I have this course which is a pre req. Usually you need a B+ or higher to pass a course. I withdrew from the course first time around because I was going to get too low, C. Taking it again for the summer and studying before. I thought I could manage the pre req with 2 grad level courses. And I ended up having to pull all nighters and called in at work. They no longer call me in at work. So now I’m serving part time. A friend got me connected for the job, but I wanna know should I find an internship/ new job now? I have a meeting set up with both my academic advisor and the career center. Just searching for fellow grad students words of wisdom.

Hey knights! I need some advice. I just received an email that my application was pulled for an interview for a masters program which is very exciting. However, I’m nervous and I want to be very prepared for this interview. I’m first generation and have been figuring out everything as I go. If any of y’all have advice on typical grad school interviews or recommend anything please let me know! Thank you!

Recently I’ve been thinking about switching to a tote bag (not a canvas tote, like a nice leather tote with specific compartments) instead of using a backpack when I start graduate school in August. I expect the bulk of the contents in the bag will be my laptop and iPad and a water bottle.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I want to look more “professional” and I am not too concerned about the strain of the bag being put on one shoulder.

Hi all,

Apologies for the gloom post but I am wondering if anyone else has also failed/quit grad school. I am in a funded MSc assistantship in wildlife biology and feel I've gone off the rails and it may be better for my mental health to quit.

While my advisor has not been toxic, they are hands off to the extreme (as in no guidance, met him in person 3 times in the last year, no advising on analysis/methods/etc). It feels like he is a ghost, nice person but essentially funds my degree and nothing more.....

With this the field manager/biologist for the study site has driven me into the ground. It's clear he hates me and sends aggressive txts/emails every wk, threatening to take away equipment and criticizing everything I do to the point where I feel like I can not breath without being told I'm doing it wrong.

Idk I want to push thru as I am in a serious relationship in the college town, but I am scared staying in this lab will take me to a dangerous point mentally.

With this, are there serious financial ramifications if I up and quit? Like having to pay back stipend/tuition waiver money? Can't find anything on it in my grad handbook but scared of the consequences involved if I were to bail in the middle of the field szn/summer academic quarter.

Thanks for any guidance ✌️

I’m an MA student and I just submitted the first draft of my thesis to my supervisor. It came back filled with comments. I know this is probably stupid to ask, but is this normal? Is it normal to get back a shit ton of feedback, questions and comments throughout the first draft? Like A LOT. Is it a bad thing? I feel a little stupid but I loved the feedback as I know where I can improve.

I know this is my impostor syndrome kicking in. But yeah, what was your experience like?

Hey all,

I'm a 3rd year graduate student and I'm getting ready to defend my thesis this coming September. I'm glad that I've got a head start, but I wanted to reach out and see if anyone had tips going into this final stretch. By the way, I'm doing a masters in chemistry.

I have a couple of goals for myself:

- End of June: complete the intro/background/methods/backbone of my paper

- End of July: complete the data portion of my paper

- End of August: finalize my paper, prepare my PPT for defense, have others in my lab look at my paper

- Mid-September: defend my thesis

- October: submit my final thesis

I think my timeline is pretty good, but do you guys have tips going into writing a thesis, preparing/practicing for a defense, etc? The in-person defense is what I'm getting worried about. Like the questions they'll ask, passing rate, etc.

Any help is appreciated! Thank you in advance! :)

Some background: I graduated with my BS in Environmental Biology and Zoology last spring. After I finished school, I took a job managing a fish facility for a neuroscience lab at my university, and I’ve been trying to figure out where I want to go from here. I’ve tentatively landed on grad school (definitely MS, not ready for a PhD yet, if ever), and I’ve barely just started looking into it. If it’s helpful for context, if i were to attend grad school it would be in the natural sciences/biology field.

Now, neuroscience is NOT my background, so I often feel very dumb when in work meetings or discussing research projects. I’ve always been a great student and always felt smart, but my confidence is really shot lately and it’s putting a lot of doubt into my brain.

So my questions are:

How confident were y’all when you were applying to grad school that this is what you wanted to do?

When you started, how much background knowledge did you have related to your grad program/research topic? (Seriously, please answer this one. How much am I expected to know about a potential research project that I’m applying for??)

