Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with grad

So so grades and future employment prospects

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:19:48 -0800

I'm about to finish a master's program and my grades are less than stellar. How big of an effect might this have on my employment prospects going forward, and what are some strategies to deal with this? I'm a couple months away from finishing a masters in international relations, and my grades are not what I'd hoped they would be coming out of the program. There's a pretty easy explanation for this, but it's not one that I can tell any prospective employer. Specifically, after my first term, my girlfriend of a couple years left me and I didn't handle it well. I went into a deep depression and for several months had trouble even getting out of bed, much less performing well in a rigorous masters program. For the next couple terms my grades suffered.

The good news is that this got me to see a counselor for the first time in my life, and I was able to eventually treat my depression and work on some other issues I didn't even realize I'd been dealing with for a long time.

The bad news is that when I graduate, my GPA will be about 3.3. Prior to the breakup and after I'd finished counseling, it's about a 3.6, but in between it's a fair bit lower.

Obviously, this is not something I can tell a prospective employer.

Given all of this, I'd like to know:

1. What industries are most likely to look at my grades when I apply? When I started this program I'd thought I would apply to some of the big strategy consulting firms when I'd finished, but I think this is probably off the table now. IR degrees are generalist degrees so there are probably still a lot of different directions I can pursue, but other than business strategy I'm most interested in economic policy analysis and emerging markets risk assessment. Any idea how closely companies/agencies in these industries focus on grades? I feel like a lot of industries look for someone with at least a 3.5 GPA, but I'm not sure if this actually true or not.

2. For industries that do place a premium on grades, are there any strategies to compensate for having average ones? If I get asked in an interview why my grades aren't very good, what are some good ways to answer this question? I have done some interesting research and produced some good papers, and I feel like I'm best off focusing on that if possible, as I don't have a ton of good work experience prior to entering this program.

I realize these might not be easy questions to answer, but if you have any suggestions about any of what I've asked here I would greatly appreciate it.

PhD dropout

Anonymous — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 19:13:54 -0800

I'm dropping out of a PhD program in a social science with only a masters degree. I need a real job. I am in a top 15 PhD program in my field. I was an average/mediocre grad student by that standard - I did complete a publishable first project, but had a very hands off advisor and I figured out how to do the work too late to stay on track to finish in a reasonable time with my sanity intact. I didn't fit into the academic culture and have no desire to be a professor anymore. I'm taking the masters and leaving at the end of this summer.

I am trying to figure out what jobs I will be qualified for. My degree does not come with a skill set that is directly applicable in industry, but I have sub-PhD level skill in research and statistical analysis. I am open to pretty much any job where I can use some of those skills. I do not want to go back to academic research unless it's in a very different role. I would entertain almost any other idea at this point. Yes, I am asking my university career center and those few people in my department who still want to help, but at this point my only firm criteria are the following:

1) pays $25K a year or more
2) does not require much additional training; I've had enough of school, but I would take additional classes this summer or get some kind of certification if necessary, but no more grad school for now
3) does not require a special skill set other than research, writing, and statistical analysis. I don't know any programming languages well enough to use them on the job right now, but grad school involved constant technical self-teaching as needed.
4) I don't want to teach my subject at the high school or community college level

I would like to leverage the additional degree for whatever it's worth, but it doesn't seem to have any obvious value since it is not a practical professional degree, and it looks like I'm going to be competing for entry level jobs with a crop of 22 year olds with fresh bachelor's degrees. Is this correct? What can I do? phd.dropout.2013@gmail.com

Should I go to grad school for a stats PhD, change jobs, or…?

un petit cadeau — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 12:48:03 -0800

Feeling a little stuck in my current job; unsure if I should go for the PhD or cross it off my list and change jobs. (Warning: brain dump.)

So, uh, I'm 24, and it's been almost two years since I graduated with an applied math degree. I've been working at a medical school in the Bay Area (hint: it's the one in the city) since then as a statistician, and now as a senior statistician. Basically, what that entails is working with about 10-15 professors/PIs on hammering out the methodology for their projects, writing loads of R and Python code, writing papers, giving talks/tutorials, and mentoring. I've taken on and turned around some pretty hairy projects, and led teams of 2-3 other statisticians/analysts, some with substantially more experience with me.

Anyway, it's a great job and it's hard for me to imagine having the flexibility and work-life balance that I have now anywhere else. However, I've been feeling a little weird about my situation lately, like I should be either committing to going to grad school for a stats PhD or crossing that off of my list entirely. The thing is, I'm not too hot on the traditional biostats stuff, plus I couldn't prove my way out of a wet paper bag in undergrad, so I'm not sure I would enjoy going through that experience again in grad school. I don't think I was able to prove anything non-trivial in any of my undergrad math courses. What I'm kind of afraid of, though, is that maybe, say, 20 years from now, I'm going to go and say to myself, gee, maybe I should've gotten that PhD back when I had the chance. I don't know how true that is, given that I'm pretty sure I don't want to end up in academia.

