I'm in Computer Science (and math) and I was thinking of going to grad school at some point. However I do have a good shot at working at a pretty big company for a 6 month co-op. In order for the logistics to work (co-op course's restrictions) everything would work out if I defer my graduation to spring 2028 (1 year after my real graduation date). But my friend told me that that would ruin my chances for grad school because seeing me take 5 years to complete undergrad instead of 4 would look bad on my application. My GPA is already nothing to boast about so I was thinking this might hurt my chances even more. Looking online, I've heard that this might be a good idea since the company i might intern at is a pretty big company and the work experience would look really good but I don't really know how this works so I was hoping to get some wisdom from you guys.

I have a background in psychology and a master’s in organizational psychology. My research interests include workplace discrimination and DEI in the workplace.

I am considering PhDs in both organizational psychology and management and organization. The potential supervisors whose research aligns most closely with my interests seem to be in management and organization, but I am wondering how moving into this field would shape my training and future academic career.

How much should the program’s disciplinary label matter compared with supervisor fit? How would choosing one over the other affect my academic career options?

Thanks in advance!

How has your experience been? I recently got into a funded program but am getting cold feet considering I have two toddlers. My partner is amazingly supportive, but I've also been the primary financial provider. Curious about your experience or advice you'd offer. Leaving this open-ended because I'm not really looking to be talked into/out of it, just genuinely curious.

First semester grad student here and majoring M.S. in Psych. I am still learning to read and summarize research literature which has been super hard (got my Bachelors of Arts in K-12 Education which was more hands-on) and my professor assigned a lit review paper as our final which has to have 10 peer reviewed journal articles as sources included in it due in a month. I am not sure how in-depth my citations need to be but I am a really good writer eventhough I am not sure how to make my writing sound masters level or scholarly.

I’m seriously considering dropping out. I am one year into my program and even 6 months ago I was already very apathetic about the program and crying over it. I don’t even want to be in that field anymore (my program works towards a specific profession) so I question why I am wasting so much of my time and energy being burnt out and doing assignments when I am not even sure if I want this profession anymore. On top of that my mental health is completely deteriorating when I thought I healed. I was recently diagnosed with anxiety and depression, my doctor is very concerned about me and really wants me to take antidepressants, and I am thinking about relapsing into old addictions/bad habits and just… ending it everyday. My program also specializes in helping other people and I am completely not in that headspace to even help myself let alone others. The only reasons why I might stay are that my parents already paid for so much and I don’t want to disappoint them. They also expect a lot from me and want me to have a stable career, which of course I understand, but at the same time I am so burnt out I do not have it in me to look for a job, and I can barely even work a regular 9-5 job because I get depressed every time I do. I dont know, office jobs just deplete and drain me even if I like the job itself, and of course the depression has come back every time i am in these kinds of jobs. My true passions are jobs that will not make me a lot of money but that’s not sustainable either. So im stuck about what to do, should I stick it through even though it’s ruining my health or should I take a leap of faith and drop out? If i do drop out i will really need to formulate a sustainable plan but if i don’t, i am afraid of what i will do to myself.

Hey guys!

I just found this sub, which is very convenient because I desperately need an advice!

For context I’m a first year PhD student (I’m also an international student at my uni). From the start of my program I’ve been with my advisor, but since then some things had happen that made me really consider to switch my PI.

I’ve been through some situation of micromanagement, my advisor is constantly making meeting to ask about progress during the week; sometimes he even arranges meetings during the weekend. Feedback is delivered as criticism and one of the things that I came to realize is that the projects I’m working on are interesting but not what I’m actually passionate about.

There are many other situations that had happened, but I don’t want to extend too much this post.

People who have switched advisors, what’s your experience? And advices.

I’m feeling a little overwhelmed and also worried that other researchers won’t consider me if I abandon my advisor and projects. I also feel compromised to finish the projects that I’m currently working, specially with one where I was paid for a few months.

I am a cs junior and I have been confused about undergraduate research. I am aiming for MS in the subfield I am passionate about. However MS at reputable university requires prior research experience. The thought of getting started in research has been a huge source of fear in me. So I have a few questions hoping someone experienced can answer it:

1. Do you need to be a master of the field to start research, or do the basics count? By basics I mean foundational undergraduate coursework and general knowledge. Is it normal to feel completely unqualified at the start?
2. Are local university positions and cold emailing the only ways to find opportunities? If both methods fail, especially because my home university (and even country) lacks active research positions or faculty specializing in my subfield is there a "third path" to getting research experience?
3. What actually qualifies as "research experience" for an MS application? Does it have to be a peer-reviewed publication, or do deep implementation portfolios, advanced final projects, or structured independent studies count?
4. Is the "stepping stone" MS strategy valid for a PhD? If I do a coursework based or average tier MS to build up my research profile, how realistic is it to use that as a stepping stone to get into a phd program in top US universities ?