Did you search for a specific program based on what you wanted, or did you just find a program that seemed interesting?

How confident were you that you would succeed as a graduate student?

How much did you know about being a grad student before you started? (I have no idea what to expect, I will have no idea what I’m doing).

How did grad school differ from previous schooling/undergrad? And what were the biggest differences?

There are a lot of questions on my mind about this, and a lot of self doubt as well, so any and all advice would be immensely appreciated. I’m a first gen college grad and know little to nothing about this kind of stuff, and I’m really doubting if I’m even cut out for something like this.

Many thanks, friends!

I am an incoming fall 2023 ms ece student( specializing in ml ds) in US at a USC. I'm an international student hence the degree is going to be expensive. I really want to know if it's feasible to get a sde or ml internship/full time without prior work ex with a ece degree given the current scenario( I have internships, research work but I'm fresh out of undergrad).

Should I come in fall or should I wait for another cycle or so?

if you pass your thesis defense, people will call you a Dr. however you haven't fufilled all your requirement for your degree until you deposit you final thesis.

also, in the view of school administrators, are you still a student? do you get stipend? does it count towards the time taken to graduate?

I know answers may vary depending on school, but i'm curious how different schools approach it.

I found binaural beats to be a major help when I was a student, as they quickly lengthened my attention span and prevented me from becoming distracted. Inspired by my own experience, I started a podcast last year featuring music that helps people focus when they study. I am amazed that it has reached millions of people and is helping them to succeed.

I thought I would share this here in the hopes of helping more people. I will be posting more regularly now I have just graduated! Please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel! I have reached a large audience on Spotify, but I am eager to grow my YouTube following.

https://youtube.com/@StudyFocusPodcast

https://open.spotify.com/show/203RXXkT9fK2mcX4t8Qp5d?si=6d994a309c0149d8

Thanks in advance and I hope it helps you like it did for me!

Hi, I’m a second year History phd student. In just a couple weeks I’m leaving on my first international trip for school. It’s a month long trip. I’m an extreme homebody, but I’ve felt pressured by my advisors to take this trip. It’s also pretty much all paid for by the school, so it would be stupid to reject it. As it is, I’m freaking out pretty bad. I’m extremely anxious about this trip. It’s too late to back out. Moreover, all my professors and colleagues talk as if visiting the part of the world I study is a necessary step. Like I won’t really be qualified to discuss it until I’ve been there.

Besides the trip itself, I’m worried that I’ve gotten into the wrong profession, because it seems like travel is a major part of being a historian. I’m constantly hearing about going to conferences or archives. If I don’t warm up to traveling, I’m afraid it’ll severely limit my career. Any advice?

Edit: To be a little more specific, I’m mostly looking for advice for a first-time traveler, as well as anyone in a similar field who could comment on the necessity of travel and how to manage that. Basically just asking if anyone else can relate. Not looking for help with anxiety here, don’t worry. Thanks!

i have a couple questions on your experience!

Like the title says I was laid off. I got my bachelor's (math/CS) in the US 20 years ago, but now live in Germany. Since then I've worked in support, programming, knowledge management, training, and most recently e-learning development.

I'm investigating options, and I'm wondering if it's worth the time and effort to pursue a Master's to make one last push for higher marketability and salary before retirement. What say you?

I am just coming on here to say, “wow, I’m done.” I made it.

I defended my thesis last week. Passed.

Just finished the final set of revisions on my thesis. Professors liked and and pushed it for submission to grad school.

I got my MSc and it was worth it!! Just keep swimming everyone!!

I'd been gearing up to present a poster at this thing for like 6 months and no matter what I did I felt like it wasn't enough. I was getting so burnt out and was constantly feeling anxious about looking stupid and always froze up whenever I practiced presenting. When the time actually came I LOVED it. I felt confident and answered every question, and didn't feel weird saying I didn't know some of the answers. There were people who were truly interested in what I'm doing and had really great feedback to give. My only regret is I'll never get to experience it for the first time again.

I think it would be a cool way to get my masters, and experience another country for a year without necessarily committing to living there. Basically a study abroad.

I was sent information on a program where Americans who are knowledgable about lacrosse are being brought over to help grow the game, get their masters, and the program helps out with some expenses. I think it would be a super fun experience to get my masters, live in UK for a year, play lacrosse, grow the sport, all that jazz.