What I am interested in, though, is writing code, playing with data, and the machine learning side of things. I feel more like I want to make things that other people can *use*, as opposed to producing insights that they can act on. I think I would be at home in a more data science-ish role, or even as a software engineer. I've worked with my teams to get get all our code under source control and use best practices; I know my algorithms and data structures, and I have the (somewhat) perverse hobby of playing with the Linux kernel in my spare time. I like figuring out how stuff works, pretty much. Having said that, if I *do* cross grad school off of my list, I'm not sure how much longer I could stick around in my job, even with another promotion coming up. I feel kind of like I'm in a bubble, and that I'm pretty much reaching the limits of how much I can grow here.

I've been to tech meetups/networking events and whenever the topic of my background comes up, the kinda responses I get are like, oh, my (software) company really loves statisticians, you should check us out! Or it's "APPLY TO GOOGLE!!!" That kind of stuff. While I can tell there's a lot of interest out there for people like me who are good at stats and with data in general, and who can also code/wear the engineer hat, I'm kind of clueless as to how to get in touch with, or even find out about, places that'd be the right fit for me. Right now it's just Google on my radar -- from what I've heard/read about, it's kind of the model of a place I'd like to work (although not necessarily optimal, probably) because of the intersection of 1) lots of data, 2) interesting questions, 3) interesting systems/methods and 4) an engineering-first culture (for the most part) with lots of smart people around. Where else should I be looking?

In the same vein, I think I'd like to get into consulting/freelancing, but then again, I don't really have any idea how to begin doing that either.

Anyway, with all that out there, I think I'm feeling pretty sure that I wouldn't be a good fit for grad schools; what's open is just how much the lack of a PhD would hold me back later in my career, given what I want to do. So -- what's the best way to go about finding out about opportunities that are better fits for me than what I have now? Right now, I'm not really in a rush, but it sure would be nice to have a roadmap.

Italian gift ideas for fashion design grad

mediated self — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 20:22:00 -0800

Seeking ideas for a graduation gift that we could buy in Italy for a fashion design major. SO's sister will be graduating college with a degree in fashion design. SO and I will be visiting Florence and Rome the month before the graduation and are thinking of graduation gift ideas in advance. Max spending limit is $100 US.

Graduating with a BA in Philosophy (Canada) in April. Job search help

GiveUpNed — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 12:53:30 -0800

A few days ago I went to see my local Career Advisor at school. She said I was miles ahead of every other humanities grad as I have 15 months of work experience. She told me to contact various guilds and organizations in my area... I got thrown under the bus at the freebie weekly I was working at, however I'll probably get my job back in the summer (12K a year woo!) due to personal changes.
I'm currently writing for a magazine (read by 1-3K people) and an online publication. I'm constantly sending out pitches and connecting with people I used to work with.
A few days ago I went to see my local Career Advisor at school. She said I was miles ahead of every other humanities grad as I have 15 months of work experience. She told me to contact various guilds and organizations in my area (I have, a coffee meeting with my local PR guild representative is being set up) and to hit my network. (I have. However, the company is restructuring and I have to call back in Feb.)

She told me to get business cards, the job market in my city is great and to tailor my resume for the various marketing/comm/pr/advertising jobs at the uni job fair that is being held next week. She said to have a mental script ready (this is who I am, this is what I can do for you and here is my portfolio) along with 4 different tailored resumes for the various positions I want to apply for.

In addition to all this, I should research the 20-30 companies that are hiring in the positions I want and be ready to ask pertinent questions to them and have answers ready for them when they enquire about me.

Is she blowing smoke up my ass, or am I A OK. She told me I should get a job by April as I'm starting my job search now and I have work experience.

If all fails, I'm heading to my local college for a communications degree (they have a high job placement rate).

In addition to all this, I just received a paying job at a new online pub. I only get ~$20 a month for 4-5 articles. Should I ask for more, or should I stick with it as they are a new publication?

I've never gotten below 10 cents a word, but that's a print rate. I've never been paid for online writing. It's funny. Everyone says online is the future, but the money is still in print.

PhDating

Anonymous — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 06:58:13 -0800

How do you handle developing relationships in grad school? I’m getting a PhD in a demanding, top-15 program in my field. I am halfway through and in hot water; I have hit the rough patch that many people encounter after quals/third year and I want to finish or leave in no more than six. I’m working on issues the best I can in hope of finishing with both my sanity and the degree.

