I informed my professors that I wouldn’t to make it to class, and asked how I could make the course up. I submitted the paper on the student portal. But my professor got back to me and said that it’s late. Looking back now, I’m wondering if she wanted me to email it to her. But that wasn’t made clear. It says on the student portal that I submitted the assignment.

Hello I was wondering on people’s opinions on the (MADS) program university of Michigan offers I saw it had a low acceptance rate and was wondering if there’s any great opportunities as I am ultimately trying to get my PhD in stats/ data science?

Hi! So I'm coming across a few applications that don't have a dropdown or whatnot that lets me indicate that I want to pursue a terminal master's degree. They've only asked questions that seem to let me imply that I'm not pursuing a research master's, such as "do you plan to stay for a Ph.D?" or "are you applying for a teaching/research assistantship?" but I still don't see the opportunity to explicitly say it. I also haven't checked/entered any faculty names so far. I might be overthinking, but I don't want them to suspect that I just winged the application when I'm doing my best to clearly state that I'm not trying to pursue a research degree. I'm just confused about why they don't have a specific question about that when they have different paths for a master's.

So, I have a few questions:

1. Should I still be checking/listing faculty names that interest me?

2. Would stating the non-thesis/terminal plan on the essays be enough?

3. If you had similar experiences, how did you proceed with the application?

Thanks!

when looking at my undergrad transcript I feel disappointed in the results I got my first two years. My last two years I did well but still mediocre. Now that I am interested in getting my masters it seems impossible that I would have a shot at any of the programs I am interested in. Does anyone have any advice on where to go from here? Do I take another bachelors? Do I get a college diploma? I have lots of work experience and would have great professional reference’s.

OKAY HELLO! I’m: born and raised in GA. Always wanted to get away. Moved out to WA and OR after college, loved it. Had a blast. Series of unfortunate events: I’m back in GA at my Alma mater getting my masters ($$ reasons).

I really in so many ways am at peace with this decision because it’s saving me $80,000 of debt….. BUT: THAT BEING SAID: I don’t necessarily wanna be here. I feel disconnected from others in my cohort for “cultural reasons” (I don’t like traditional, Christian southern culture. A lot of the girls in my cohort are). I guess I’m just … looking for advice from others who 1. Made the most of their graduate student experience! While 2. Balancing the disappointments of other options not working out and not necessarily vibing with their cohort.

THANK U

I already have a master’s but I feel like I could definitely stand to learn more about my field (communications). The master’s I got was more professional oriented (they have you create a capstone instead of a thesis).

I landed a job outside of what I studied but they would pay for me to get another degree if I wanted it so I’m not sure whether to go back to school and maybe consider specializing more or getting a masters in something complementary.

I enjoyed schooling and did my master’s while working. Would appreciate insight.

Well I got married to a professor at a different school closer to my age. Could bring over my spouse, that could make it more interesting, us three instead of just me seeing the professor. I do have my alumni ID card, that will get us through most places in the school

Not sure how to write the email to re-initiate contact, how would you go about it?

'hey I know I asked if you could potentially down the line write my med school application X years ago but I took a sharp left turn, sorry about that, and now I am wondering if I could ask you to write a rec for me for a PhD program instead. Anyway, we're in driving distance ish. Wanna give up a Friday that I have off due to a compressed work schedule to explore X city you already know well but this time with my spouse and I?'

Or does it just kinda depend on what you study? Everyone on here seems to say it’s absolutely insane and they have no life, take meds for high blood pressure, and deal with constant bouts of depression or anxiety.

Is it really this bad? I’m applying to PhD programs in psychology and honestly this sub has me a bit worried hahaha.

Hi there, I’m newer to this sub and looking for support or ideas around my Illinois counselor licensure roadblocks.

I graduated from a masters program in Minnesota in 2009. I am from Illinois and when I returned, I found out that my masters program did not meet Illinois requirements for licensure. So while I had a masters degree in addiction counseling, I could not actually become licensed as a clinician in the state of Illinois.

I was in my mid 20s and I figured whatever I am just gonna work with addiction services for the rest of my life anyway so I Will just get a CADC (Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor) in Illinois for now.

Fast-forward to know, I’ve been in the field for 10 of my 15 professional working years. I’ve been working with the foster care system for the last five years and oh my gosh do I need to get licensed. I applied for a licensure with the Illinois Department of financial and professional regulation it was told that my application was pending proof of completing a qualified masters program. Here’s what I was told is missing:

They require 48 credit hours and my program is 46, they require a two year program and mine was 12 straight months, they require competencies in 13 core areas and I was only trained in 11 and some of those are even missing full credits in those areas.

The grad school I previously attended, will not offer multiple degrees so is not able to take my credits to turn it into anything else. They suggested I look into an EdS degree?

I was accepted to a local program, however, they also will not take any of my credits due to the fact that my masters program was not CACREP accredited at the time of my attendance.

So I’m gonna go get a masters degree. And I’m gonna have to go part-time because I work full-time. And it’s gonna take me four years to go part-time, and then another full year of clinical experience but will be required after that. It’s devastating and I want to share my story. Thank you in advance for the part of you that can hold compassion for a 22 year-old me not knowing what questions to ask or doing the research to find out.

Currently a junior at a university known for its engineering, computer science and medicine program. I transferred from a CC when I was majoring in the humanities and upon transferring, switched to an Environmental Science B.S. I need to caveat the rest of this by stating I was not heavily engaged with academics or any sort of future planning, prior to transferring, with this lack of foresight and responsibility resulting in me transferring to the 'wrong' school.