I’m thinking about my masters; im still a year or two away and might take a break before depending on how the job market for me is, but i think i want to get it in a foreign country (i’m american). Part of the reason is cost, so my choices of foreign country are largely dependent on whether its significantly cheaper than america. The other reason is i’m an archaeology major and in america, the research is basically all indigenous archaeology, which i’m not super into, partially because i feel like it’s not my history to make assumptions about as a white guy, but also cause i like architecture and there’s not much architecture to look at.

One of the places i’d love to study is Poland; im half polish and have visited relatives there before and really liked visiting; it’s also much cheaper which is great. However, english language programs are limited, especially in any area i’m interested in. I’m not totally against learning Polish, i’m just not very good at it. I’d probably get a little better before deciding completely, but i can’t imagine id achieve fluency.

Has anyone else gotten a masters in a program of a language you dont speak? I know it’s not ideal, but i’m interested in how possible it is.

I'm a final year postgraduate student of IR but my thesis is based on Free Trade Agreements in Asia. I'm unable to form a system to decide countries to pursue my PhD in

Is getting PhD fundings in Europe as competitive as it is in Australia and say, Singapore?

I came home from a two and a half hour in-person class tonight and didn't realize I had a paper due this Sunday for another class when I could have worked on it last month because school has been overwhelming (taking three classes, this is my first semester) and I was in tears a little bit ago because it has been affecting my physical and mental health and vice versa. This semester hasn't been perfect and has been all over the place and it is really hard to balance your own well-being with that of school and I keep forgetting that grad school is not like undergrad and how professors do not remind you to submit assignments on time as you have to check Canvas yourself. Like I dont know if I am going to make it out with six weeks left as have two D's and an A.

Hey y’all I am a 3rd year in an MA/PhD program (just started the PhD portion after getting MA) and I am struggling completely. Struggling mentally and physically. Feel like I am completely drowning in work with no time to get it all done.

Mentally, I am constantly going through waves of stress. People tell me I seem very laid back and unconcerned but the truth is, I am somehow able to remain apathetic towards my responsibilities until a crunch period comes and I become so stressed to the point of depression and dysfunction. I mean even when I am not stressed, I struggle completely to be a functional human being. My apartment is filthy because cleaning it feels like it takes too long and any time not spent on work makes me feel guilty. I constantly go days without eating until I can’t make it and then binge eat a ton on one day. Outside of family and my girlfriend my only social life is video games with friends from home.

Physically, I am distraught at how out of shape I have become. I am not incredibly overweight or anything but I used to be a 6 days a week at the gym guy. I used to coach at an MMA gym. Now, I rarely go, maybe I can manage once or twice a month. The gym takes time, and the gym makes laundry, the more laundry I have to do, the more time I lose that could be spent on other things. I hate how I feel. I hate how I look.

Work-wise I am completely overloaded. We have to teach 2 sections, and follow a strict program and grading schedule. I am so behind because I have been to two conferences recently and have another in a week. On top of that I have 2 classes that I am constantly missing deadlines for because I can’t justify spending time to work on those things because I have more pressing matters. I need to work on two presentations for an upcoming conference, I need to finish an IRB for data collection, I start a manuscript (based on previous projects I have done) which needs to be submitted for publication to satisfy program requirements, I have to grade a metric **** ton of exams and problem sets, and the best thing is that I am probably forgetting stuff on top of that.

I can’t take this. I feel completely out of my depth and feel like I have been drained of my energy and life. I don’t want to do this anymore. I hate feeling guilty for relaxing for even a second. I hate feeling like there is no end in sight.

I like my field generally and I have been told that I have a good head on my shoulders when it comes to this sort of work but it just doesn’t feel worth it at all. I don’t feel rewarded or fulfilled by any of this I just feel relieved that I don’t have to do it when it’s done.

I have thought of leaving my program so many times, and at one point had even told my professors I think I was done, but decided against it because I don’t know what else I would do, and thought I would regret quitting. Not to mention there are rare moments when I do genuinely enjoy reading and thinking about my niche topic. But i don’t know if it’s worth how horribly i feel it is affecting my life.

