...but this time there is a newborn baby!
This fall I will begin my 5th year in an English PhD program. I have been ambivalent about staying in my program pretty much since the first year, but have always come down on the side of staying in, even though I long ago decided I don't want to even try to become an English professor. Three weeks ago my husband and I had a baby, and that is making me less confident I want to continue. I need some help sorting this out.
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posted by apricot
on Jun 9, 2013 -
7 answers
Wrapping up a pregnancy and a dissertation at the same time. Given the inherent badness of this idea, when is the least ill-advised time to schedule my defense?
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posted by anonymous
on May 28, 2013 -
15 answers
Not sure what to say to my M.S. thesis adviser (formerly my Ph.D advisor) or prospective interviewers on when I can leave academia and start a real job.
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posted by permiechickie
on May 13, 2013 -
10 answers
So, now I've got a PhD. But I'm crippled by zero self-confidence as I start applying to industry jobs. Did you rebuild your self-confidence after a PhD?
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posted by zeek321
on May 9, 2013 -
17 answers
I'm dropping out of a PhD program in a social science with only a masters degree. I need a real job.
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posted by anonymous
on Apr 17, 2013 -
15 answers
Two years into a Ph.D. program in the biological science (in the US) and I am in a lab doing research. The lab I'm in takes a hand-off approach to our research, so much of the motivation to do projects must come from me. Unfortunately I'm the kind of person who needs deadlines and strong guidance, and without these two things I've begun to drift a little. Any tips for keeping my eyes on the prize and staying immersed in my field?
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posted by Archibald Edmund Binns
on Feb 1, 2013 -
8 answers
I have a big, messy question about anxiety, student debt, grad school, loneliness, and employment. Here’s the crux of it: Should I go back to my PhD next year? If not, what should my plan for the next few months be?
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posted by The Art of Sockpuppetry
on Jun 17, 2012 -
17 answers
Applying for graduate school (PhD) in applied maths. Questions about personal statement. Relevant details within.
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posted by dragonfruit
on Jun 16, 2012 -
4 answers
Another Ph.D quit-or-stay question: I'm really unhappy in my particular lab, and maybe unhappy with the whole idea of the Ph.D. I still like the idea of research - just want to work on a project that I'm interested in. What is the best way for me to be able to work on things that I like, possibly outside of a Ph.D degree program, but still in an academic lab? Looong snowflake details inside, summary at end.
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posted by permiechickie
on Jun 13, 2012 -
16 answers
I'm a PhD student, and I'd like to do more academic networking over email. How does this work, and what should the emails sound like?
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posted by anonymous
on May 16, 2012 -
14 answers
I am in my 7th year of a science Ph.D. at MIT and I need to graduate. I have invested an incredible amount of time and energy in this process, and I definitely have a Ph.D. level of skills and knowledge by now. 7 years is not outside the norm for my department. The problem is that a number of circumstances occurring in a row have lead to a bad/toxic relationship with my advisor and slow performance on my part.
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posted by anonymous
on May 7, 2012 -
11 answers
I am currently working on a Ph.D. but may have an opportunity to enter my field early. Is there a way I can drop out without burning bridges? When should I speak with my adviser about it?
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posted by anonymous
on May 2, 2012 -
12 answers
Help me make a decision I keep circling over again and again -- interdisciplinary masters that lets me do some cool research now, or continuing to work/exist in desired city and a more professional and/or appropriate MA/PHd in the next year or two?
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posted by elephantsvanish
on Apr 22, 2012 -
5 answers
I need recommendations on a PhD program in ecology/conservation biology/interdisciplinary studies. I am a biology student who has strong nontraditional interests in cross-disciplinary work, popularization of science (i.e. making science relevant to non-science people), creating social and political change, and examining the relationships between humans and the biosphere from a holistic, non-anthropocentric perspective. Any ideas?
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posted by Scientist
on Apr 14, 2012 -
21 answers
I'm halfway through a PhD program in the humanities, but I'm almost positive I want to quit academia after I get my degree. What are my best options?
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posted by derrinyet
on Feb 12, 2012 -
18 answers
I am (very nearly) finished with my applications to computer science PhDs, and I realized I don't really know what will happen next. Assuming I get in anywhere, what sorts of contacts with programs are in store between their decision and mine?
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posted by silby
on Dec 15, 2011 -
8 answers
I would be finishing my bioinformatics master's degree next year and am considering to go to Australia or New Zealand for PhD in bioinfo, or Computer Science with a focus in computational biology related stuffs What are the academic and industry situations like in these two countries?