I dated for the first three years of grad school and it yielded short term things only. This is ok/to be expected with dating, but I am a LTR, monogamously oriented person. With friends and the people I date, once I decide I like someone, which happens rarely enough as it is, I tend to want to invest deeply in them, and I don’t spread my social energy too wide. Since grad school is so rough I crave the intimacy in a LTR, but I’m wondering if I should hold off on dating until I have the degree in hand. For one, I am not the happiest possible person at the moment – I’m functional but very stressed some days and it brings out personality traits I don’t like, and would make me a terrible partner sometimes. Furthermore, two of the short term things I wanted to turn into long term things were a major distraction. I crushed hard, got excited and distracted, and then got dumped in the span of a few months, which was not great for productivity and I don't think I can afford that once I'm ABD.

But I’m in my late 20s and won’t finish my program before I turn 30. These should be prime dating years and the time when a lot of my peers seem to be meeting their future spouses. I seem to be aging minimally for now except for a few grey hairs, but I don’t kid myself that my attractiveness has a shelf life and that meeting the right person only gets harder as you get older. I also don’t know where I will end up after grad school, and right now I’m in a city thick with “my type” and I feel like I should take advantage.

I go back and forth on turning down flirtatious chats with new people and taking down my OKCupid profile. I just don’t know how to balance these opposed life goals and protect my emotional energy if I keep dating. Should I take a romantic hiatus until I’m a PhD or did you manage to be a good boyfriend/girlfriend and a good grad student at the same time? How did you do it?

I know I know this, but my instructor won't accept (My Brain, 2012) as a citation.

MultiFaceted — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 18:36:59 -0800

How can I become better at remembering references to cite in my academic writing? I know how to use APA style, but when I need to write I can remember theories and details, but not where I actually READ those theories. HALP! I'm working on my PhD, which means lots and lots and LOTS of reading, then lots of academic style writing about everything I read. The nature of the program means that we have to keep adding to our knowledge and eventually be able to synthesize and use all the stuff we've learned through the whole program. So, an answer to a discussion question would reference not only the theories we learned in the current class, but ideally would tie in theories and details from all the previous classes.

I know how to cite and reference what I'm writing (we use APA style), so that's not the issue. What I struggle with is remembering who said what so that I actually CAN cite it. For example, I recently had to write about management vs. leadership(...is it different? Same? How would I approach blah blah blah...). Since the class is about management specifically I knew where to find the cites for what I wanted to say about that (because I had just read it). But the leadership theories I wrote about was learned in more than one class over the course of this past year. I knew the information, I just didn't know who said it or where to look in my past books to find a suitable reference to use.

Since I'll be taking comp exams in a year where I'll have to write similar answers with limited time and resources, I need to get better at this. How can I remember details about who said what theory, and where I read it? Am I missing a study skill, or just bad at remembering? What can I do to improve?

You can't spell great without GRE

kettleoffish — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 17:43:44 -0800

This is a question about the new, normal (non-subject) GRE. ETS has a website that allows for the score to be sent to schools as part of grad applications. I took the GREs twice to raise one of my scores. It worked (yay test prep books!). But I would rather just report the second score and not the older, lower one from last year. If I use the normal ETS score report to send the scores, will the old score be automatically reported?

Is there an option on the site to send only the new one, and if so, how can I tell it worked?

Letters of Rec part Deux

TungstenChef — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 12:30:06 -0800

I asked a professor for a letter of recommendation a year ago, but my plans changed and I didn't use it to apply for anything. I'd like to ask her for another one this year, and I would appreciate some advice on how to approach her about it. Last year I was planning on applying to medical school, and asked a professor for a letter of rec. It was a difficult class (anatomy and physiology) and they needed all the help they could get, so she had a policy that she would only write letters of rec for students who got two semesters of A's and then spent a third semester as a voluntary assistant TA.

I requested and received the letter, however shortly afterwards, I came to my senses and realized that the life of a doctor was going to make me miserable. Instead, I spent another year in undergrad and am now blissfully happy applying to grad programs in archaeology.

I think this professor could write me a strong letter, but I'd like some advice on how to approach the situation. From previous AskMe's, I see that professors get annoyed when they write letters of rec and don't hear back from the students about how things turned out. I can understand that, I regret not sending her an update after my plans changed.

I realize that I'm probably overthinking the hell out of this, I suspect that being a pre-med for 2 years conditioned me to beanplate every single minute detail about "getting in." I could really use some advice about how to ask her for this second letter though, I can't seem to get over this frustrating mental block I've created for myself.