TL;DR: Grad school is ruining my life

EDIT: I feel doubly guilty for feeling this way because when I talk to professors about projects and ideas they genuinely are so kind and interested in what I have to say. I feel like they have so much more faith in me than I have in myself. One professor even told me recently that she likes me because I have a brain (lol) and told me she has faith that i can be motivated because I genuinely am passionate about what I do. But I don’t know. I am passionate about some stuff but the sheer quantity of work I have to do is seriously impacting my quality of life. I feel like a shadow of my former self.

Sorry, I know this probably just looks like venting and yea it probably is so I guess to avoid that can I just ask what other people do to avoid just… crumbling?

Im considering taking this MS program online but I can not seem to find anyone who has been enrolled and is able to give me their two cents. Any advice would be appreciated.

Hi everyone!

I'm applying to Chemistry PhD programs in the US for Fall 2027 as an international applicant.

One university I contacted told me to convert my GPA to the 4.0 scale, but I'm unsure how to do this correctly. I now WES is an option but I don’t have the money.

Would a simple proportional conversion be acceptable, or is there a specific conversion method I should use?

I'm also unsure how to present the conversion. Should I edit my transcript to include the converted GPA, or should I leave the official document unchanged and submit a separate page explaining the conversion and the method used? If a separate page is appropriate, should it be an informal statement prepared by me?

I'd appreciate advice from anyone who has dealt with this, especially international applicants

Thanks in advance!

Hi guys I’m about to go to grad school soon. My path will be getting a master’s degree at a CSU school and hopefully getting into a PhD program at a UC school. I will be studying mathematics.

My reasoning is that I enjoy abstract algebra, although in undergrad it’s very introductory and probably not representative of the actual field. But my most important reasoning is that I want to push the boundaries of knowledge and work with other mathematicians to tackle interesting problems. Im not absolutely obsessed with mathematics in the sense that I do it in my free time outside of school, but it is the most satisfying academic field to work on.

Yes I know that IA is rising within mathematics, but I have a fairly optimistic view about it. Only thing I’m pessimistic about is really just funding issues. Last year my school’s math department’s funding got cut and we didnt have TA’s for a whole year.

My ultimate goal is to do some sort of IA or cryptography research in the industry. I don’t really have plans to stay in academia. And yes I am aware of how insanely competitive those industries are.

Im just wondering if my reasoning to get a PhD is somewhat solid. Money is not really an issue for me, but obviously time is. Dont wanna waste it. Let me know

Background: I have been working at a top IB in NYC for 3 years now (I was working in regulatory capital and now I am a Trader). I already hold a Master’s in Econ degree from a relatively top school for my program.

My work even though it’s paid alright, it is not intellectually challenging enough for me (though I am up for a promotion as a VP next year). I also want to pursue a career which is close to political strategy and economic advisory in the long run.

I am the sort of person who really likes to learn but I am worried about incurring severe debt (I am currently debt free but professional schools aint cheap). I am also 27 and if I start the program in 2028, I will graduate by 33 or so. The worry about age discrimination for jobs is also present.

I could really do with some advice! Appreciate in advance!

I (24f) graduated from university last year when I was 23, but the last year of my bachelors was too hard on me for several reasons and I couldn’t apply to the masters degree for 25/26 educational year back then. I took a gap year worked on my psychology, did some field work (nothing too impressive), spent time with my family and friends. This year I applied 6 masters degrees for 26/27 educational year and except 1 of them got rejected. 1 of them wanted extra documents and I sent them immediately but the masters office tells me that the process can take until the end of November and it is not even certain that I will be accepted. The semester started 2 weeks ago and I am already missing lessons. If I cannot make it this year, I feel like a total failure and think I will be losing one more year of my life. This gap year was not a total wreck but I feel like my life is on pause until I achieve the master study I yearn for. And I feel like I am losing so much time on nothing…

I’m a current masters student in mechanical engineering from canada looking to apply for PhD programs in the US. I have a letter of recommendation from my current masters supervisor and one of our academic collaborators who I worked with directly in the past.

I asked my undergraduate thesis supervisor, who said that he would probably not be the best letter writer. I really struggled in his lab that year and he does not think he can write an outstanding letter for me which is why he recommended I find someone else.

Would this raise red flags for an admissions committee that I don’t have a letter from my undergrad thesis supervisor.

Also for a third letter writer who of the two options would be best:

1. another prof who I haven’t done research with or taken a class but she is a personal mentor of mine and I did a summer research skills program with

. We’ve also been on the same faculty committees in the past

2. professor from one of my classes probably would be from undergrad since I haven’t gotten to know any of my grad profs very closely.