PhD transfer for non-program reasons?

[jlt646]

I am a US doctoral student, and my institution is in a rural area. I'm gay, and while my department is supportive, the election has brought out the worst in people in town (undergrads and locals, mostly). I am even more fearful now that Trump has won, and his VP actively believes in conversion therapy. This win is validation for large groups of people who believe my life to be worthless. It's terrifying. I don't know if the quality of the program (top 10 in my subfield) is worth the quality of life I may be facing over the next few years.

Have any of you ever navigated the transfer process for reasons like this? I just got my first publication, my profs are great, and I love the department, but I feel scared and I don't know that my best work will be produced with this kind of anxiety. I'm not decided either way...just keeping my options open.

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

Sounds like sort of a "wait and see" scenario, at least to me. Also, in my experience, college towns (like State College) tend to be in their own little "bubble" when it comes to politics (and this is actually quite obvious by looking at election results maps from last night).

[fuzzylogician]

Is there some trusted advisor who you could talk to about this? To successfully do this, you'll need your current professors' support (as in, positive LORs and maybe some help pulling strings to get your into another program). So it would be unavoidable to bring this up with at least one person. I think there is a wave of pessimism right now that I truly hope will go away with time; so in part it's a wait and see situation. If you're serious, though, application deadlines in are in a month or two, which is why I am also suggesting that you talk to someone close, so you don't get stuck later. If you only make the decision in January or March or later, you may have to wait another year before you can find yourself funding in another program and be able to move.