switching PhD programs? any advice?

[Erine]

First year PhD. Thinking about switching to another subfield at the end of my second year as i hate my field.  This means that I will apply at the end of this year (2017).

One of my biggest concerns would be when and how I should tell my advisor this decision, and where should I obtain LOR?

- i am thinking about doing this without acknowledging anyone in my department. if i get accepted into a new program at another school, I will let my advisor know by then. however, the problem is that my prof would have no prep for that...this can bring him a lot of trouble as he needs to hire someone new.

- but if i tell him now or sometime before i send out my application, this can be detrimental to our relationship. what if i don't get admitted to another program? how can i stay and work as a RA for him?

- for LOR, i don't think i will be able to get a LOR from my advisor or anyone from my current university if i want to keep things low profile...can i still use my LOR from undergrad schools? 

 

i would also appreciate any advice regarding switching PhD programs. Thank you!

[DiscoTech]

On 1/29/2017 at 0:49 AM, Erine said:

First year PhD. Thinking about switching to another subfield at the end of my second year as i hate my field.  This means that I will apply at the end of this year (2017).

A friend in my group went through something similar (their reason for leaving was personal). I will also mention that this anecdote applies to a graduate student in engineering.

 

Quote

One of my biggest concerns would be when and how I should tell my advisor this decision, and where should I obtain LOR?

- i am thinking about doing this without acknowledging anyone in my department. if i get accepted into a new program at another school, I will let my advisor know by then. however, the problem is that my prof would have no prep for that...this can bring him a lot of trouble as he needs to hire someone new.

Here is what our advisor told her - (a) schools will wonder if you failed your quals or (b) whether you are just not cut out for the grind of graduate school. The most glaring omission from your application will the comments of your research advisor. Unless you have a way to assuage your next school about these doubts, you are taking a huge risk.

Don't forget that you will also need to convince your next school that they can trust your judgment when you say you won't sour on field B like you did field A.

 

Quote

- but if i tell him now or sometime before i send out my application, this can be detrimental to our relationship. what if i don't get admitted to another program? how can i stay and work as a RA for him?

People leave with a Masters all the time. At least it is not uncommon. If your advisor is a reasonable person, he will try to work with you provided you are willing to work with them. The first thing I would do is make sure that alternate funding is available for the fall just in case (TA, administrative assistantship). Then schedule a meeting with your advisor in the summer and let him know about your doubts about field A. Tell him you don't want to leave him high and dry and that you will work your hardest over the next year to move their project along and also do everything make the handoff to the next student as seamless as possible. If they end up being a jerk about it, that is where back up funding comes in. 

If he declines to keep you on as an RA (not completely uncalled for), can you at least find a way to explore field B (research or coursework) at your current school?

 

 

Quote

- for LOR, i don't think i will be able to get a LOR from my advisor or anyone from my current university if i want to keep things low profile...can i still use my LOR from undergrad schools? 

You will be radioactive in your program if you solicit letters from other professors without notifying your advisor about your departure. Honestly, if I was one of your grad school professors, I would refuse to recommend you (barring a really damn good reason) for lacking basic professional courtesy.

Regarding UG LORs, this gets back to the question how you assuage your next school's doubts about your suitability for their program.

 

 

Quote

 

i would also appreciate any advice regarding switching PhD programs. Thank you!

I know its scary to think about a confrontation with your source of financial support. It is tough. I don't dispute that. But there comes a time when we all need to meet the moment instead of kicking the can down the road and creating huge mess for the future. 

 

First and foremost, figure out your backup plan (industry, TA, admin assistantship). Then approach your advisor in a professional manner and be mindful of the inconvenience you will cause him. If he isn't a sociopath, he'll be a little grumpy but will work with you so that it is a win-win for both of you. He might even write you a stellar LOR if you produce great work even though you are in a field you don't like. 

Worst case, you get fired from your RA but have a backup source of funds and can at least tell your next school that you handled things in a professional manner. Plus you get to request LOR from other professors in your current program!

You can't do something hard without it actually being hard.

 

Happy Ending to the Anecdote: My friend got great LORs from our advisor, who even called his friends at her target program asking them to keep an eye out for her. Also, we didn't resent her since she trained her replacement instead of ambushing our advisor and giving everyone else in the lab more work.

 

Edited February 1, 2017 by DiscoTech
grammar

[Erine]

On 2/1/2017 at 11:54 AM, DiscoTech said:

A friend in my group went through something similar (their reason for leaving was personal). I will also mention that this anecdote applies to a graduate student in engineering.

 

Here is what our advisor told her - (a) schools will wonder if you failed your quals or (b) whether you are just not cut out for the grind of graduate school. The most glaring omission from your application will the comments of your research advisor. Unless you have a way to assuage your next school about these doubts, you are taking a huge risk.

Don't forget that you will also need to convince your next school that they can trust your judgment when you say you won't sour on field B like you did field A.

 

People leave with a Masters all the time. At least it is not uncommon. If your advisor is a reasonable person, he will try to work with you provided you are willing to work with them. The first thing I would do is make sure that alternate funding is available for the fall just in case (TA, administrative assistantship). Then schedule a meeting with your advisor in the summer and let him know about your doubts about field A. Tell him you don't want to leave him high and dry and that you will work your hardest over the next year to move their project along and also do everything make the handoff to the next student as seamless as possible. If they end up being a jerk about it, that is where back up funding comes in. 

If he declines to keep you on as an RA (not completely uncalled for), can you at least find a way to explore field B (research or coursework) at your current school?

 

 

You will be radioactive in your program if you solicit letters from other professors without notifying your advisor about your departure. Honestly, if I was one of your grad school professors, I would refuse to recommend you (barring a really damn good reason) for lacking basic professional courtesy.

Regarding UG LORs, this gets back to the question how you assuage your next school's doubts about your suitability for their program.

 

 

I know its scary to think about a confrontation with your source of financial support. It is tough. I don't dispute that. But there comes a time when we all need to meet the moment instead of kicking the can down the road and creating huge mess for the future. 

 

First and foremost, figure out your backup plan (industry, TA, admin assistantship). Then approach your advisor in a professional manner and be mindful of the inconvenience you will cause him. If he isn't a sociopath, he'll be a little grumpy but will work with you so that it is a win-win for both of you. He might even write you a stellar LOR if you produce great work even though you are in a field you don't like. 

Worst case, you get fired from your RA but have a backup source of funds and can at least tell your next school that you handled things in a professional manner. Plus you get to request LOR from other professors in your current program!

You can't do something hard without it actually being hard.

 

Happy Ending to the Anecdote: My friend got great LORs from our advisor, who even called his friends at her target program asking them to keep an eye out for her. Also, we didn't resent her since she trained her replacement instead of ambushing our advisor and giving everyone else in the lab more work.

 

Thank you sooo much for your advice!! They are very helpful!!

 

[moon_cat]

I hope by the time you read this, you already have a happy ending with your plan.

I was in a similar situation where I wanted to switch advisor/program, but not because I hated my current field, but because my current advisor is just a bad advisor/bad teacher/bad researcher and I lost my respect/motivation to work with him. I applied to another school without telling my current advisor. I actually contacted the advisor from my new school and told him briefly the reason why I wanted to leave. I applied and got accepted (I asked for LOR from the profs that I'm doing TA for and other profs that I'm taking class with - I did share with them the reason why I wanted to leave) but then when I told my current advisor that I'd leave the lab (I told him in Feb, before I got accepted to new school). He immediately shut me down on my RA contract and did some horrible things to me. Anyway, my advice is: really judge your advisor and see if she would support you or not. Depends on the reason why you leave, I think it's safe to play low profile sometimes.