From Jerk to Justice League: How to be a leader, not a whiner? (Grad School Style)

celare — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 07:08:15 -0800

From Jerk to Justice League: How to be a leader, not a whiner? Last night, the boyfriend mentioned that he's always felt like his father went through life (and goes through life) looking for a fight. His father is generally a good guy, but he doesn't appear to be the most adaptable snowflake I've met on life's bumpy road. I'd describe it as being cranky about life at times. No big deal. Who isn't cranky sometimes?

But then boyfriend said he feels the same way.

He feels like the world is out to get him and he's spoiling for a fight. He takes slights and inconveniences personally, and he doesn't mask it when he's bothered. My opinion: he appears rude when he does it, and maybe overly aggressive. I think (and he agrees) that he doesn't roll with life's small punches because he doesn't know what to do about the central problem in his life right now.

He's a grad student in science and incredibly stressed by the neverending push to do more, faster, push further out of his comfort zone, and generally keep up with the testosterone-filled, family-comes-last, political jockeying in his lab. When he was talking about this, he mentioned that he feels alone in his desperation--why doesn't anybody else push back against the unhealthy culture? Is he the only one who feels he deserves better than this? And when he does push back, why doesn't anyone respect him for it?

I argued that lots of people push back when they find themselves faced with situations like his, but they don't fight alone, and they don't transfer their frustration to petty things. They fight back socially. They join movements or form partnerships. They shine a light on the problem in a way that doesn't alienate others and instead creates a rallying point.

He's interested by that, but I'm not sure he's sold on the idea of lending his anger and energy toward something bigger than himself. And more than that, he doesn't know how. I've never had that kind of chip on my shoulder, and I'm not sure what to tell him.

The question(s), from general to specific:
Big picture, have you ever taken this kind of anger against personal injustice and turned it into something bigger? Did you lend your support to a cause? What kind of thought process took you from feeling wronged to finding a constructive focus?

Small picture, do you know of any groups that rally around grad student work-life issues? Who can he join?

BF reads articles about work-life balance and laments that it's viewed as women-only issue. There's a sadly sizable group of people who say "suck it up, or quit science" in response to his concerns. Or they have the attitude of "You should live to work, and want to live to work. What's wrong with you?"

I believe that it's possible to for people in general, and him specifically to find a balanced life in which he can have the profession of scientist. But I'm short on examples of scientists who exhibit a life-balance that he'd find worth looking forward to--a life that includes family and time that isn't filled with work-obsession. Feel free to throw in encouraging words on that matter if you have them.

Should I apply to MSW programs now or later?

Anonymous — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 13:43:43 -0800

Do I have an appropriate background for admissions to an MSW program? Lots of details inside. I'm currently applying to MSW programs and would like to get my LCSW eventually. However, I'm not sure if I have the appropriate experience at this point. Should I wait a year and try to beef up my resume?

A little about my background ....

Undergrad majors: English and Spanish. I took about 10 classes in various social sciences, mostly general surveys. Pretty good grades at a pretty good school.

Work experience: PR and journalism, including a good deal of work that necessitated multi-cultural understanding.

Volunteer experience: limited. Big Brothers/Sisters for one year. Some PR volunteering for a non-profit.

What can I do to improve my application? Is my undergrad education sufficient?

Also, and most important, what are volunteer suggestions for a future LCSW? What would provide relevant experience? Specifically in NYC would be very helpful.

Also--I'm very introverted and enjoy working with people one-on-one. I think of stereotypical social workers as being very outgoing, which I am not. I am as "INFP" as it gets. Will I enjoy grad school for social work and working as a clinical social worker?

My Gut Is Saying "Run" but My Brain is Scared

ohmansocute — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 12:31:38 -0800

I posted this question a few months back but would like to... ask again with a little more details. I bit the bullet and signed up for classes again, and after my first half day back, I'm now at home having a panic attack regarding my decision. I'm a historic preservation graduate student, and after a whole year of freaking out about what I want in life, all I really want is a job that pays well, or an incredibly marketable skill. I doubt I will get either with this degree. I uprooted my partner and toddler to pursue a master's degree that I thought would lead to employability, but after hard core market research and speaking with many, many people, I've realized this is as big of a gamble as going for an MA in art history. I've gone in circles trying to figure out how to make old buildings = money, and have pursued research and internships in construction (with the hope of landing a job with a preservation contractor), and if I continue, will be looking into real estate, business plans, marketing, ect.
But at the same time, I've signed up for a computer science course at MITX, CodeYear through Codecademy, and have applied for a scholarship with Treehouse. My brother is a long time programmer and web developer, and is really motivating me to pursue a career in technology. I believe I would be good at it, and that the things I want in a career (creativity, growth, and a paycheck) are (possibly?) a given with this path. However, if I were to leave my graduate program, I will absolutely not be pursuing any coursework through traditional means (i.e. paying tuition, taking out loans, ect). I just want to know, is this a good idea? Had I been childless and partner-less, I would be less sheepish about changing paths this drastically.

