Transfer

[Rose11]

Hi, I had a query regarding transferring from one school to another. so im in phd communication program ( just started). Is it possible to switch to another school and if i do, what excuse should i give ( i personally want to go to a school with a better ranking) in my personal statement? i am confused , your suggestions will be valued

[fuzzylogician]

Normally it's not possible to switch. You'd need to reapply as a new applicant and most likely you'll need to retake whatever courses you are taking now. A good reason to switch would be if for some reason your current school can't support your research interests, e.g. if your main advisor is leaving the school or if your interests shifted from when you started school and there isn't anyone there who can support your new interests. Another good reason is a shift in methodology or approach, so that your current school does things differently than how you'd like to do them. Basically, issues that have to do with fit. Preferably, things you couldn't know before choosing to attend the school. Knowingly choosing a school with a poor fit won't reflect well on you, and leaving after less than a year will mean that you're at a higher risk of generally dropping out and not finishing the degree. Better rankings is not a particularly good reason to want to transfer. If your goal is to stay in academia, school rankings aren't a very important factor: your advisor's reputation and the department's reputation are, and so is your research output.