a PhD student thinking about reapplying,

[wooddy]

Hi, guys! I am a first year(2011 fall) phd student in biochem.

I am thinking about reapplying to another PhD program(2013 fall). Is that "transfer"?

It's a long story. I was in a biology undergraduate program and my background is very "biology". But the biochem program I am in now is very "chemistry". Many PIs in the program work on material science, analytical chemistry or physical chem. My interest is molecular and cellular research in human diseases like cancer.

The reason I chose my current program is that I thought maybe I could try something different from what I used to do. But things turn out to be not what I expected. I find I am more interested in human disease research. So I am thinking about reapplying to phd programs in biomedical sciences, which have more clinical research. Another reason I want to transfer is that I want to be close to my family. I am now living in the west. But my family live in the northeast.

Is the "transfer" thing common? Is that easy? What decent reasons should I put in PS? Can I drop to MS program before or after oral? I am not sure which idea sounds more reasonable for me???--- a phd student transferring to another phd program or a master student(if I drop to a MS degree) applying to a phd program?

Edited March 10, 2012 by wooddy