MSW Questions

melizabeth — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 14:30:14 -0800

Interested in finding a good fit MSW program. Don't know what to look for, ask, inquire about while in the search. MeFe please enlighten me! I am looking to focus my MSW on outdoor education/wilderness therapy (applying for next fall). My hangup is in seeking a program. I'm not sure what is good, what I should be looking for, or what is new/current practices that employers would look for. My alma matter has an amazing dual degree program pairing an MSW with Outdoor Education. This seems the best fit, but just in case I'd like to search around at some other programs that might come close.

More specific questions I have are:
-What's the overall take on the GRE? I haven't taken it, but plan to. Some programs want it, others don't. I've been out of school 2 years and have some related work experience, but not direct.
-Did you find that many schools offered TA positions or research opportunities? I'm looking to reduce tuition cost.

Any insight and suggestions MeFe could provide would be helpful from those in MSW field or with knowledge pertaining to.

Thanks!

bipolar strikes again

lettuchi — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 11:54:48 -0800

What accommodations are available to people with bi-polar 2 in the grad school setting? Hi all,

I was diagnosed with bi-polar 2 last year, and it had severely affected my work. Turning the end of the semester and into the beginning and middle of summer, I was doing much better, but towards the end of summer and now I am depressed again. Can't concentrate, can't read cause of the cacophony of noise in my head, I have no gusto or passion left. I used to get research ideas 3 or 4 a lecture but now I'm stuck. I drag myself to class and am attentive but it seems like nothing remains with me.

I have an appointment with my p-doc to adjust my medication, and another with a nurse practioner to do the DSS paperwork, but what can I expect them to provide me if they provide me anything at all? I'm not even sure what would be helpful at this point. They can send letters to the faculty, but what would these letters even say? What can I do for myself, too?

Dear Employer: Take a chance on meeee <3, Me

lhude sing cuccu — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 13:47:50 -0800

What should I do after I graduate (museum/non-profit/other)? Where should I live (stay in New York or go elsewhere)? I'm about to graduate (OK, I'll eventually graduate) with a BA in Philosophy. Halfway through my degree, I decided I don't want to go into academia and I'm pretty sure I don't want to go into philosophy. Also, I currently live in NYC and I'm not really sure about the job market here...I've lived here three months, and I still can't find a part-time job (applied to everything from barista to jewelry designer's assistant). I can't even get a volunteering gig! (They all want experience I don't have.) So I might have to transfer back to my old school (W&M), but in any case, I'd like to start getting an idea of what to do with my life...and, incidentally, which cities would be good to live in to do so.

Basically, my goal is to teach, but not in a school environment. I was thinking about possibly being a "museum educator" at a children's museum, but I don't know much about science, art, or history. I'm planning on applying as a volunteer at the Brooklyn Children's Museum, though. I also might like to work in (the education dept. of?) an arts and/or LGBT non-profit, but I don't really know how well that pays. Not to mention I don't really know the job market for either of these things. Are there any other ideas I might consider?

I can't change my BA, but it's not too late to go to grad school if necessary. I have mediocre grades (cum 3.7, but with an early semester of F's and a track record of four schools), and not many skills or much experience (I had an awesome job at a science museum for eight months, but that was three years ago). I can write pretty well, I guess, but I don't want to be in an office doing editing or data-entry all day long. I'm worried that whether I'm in New York or Virginia, I won't be able to get a lot of volunteer or internship experience (for two different reasons--either no jobs or too many applicants).

Also, are there any cities with a reasonable creative/music (and LGBT) scene with a better job market than New York, or is the job market this bad everywhere? I've been recently sold on Portland, ME, but I'm worried it might be too small and possibly skews middle-aged. I'd like to stay in New England due to my severe allergy to the South (no, really), or the Northwest cause I don't like the sun anyway.

Also, bonus question: How the heck do you get an entry-level job from out-of-state?!?!

How does one overcome a low undergrad GPA in a grad school application?

DeWalt_Russ — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 20:08:23 -0800

Your undergraduate GPA was not stellar, you spent some time away from school, then you got into the graduate program you wanted. HOW DID YOU DO IT? Special bonus if it was NYU Food Studies. Asking for a friend: What should one do to show up on the radar of graduate programs?