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posted by joewandy
on Nov 2, 2011 -
2 answers
I might not be smart enough for my PhD program; it is obvious from my classes that I lack certain skills or aptitudes the average student in my field has. Do I quit now?
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posted by anonymous
on Oct 28, 2011 -
32 answers
How should list undergraduate classes with long/unusual names on a resume that I am using for applications to economics PhD programs?
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posted by vegetableagony
on Aug 15, 2011 -
11 answers
Looking for advice on possible careers post-grad school with earth sciences training.
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posted by anonymous
on Jul 9, 2011 -
6 answers
What are the pros and cons of trying to become an English professor in Toronto for a fiction writer (and how feasible is it)?
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posted by skwt
on Jun 20, 2011 -
18 answers
What is an appropriate gift to give one's advisor after filing a PhD dissertation and graduating?
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posted by k8t
on Jun 7, 2011 -
23 answers
I've started a Phd and would like to get tips and advise from those who have walked the path before me.
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posted by Mutant
on Apr 30, 2011 -
10 answers
My partner is doing her Ph.D in English but is starting to think she wants to teach elementary or high school. We're in Canada. We've got questions about the job market, location, and the benefits and burdens of getting the Ph.D.
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posted by Beardman
on Feb 8, 2011 -
7 answers
Four days ago, my partner got an email from her #1 grad school choice that sounded good. How excited should we be? I know there are many variables at work here that neither you nor we can know at this time, but I want to know if I can be excited and happy or if I should try to calm myself down. I know many people here are phD's from the hard sciences as well and I am hoping you can provide some perspective. Here are the details:
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posted by anonymous
on Jan 22, 2011 -
27 answers
I just started my first year of graduate school, and I'm disappointed with my PhD program. What now?
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posted by anonymous
on Oct 16, 2010 -
12 answers
What is getting a PhD really like? Is it worth it? I want to be a researcher in psychology, sexuality, and gender.
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posted by tweedle
on Oct 15, 2010 -
48 answers
I feel totally aimless and adviser-less in this, my last year of Ph.D. coursework. How did this happen? How do I fix it? Sorry if this is a bit long.
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posted by anonymous
on Sep 1, 2010 -
6 answers
I'm going to be graduating from a small 'top 25 private university in the West', not the best, not terrible, with a 4.0. I'm interested in pursuing History as a career and want to get into a great Ph.d program. (Interests include American, Post-Modern, historiography, historical memory.) Recently, I've considered transferring to a top private university with more prestige: will this benefit me in the application process or will my glowing recommendations, independent research and grades equally impress from my middle tier school? At this point, it seems like a gamble either way.
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posted by robox
on May 16, 2010 -
16 answers
I got into a top English grad program, but they defaulted me from PhD to MA. Is it worth shouldering the massive debt of a Master's degree, or should I gamble on getting into a PhD program next year?
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posted by zoomorphic
on Mar 17, 2010 -
33 answers
A Canadian friend just got accepted to an American grad school (Chicago) for a 5 year Ph.D program. He'll have funding, but how would his equally Canadian wife make a living in the U.S.? Getting the basic information is not as easy as they expected. What's the skinny?
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posted by Beardman
on Jan 29, 2010 -
13 answers
Help me out here -- who will hire grad-school dropouts to work for them after they have royally screwed over their chances of having an academic career, what are they likely to pay said grad-school dropouts, and how do I convince them that they want to hire me against their better judgement?
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posted by kataclysm
on Jan 7, 2010 -
40 answers
How have you reconciled failure vs. quitting? How have you managed to pick up the pieces of your most passionate undertaking after dropping it? Is the desire to reinvent myself and undertake a new passion/direction just a mechanism to hide the pain of giving up?
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posted by Gaeacon
on Nov 24, 2009 -
7 answers
Can I get into a funded Math Master's or PhD program? I'm graduating from a 4-year college with my B.S. this Spring, and I'm in my mid-30's. I have good GPA at this school (about a 3.6, up to about a 3.8 in math courses specifically) and good GRE scores (720 V / 780 Q), but I have dropped a lot of courses (I've worked full time over the years while getting my degree), and back in the mid-90's I flunked out of the first university I went to.
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posted by tamaraster
on Oct 14, 2009 -
12 answers
How do I deal with the fact that I hate teaching, or, how long do I hate teaching until I give up on grad school?
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posted by anonymous
on Sep 24, 2009 -
16 answers
