Kicked out vs dropping out

[praaatonfe]

The reality for me is that I'm done in my program. I was told I would be kicked out, but they told me I had the option of dropping out instead. What is the difference and what would be better?

[juilletmercredi]

It's kind of like the difference between being fired and quitting yourself. If you ever apply to another graduate program and you have to specify the conditions under which you left, you can truthfully say that you quit on your own and control the narrative a bit more ("the program wasn't a good fit for me; I decided to redirect my interests..."). If they kick you out, you have to say that you involuntarily left the program. You also leave it so that recommenders from your program, should you ever need them in the future, don't have to say that you were kicked out of your program.

So choosing to drop out yourself is probably a better option here.

[St Andrews Lynx]

There's usually more dignity retained in walking away of your own free will, versus being forcibly removed. It might help you feel better about the situation looking back on it later (you pushed the button/were in control of what happened). I think it reflects better on you in the eyes of others: by "dropping out" you had the maturity/self-awareness to see things weren't working out in this program, and so acted accordingly. Being "kicked out" suggests that you didn't notice there was a problem.

These are the "psychological" benefits, in addition to the practicalities Juilletmercredi mentioned.

[TakeruK]

In addition to everything already said above, another benefit of quitting/dropping out is that you can potentially preserve future relationships with people in the department. Clearly, you have to leave so there's nothing to change that. Choosing to drop out can make it easier for both you and the department. If you have to leave because you failed courses or other academic requirements, this will hopefully enable you to preserve a relationship with some people who saw you succeed in other ways. You may be able to reapply to other grad schools in the future when you can show that your academic performance has improved. This might not be as relevant if you are being forced to leave for other reasons though, e.g. inappropriate behaviour etc.