My friend, who studied something completely different in college, has worked very hard for several years learning the trade (and climbing the ladder) at a well-regarded gourmet food shop in Brooklyn. She has published (not self-published) a cookbook that got some nice reviews from newspapers and a big blog.

She has poured herself into this new direction and she very much wants to enhance her future prospects by getting her master's from NYU's Food Studies program. Despite the last half-decade of dedicated hard work and achievement, her application gets rejected.

Like the title sez, her undergrad GPA is low, but it doesn't reflect her recent drive and commitment. What does she have to do to get their attention?

If this sounds vaguely like you, what did YOU do to convince the admissions department that you were a viable, valuable candidate for their program?

Help me find a blog.

uncannyslacks — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 13:15:45 -0800

Help me find a blog. I remember it vaguely as either "Stuff Young Professionals Like" or "Things College Grads Say." Two posts I remember specifically were:

NPR

(sarcastic paragraph)

Their College Sports Team

(snarky paragraph)

I've Googled the hell out of this and still can't find it. Anyone?

Wow factor needed for one hour, 95 high school grads.

jennstra — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 22:03:35 -0800

Grad Night Party question. 95 high school grads, on our way to the first of two secret venues. We have an hour to kill at a nearby school. We have ice cream, cupcakes, cookies. It will be dark. What do you suggest to make it more fun? This is a no drinking, no drugs, kids on buses, with chaperones event. We have a few 100$ to spend. Oh, it's this Tuesday. Thoughts?

I'm a student, I swear! Why won't you believe me!?

petiteviolette — Wed, 30 May 2012 08:20:13 -0800

Grad school filter: How do I get my loans back into deferment as a masters-->PhD student? I'm a PhD student who just got her masters. Once I applied to get the formal degree, my loans were taken out of deferment because both Citibank and Sallie Mae thought I had graduated. Since I'm enrolled for fall classes and even have a department grant to do research over the summer, I thought it would be obvious that I'm still in school and that I should still be eligible for deferment.

But when I called both companies (side rant: thanks for selling off all but one of my loans to Sallie Mae, Citibank, because dealing with two awful giant banks where you have to pull out your own teeth to get a human being on the phone is twice the fun), they gave me different answers as to why I can't go back into deferment.

Sallie Mae said, the clearinghouse (a big list of big schools that has info on their enrollments) says you're not a student, call your registrar.

Citibank said, you're out of deferment because it's the summer. I said, what the heck are you talking about, I wasn't out of deferment last summer OR ANY SUMMER when I was in undergrad. They said, ummm, summer!

My registrar said though I'm enrolled for the fall, I'm not technically enrolled during the summer AND there's no graduation date on my file. I called my department coordinator, who said to call financial aid, where I got a busy signal. I called the graduate school, who transferred me to someone who wasn't at their desk.

I'm just so frustrated and angry that I'm bursting into tears at regular intervals. Even though I could probably borrow the money or dip into my savings to pay through October (which is when the deferment form will go through if I send it in August), what about people who don't have that option? How have other PhD students not gone through this? What can I do not only to get myself out of this jam, but to help others in the future?

Moving forward after making a mistake?

farce majeure — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:08:16 -0800

It would seem that I've f'd up, big time. Now what? How do you move forward when you're fairly sure you've made a bad decision and can't turn back. (details inside) I'll start with the question and you can read the details beneath if so inclined.

I took a big gamble, and all signs are pointing to it being a losing one, and I'm having a very hard time avoiding the feeling that, this decision and it's aftermath will come to define the rest of my life.

My question is, are there any other mefites out there who've made a decision with far ranging consequences that ended up being a mistake, and if so, how did you move forward after that? I am more or less over beating myself up for making this decision, but it's put me on a path I didn't expect and don't want to be on, and I don't know how to move forward in a positive way.

Details:
About 8 months ago, I decided to leave a decent job in Tokyo, where I was living with my girlfriend, to go back to graduate school in the states. The specifics aren't really important for this question, but briefly, I loved living in Tokyo, wanted to marry my girlfriend eventually, and really didn't want to leave, but was worried about future career prospects (and also a bit insecure about not having made much of myself, whatever that means) and thought that, by getting my degree, I'd be able to come back to Japan, marry my girlfriend and get a better job that would allow me to live a comfortable life and eventually start a family (i just turned 30 btw, so these things are starting to press on my mind more than they used to)

Well, it was a terrible idea. My girlfriend left me after several months of trying to make the ldr thing work. I study international relations, focusing on east asia and trade in the region, and study japanese every day. I thought that I'd be able to get a better job in Japan after finishing my degree, but I've realized that this degree isn't setting me up for a better job in Japan, a place I still would very much like to return to. Moreover, I've taken on a large amount of debt to come to school, so I wouldn't even be able to return to my old job in Tokyo because the salary wouldn't cover my new student loan payments, and those payments are also going to make it very hard for me to have enough money to raise a family any time in the near future.