The information is about a year old so I am having to play detective on that, but less specifically wondering if anyone else has done "Across the Pond"?

For letters of reccommendations, I know they have to be from people that are relevant to the field I want to master in.

But do they HAVE to come from professors? Can I just send letters that are not from professors but from employees, employers, volunteering groups, and etc?

I'm thinking of finding a job after my MSc (including contract type jobs, as I'm thinking of going back for a PhD). My background is in genetics. Does anyone know of companies that look for MSc freshers, especially those with dedicated programs for intake.

I applied to 3 PhD programs this past fall/winter and have already been notified that I was rejected from two of them. Understandable - I know it's very competitive out here and not everybody will be accepted. For the 3rd one, I was contacted by a post-doc from the program I applied to asking about my interest in a Research Assistant position to secure funding and to respond as quickly as possible. Of course I responded stating that I was interested and have been (im)patiently waiting for any further communication.

I received that email back in April and haven't been contacted since. My portal still says my application is under review. Does this mean the school is still deciding who to accept? If I was still in consideration, shouldn't I have been invited to an interview by now? I've tried calling but they are only able to tell me what is already shown in my portal. Is there something I should be doing instead of just waiting? Should I reach back out to the person who contacted me in April? Or have I been ghosted?

I am currently perusing Instrumentation and Control as my undergrad. But I was thinking of changing my majors to something like Data Analytics.

Is this a good idea? Do colleges allow such changes? Will it be hard for me to find jobs once I complete my masters?

Most of the posts I see in this sub relate to scientific degrees and programs discussing labs and research.

If you are in a coursework and/or thesis only program, what’s your course of study?

I am getting my MS in Information Technology with a focus in Project Management.

My advisor is a hoarder and gave me an office full of OLD computers/monitors that he wants to take the hard drive out of and sell on eBay. He keeps mentioning it but hasn’t asked me directly to do it but I’m sick of working in a dirty cluttered lab so I’m considering just starting to dispose of stuff on my own. I also had to clean out my lab’s airlock of SIX YEARS worth of old PPE and trash. I want my office space; should I just start stripping and listing these computers on eBay?

ETA: I got in touch with IT and have arranged hazardous waste pickup!

I understand that completing a master's program with a thesis (as opposed to a non- thesis program) is important for getting accepted into a PhD program. My question is if the thesis needs to be in the field that the PhD is in or will a thesis from a program in another field (coupled with a non-thesis, in field master's) suffice?

For clarity, I just completed a Master's of Science in Management with a fairly hefty thesis and want to eventually complete a PhD in criminology. I'm in the military so my options on where to go to school (without breaking the bank or using my GI Bill) are limited. The best option I can find at the moment for a criminology master's program is a non-thesis program through Texas A&M Commerce, but I'm wondering if it would make getting into a PhD program down the line more difficult due to the non-thesis nature of the program. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi! Just trying to get my ducks in a row, I am planning on still paying my loans down through grad school, but I was curious if having a GRA position would qualify for time spent in a public position that can go towards the PSLF? If that makes sense at all, TIA!

I defended my dissertation prospectus almost a month ago. It went well, but I was (predictably) left with a lot of comments and feedback to address. I defended right at the tail end of finishing courses, teaching a full-time two week workshop, finishing a part-time research analyst role, and working as an RA. I’m….exhausted. I’m still working in an RA position (full time and funded) and a different short-term RA job (part time). I’m also in the process of submitting a paper for publication and working on a different paper to submit by the end of summer.

I’ve responded to my committee’s comments and put together a plan to address everything. Now, I’m expected to jump right into my dissertation research and begin making real progress. But…I just can’t. I’m instead staying on top of my RA expectations and essentially doing little to no real dissertation research. For the last 3 weeks, I’ve been putting in only about 5 hours a day then playing video games. I feel like I desperately need a break and just can’t get myself to work on my dissertation right now. It’s like I have a mental block.

I know I need to start making good progress on my diss. I need to get back into working full time hours and need to do this soon. I’m planning to defend and graduate in 2 years. I just can’t seem to break myself out of this funk of doing the bare minimum to meet expectations. Is this normal? Advice? How do I get out of this rut?

also does it qualify for 3 year OPT?