Leaving my master's program

[proko5]

It's probably the one thing you all dread and hope that you never have to experience- leaving your master's program. The course is a two year <deleted>. Why do it? I have been unhappy and dissatisfied with my course for a year now. This includes my unhappiness with my supervisor, my research, and the course itself. As a self-funded student, the situation only became worse as I came to the conclusion earlier this year that it was not worth funding another year of this.

Everyday since I've made the decision to leave last week, I've asked myself if this is right choice. I suppose we all make mistakes in our life; I had very different expectations as to what the course would offer me at this stage in my academic career. Sadly, it did not fulfill expectations and that frankly disappointed me more than anything. I felt that this certainly impacted on my academic performance over the course of ten months, only causing the situation to worsen.

All I can do at this point is return home and contemplate my options. Do I get a job? Do I look at another master's program for the future? These are all unanswered questions but I suppose coming into this directly from undergrad, I was naïve

and really didn't understand what I was getting myself into. I was clearly able based on my undergraduate performance to succeed in graduate study. I never hoped for a PhD but I did feel that additional graduate qualification in my subject would be interesting to me.

That's all changed now due to this decision. It would be helpful to hear advice from the forum regarding what steps I should take now.

(Due to the sensitivity of this situation, I will not be able to provide more detail on my course or my college affiliation within the university).

[cliopatra]

I'm sorry you are feeling that way. I don't understand what you're going through but after reading your post, I think you might not have received the 'education' you were expecting but you learned a lot about yourself and what you expect out of a graduate program. Also, it takes some balls to do what you did - to think about your own personal happiness and well-being above issues of self-image, expectations of profs/family/friends and of course, opportunities for advancement.

I think in this case you have you ask yourself what you truly want? If you don't know why not work for awhile and figure that out? School will always be there when you're ready. I had a friend leave our program and she kept feeling like "a failure" and "a loser." Later on after getting over the initial guilt and sadness of having to leave the program she said she was happy she made that decision because it was eating away at her every day while she contitnued lying to everyone in the department and herself by going through the motions of the program when her heart wasn't really in it.

If you go back what would you do differently?

What do you expect out of your degree in terms of opportunities? Are they realistic?

If you decide to go back would you return to this program or another? Did you take a leave of absence or did you leave permanently? Would you have to divulge this information to another program if you chose to apply?

Wish you the best.