Where I thought I was going to end up, ie: married, in Tokyo, with a good job, ready to start a family, and where I am going to end up, ie: single, probably not in Tokyo, working a job that I'm most likely not interested in but that I have to take in order to pay my student loans, and unable to support a family for years to come, are essentially diametrically opposed to each other.

So when you feel as though you've put yourself on the wrong path, and that there's no going back to the path you wanted to be on, how do move forward positively without feeling like your life is defined by a bad decision you wish you hadn't made?

I keep trying to find a positive in this, but I'm having a hard time. Any suggestions on how to reframe this so I don't end up a bitter old man who ends up mumbling to himself over his drink at the bar about "If only hadn't left Tokyo and gone to grad school..."

Wrapped up in all of this is probably still some anxiety about getting older. I feel like these kind of mistakes are easier to write off in your early to mid 20s, but after 30, I feel like there's a lot less wiggle room to get things right, and mistakes start to really have teeth.

Oh, and yes, I'm seeing a therapist every couple of weeks. He's helped me to stop beating myself up for making this choice, but hasn't really helped me figure out how to move forward yet, so I'm appealing to the hive mind. As always, your advice and recommendations are much appreciated.

I don't wanna go!

lettuchi — Wed, 02 May 2012 09:36:08 -0800

Are they going to kick me out of grad school(linguistics phd)? So, I'm in a linguistics program on the east coast, first year. I was not doing well mentally, went to a p-doc and got diagnosed with bi-polar 2 half-way through my first semester. Academically, I feel that I was not doing well at all. I had to adjust to medicine and couldn't concentrate or read for long lengths of time(I'm fine now), and I feel that I didn't retain much at all, which left me scrambling to catch up at the beginning of 2nd semester. The profs whose classes I was struggling in know about my issues, I told them as much once I got the diagnosis and they said that they noticed improvement once I got on medicine.

2nd semester rolls around and I'm doing better but not fantastic in my classes. My phonology professor told me that maybe another school would be a better fit for me, and asked me why I didn't go into Slavic linguistics since that's what I originally wanted to do(Russian major). I told her that my undergrad profs talked me out of it.

My possible thesis adviser(if I did syntax) is disappointed in me and basically told me that my recommender that we both know misrepresented me.

I don't want to do syntax anymore, but experimental neurolinguistics. We have two profs that do more of that sort of thing, and I have good relationships with them(and did well when I T.A.d the ones class and was in the others class).

We get review letters in the summer, and I'm afraid that they are going to basically say I have to shape up or they'll kick me out. I know that this happens, and I'm scared to death.

Based on my (scattered) account, are they going to say this to me? What can I do to fix it?

Getting into chemistry grad school with no chemistry background?

nhamann — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 13:00:36 -0800

I would like to pursue research in supramolecular chemistry, but I am a couple years out of school and do not have a chemistry background. Also, I lack letters of recommendation. I am certain I cannot get into a decent Ph.D. program, but do I have a shot at getting in a Master's program? Or must I resort to taking classes at a university somewhere? Some background: I graduated in May 2009 with a B.S. in electrical engineering. I graduated summa cum laude (3.95 GPA) and attended on a full-tuition academic scholarship.

I took a semester off and went back to school for two semesters starting in January 2010. I took classes in Math and CS and was in the process of applying for the Master's program in Math, but halfway through the second semester I realized that my interests were not in math. Demoralized, I stopped attending classes. So I got a 4.0 my first semester, and something bad my second semester (two C's, an F and an incomplete, last I checked). My cumulative GPA is at 3.8.

Since then I've been working in IT and studying in my free time.

Given my lack of background in chemistry (the last chemistry class I took was in sophomore year of high school), I'm assuming I can't get into any Ph.D. program. Getting into a terminal Master's program seems potentially doable, but I did not cultivate a network while in school, so my letters of recommendation will be either crappy or non-existant. How competitive are terminal master's programs in chemistry? Will I be fine with bad letters of recommendation if I kill the GRE subject test?

A last resort I have thought of would be either sitting in on or taking chemistry classes at a university somewhere in order to get letters of recommendation, but I enjoy self-study and would like to avoid having to pay for expensive chemistry courses if at all possible. Are there other options here that I have not considered?

