Starting off grad school sick

[blueivy]

So I went through the long process of applying to grad schools, being accepted/rejected by programs, and deciding between them. I even went through a prolonged period where I felt like i didn't deserve to go to grad school and felt unprepared, which ended up being a sort of imposter syndrome thing and which i reconciled with persistent studying of the material and realizing that i both could "get" it and also be interested in it. So I'd picked a program and was starting to get excited about going, only to get sick. Without getting too much into the details of the illness, it's something that i'm going to be in treatment for, for a while. i've been advised against going to grad school or doing anything too stressful until some of the preliminary stuff gets sorted out, and it's unlikely that i'll be at 100% come September. Has anyone started grad school while dealing with health issues? I've heard of people developing health problems in grad school and then dealing with those then, but i'm wondering whether it might be a bad idea to start while still unwell. I'd hate to go through the process of reapplying all over again and delaying by a year but i'd also hate to start and have to leave because my illness wasn't under control or because the stress of grad school made it worse. Has anyone else encountered something like this right before beginning? 

 

 

[rising_star]

I do know that some programs let people delay their start by a semester. Someone in my PhD program had to do it, though it wasn't for medical reasons. They started in January and took the fall core course the following year. You may want to see if that sort of thing is possible in your program, rather than just jumping straight to either starting while sick or having to reapply. It might also be possible to defer your acceptance for a year. Check your department's handbook and the overarching graduate school rules for more information about this.

[shinigamiasuka]

Exactly what rising_star said. Most programs I've come across allow you defer your admission to a later semester. You have a valid reason to defer, do that.

[sierra918]

I agree. I am sure if you explain the situation to your department, they will allow you to defer either a semester or an entire year.

[blueivy]

thanks everyone. i've contacted the department to see whether a deferral would be possible. a one semester one isn't possible due to the program structure but a one year one may be possible. i'm going to have to figure out what to do with my time in the year off other than recovering if i do end up deferring. and tell all of my profs and the people who i've consulted with that i may not be going to grad school in the fall, which won't be fun but i guess it's better than starting and then getting so sick that i'd have to withdraw