - make sure to "look before you leap" if you go that route: Are your GRE scores near 1300 or above? Do you have a well-articulated sociology PhD research agenda? How was the strength of your undergrad program? Do you have good research experience in sociology? Are your grades good/competitive? Are your recommendation letters strong, and can you 100% trust that they have no negative stuff in them? etc. etc. Admission to top-20 soc. PhD programs is elephantitically difficult thesse days. You will want to be logically (and not just sentimentally - as is my weakness) certain - as much as possible - that moving on after your master's. and applying to better-fit programs is something that has a chance of working out. If you do, be sure to apply to comparable-ranking programs where perhaps there are faculty who match your interests better. If you can't answer questions like the above with a 85-90% confidence, option 1 or 2 you mention may be better after all.

Edited February 18, 2011 by suerte

[socialcomm]

Personally, I'd probably stick it out. Mostly because it seems like you still have support from faculty. Even if no one is directly involved in your area, from what I've heard, just having the support of the faculty in the department can be huge. Can you make the program more satisfying for you? Are there other local schools that have courses or resources that are in your area of interest? Or even professors at other schools who can be part of your advising/dissertation committee? Or perhaps you can pursue these options while you apply again next year if you really think you'd rather be elsewhere.

[Zues]

Hi Zues, I am contemplating doing the same thing (applying to a department with a better fit when I finish my MS next year), and while I can not give an informed opinion regarding your situation I am curious how you handled applying to other schools without offending those in your current program. Any advice would be appreciated.

For what it is worth I would say leaving and coming back is the least favorable course, it will take a lot of explaining and may still not work out in your favor.

Thank you all for the comments. Regarding my approach to transferring, I was just honest about my feeling toward the department with the profs who wrote me letters of rec. I found that they were very aware of the shortcomings of the department and that they understood completely my desire to seek out all possible options. I then gave them some of my application materials (e.g. statements, cv, writing sample, etc) because I have not been here very long and as a result they don't know me very well.

I think the only way you can really approach it is to talk to the professors who you can trust the most and be honest about your feelings toward the department. Hopefully they will understand that you happiness and future career will depend a great deal on your program and they will do their best to help you get into a school you like better..

[faculty]

I wouldn't be afraid of talking to current faculty if you have similar concerns.

Faculty at any school really want their students to succeed, wherever that might be. Trust me, they realize what their strengths and weaknesses are and where they stand in the competitive rankings. Many lower-ranked departments feel pride in sending MA students or transfers to better institutions, as it is a signal of successful mentoring. Furthermore, higher ranked departments don't want a student there who is going to flounder because they don't have compatible interests or relationships, as they won't do well on the job market and will reflect poorly on the school.

It's great that Zues gave faculty copies of his/her statement, etc. I'd suggest not only doing that, but finding someone who will sit down and go over those materials, point out weaknesses in your packet, and provide suggestions for good schools to apply to given your interests. Many MA students' packets would benefit from this kind of attention, particularly because the bar is higher for them to "know what they're talking about" than those who are still undergraduates.

Edited February 20, 2011 by faculty