Do I have a shot at grad school?

pmccain — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:19:39 -0800

Do I have a shot at grad school? Hello all,

I am thinking about going for a PhD in Genetics or Microbial Physiology and want to get a feel as to whether or not I really have a chance at gaining admission into a program. Not really concerned with tier, rankings etc, just want to be going to a decent school where I can further my education.

College: Virginia Tech
Major: Biology with a concentration in Microbiology/Immunology
Minor: Chem
Cumulative GPA: 2.81
In Major GPA: 3.09
GRE: V 720, Q 700

Primary factor in the low GPA was the fact that I was in an active band during my sophomore/junior years and traveled for practice or gigs almost every weekend. Grades sucked during that time period. I would have regretted not doing it, but I also regret it's impact on my GPA. Is this something that I would want to include in my SOP?

Since graduation I have worked for the past two years as a pharmaceutical manufacturing company - for one year as a Microbiologist and then was promoted to the FDA Compliance branch. I will also be obtaining my NRCM certification (National Registry of Certified Microbiologists) for pharma/medical device this year - would this help my application?

I will be able to get strong recommendations from my previous lab supervisor and my current supervisor, but unfortunately I do not have any real academic references or undergraduate research to call on.

I will probably also be applying to several Master's programs as a backup. I am just trying to get a general feel for what my chances are, and any advice on steps I should take before applying or how I should approach schools, etc would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the help!

Grad school app sunk by half-time undergrad experience?

wires — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 13:01:38 -0800

My girlfriend has been going through undergrad half-time. Adviser keeps telling her that grad schools will not look upon this favorably. True? My girlfriend matriculated the same year as me, 2002. After 3 majors in three years, she settled on chemistry (none of her other majors were hard sciences). She had always liked that subject best in high school but had been discouraged by family from taking difficult courses in college. There's a whole history of her immediate family being convinced she's stupid and treating her as such. But after meeting a charismatic professor who encouraged and challenged her, she fell in love with chemistry and committed to it as a major. However, due to clinical depression, family issues and the rigor of the hard-science courses she had never experienced before, she all but failed out of school and took a hiatus.

After a couple of years off working boring jobs she's started university again, and is now finishing her second year back. The whole time she's been back, she's been attending half-time. This has allowed her to do much better grades-wise--she's getting above a 3.0 for the first time in her life. During all but the first semester she's also been doing research; last summer she worked full time in a lab and for the last three semesters she's worked in that same lab about 5 hours a week for class credit. She expects to publish a paper this summer.

She tends to struggle with material and spends hours in office hours and study sessions every week. Her half-time classes take up about the same amount of time as a full load for other people. Her research is suppose to be for only 5 hours a week, but she usually does between that and 10 hours, so that doesn't take her up to full time by itself. She does not have a job outside of her research responsibilities, she's living off of loans.

Her class adviser is a bit of a general ass, so when he told her that grad schools would really question why she's been going half-time, she entirely disregarded his concern. He's a guy who went to Yale, for reference. Anyone familiar with the application process to hard-science PhD programs think her past will be a show-stopper? That same charismatic professor who got her into Chemistry said that she shouldn't worry about it, and she is counting on a stellar letter of recommendation from him and a solid one from her current Primary Investigator.

I'm concerned admissions committees would question her ability to adapt to the workload of graduate school if she needs to take her undergraduate experience half-time. Obviously everyone's experience is individual and there's quite a lot more to consider than her habitual half-time status when considering her chances of getting into grad school. But will the half-time status, in and of itself, sink her application to the decent state universities she's starting to eye?

Choosing between grad schools: better funding or better advisor?

Anonymous — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:08:58 -0800

Choosing between grad schools: better funding or better advisor? I was recently accepted into two grad schools. I have attended both schools for two separate undergrad degrees. This MA is in the social sciences.
School #1 has offered me a large funding package that would essentially pay for my entire schooling. Its program is course-based and suits my research desires less well, but I could still learn and gain a lot from it.
School #2 has an awesome advisor who has agreed to take me on as a student. This school has a thesis component and is more theory-based, which is along my research goals. I have been offered no funding as of yet, but they have said it's possible if some accepted PhD students go elsewhere and funding is subsequently freed up. It is also possible that I could apply here for my PhD and get the same advisor, but it's best not to bank on that.

Other factors: I currently live in the city of school #1. My boyfriend of two and a half years is here, although he would be able to move to the city of school #2 in one year if need be.

What would you choose? What HAVE you chosen?

Posting anonymously because I feel uncomfortable talking about all of this on a public forum prior to accepting anything solid, for some reason!
Throw away e-mail: askmefigradchoice@gmail.com.