I want to pursue a PhD in Atmospheric Science, with the intent of becoming a climate scientist. The school I go to does not offer an atmospheric science or meteorology program, which, had I done an iota of research, I'd have known but I cannot change the past, so here I am. To supplement the lack of mathematics and programming courses within my degree, I plan on completing several of the Physics/Calculus pre-reqs I'll need for grad school, while learning Python as I work through the B.S.

The lack of research opportunities, rather than coursework is really where my worries lie. I've created a list of 10 programs, so far, that I'm highly interested in, each featuring professors, admissions requirements, program details etc. None of the programs require undergraduate research as an admission requirement but I think it'd be foolish to assume some research experience was not expected prior to admission into a PhD program. I've struggled on 2 parts; The physics/computer science department is heavily focused on military, photonics, & other unrelated (to climate science) fields/applications. The biology/chemistry departments also lack overlapping research interests. I've spoken to one of my professors about potential geospatial/climate related research and was told to reach out again during the Spring semester, and while I do plan on doing so, I won't hold out on it leading to actual research.

I've also applied to as many REU's, scholarships, and non-profit, atmospheric science opportunities as I can with no success. I will continue to apply but I don't think much will change unless someone happens to take a chance on me. With that being said, this leads me to wondering what avenues I can take to actually become a potential candidate for graduate programs? Atmospheric Science differs from other fields in the sense that it is very challenging to actually join a lab, and gain research experience during a gap year, in the way one would do as a biology or chemistry student.

From everything I've read, especially on here, applying to a PhD without research experience is not perceived as a positive, from the perspective of the admissions committee, but from where I stand, I'm not sure what I can do. Has anyone been in a similar position and found an avenue?

Started in September. I have my general subject (as in, I know it's about X and Y) but I have no precise subject yet. For that I need to do a shitton of reading, and to learn a lot of abstract concepts etc. Then I can have a more precise research question and then I can actually start writing a literature review.

Except we're supposed to submit a literature review in December. I'm a few weeks/one month behind the latest other person in my class. Thinking about this makes me anxious and makes me procrastinate on starting lol. Realistically, how fucked am I? This is nothing, right? Has anyone come back from much later starts? That'd give me hope.

I don't send google calendar invites for meetings unless the person specifically asks me to, but I've had a couple instances where faculty members (who I know are very busy) completely miss zoom meetings with me. And I feel like a google calendar invite might prevent this from happening..

Edit - Apparently I'm stupid and this is common sense. I will never not send a calendar invite again thank you everyone.

I’m looking for recommendations for good online programs for an interdisciplinary Masters. I’m currently finishing up a Masters in Agriculture at Ok State and want to get another but interdisciplinary combining both Agriculture and Public Policy, Public Administration, or Political Science. What I’ve noticed is that there aren’t too many colleges that have a lot of poli sci and ag courses to take online.

Due to my work contract I cannot go to a brick and mortar school, has to be an online program.

that's it. fuck this damn class.

Any fellow NDSEG applicants know what they want us to put in the “DoD Strategy Document title” line in the research proposal portal? I sent an email asking if it was supposed to be the BAA# or the BAA section title, to which they replied “The BAA is provided solely for your reference, you don't need it in order to apply for the fellowship.”

This honestly just confused me more… I’m not sure what they’re really looking for here. Anyone happen to know?

Doctoral students of r/GradSchool, how savvy is your significant about the nature and sophistication of doctoral research?

For some reason, I don't go into it much with mine.

Hey guys, so Im really confused about which if these two I should go for. For the record, I am pursuing my bachelor's in social sciences and plan to pursue psychology in future. I am really fond of research but I want to get into clinical practice. My undergraduate degree is not psychology so should i just go for an msc psychology conversion degree? Can I pursue a phd or a psyd after that? I couldn't resily find any info online so pls help

i’m applying to master’s programs for the fall of 2025. my first app is due january 1st. i have secured my letters of recommendation, i’ve taken the GRE, and i know what schools i am applying to. i just have yet to start my SOP. i’ve heard that an SOP for master’s programs are far easier to draft than those for doctoral programs (which i hope to apply to after obtaining my master’s degree). i’m writing this post to see if anyone else feels behind in the application process. am i screwed for nothing having started my SOP yet? i know some people are gonna comment saying 2 months is ample time to submit my first application but i still can’t help but feel like i am behind in the process

I’m 2 years into a 4 year masters program for acupuncture.

For the past two years I have been the manager of an acupuncture clinic and recently stepped down to front desk only so I can focus on school. I’m struggling with the transition and getting nitpicked daily by my new manager, who I used to manage and let things slide with often.

I think it’s time for me to find something else that provides flexibility with my schedule that changes every 3 months (our semesters are quarterly), and that isn’t so demanding that it takes my focus away from school😅

Any suggestions?

I am a new masters student and I am writing my very first paper. I created rows and columns on excel - struggling with pasting the reference formatting from RefWorks because the formatting (bold, italics, underline) changes when I paste in into the cell. I want to have everything in one sheet/document - my sources, links, reference formats, notes.

The only other solution I can think of is to copy paste into Word but the problem is, I cannot have all my information on the page because the paper size is too small.

Any advice would be highly appreciated! Many thanks!

I've decided to go back to school for my master's in clinical mental health counseling. I know this is the field I want to go into as I'm currently working as a certified coach, but I want to be able to work with a population (eating disorders), that I know requires a license and not just a certification, no matter how many additional trainings I collect. So I am 40 and I graduated with my bachelor's degree almost 20 years ago. My question is what are the best letters of recommendation I can provide to speak to my ability to be a good student - given the fact that it has been almost 2 decades since I've been in school? I had one school tell me I should still locate and have an old professor complete at least one recommendation. This is really hanging me up - any suggestions?

I have scored a 321/340 (170/170Q) and I have 2 years of work experience in a Product Firm. I have a B.Tech degree from a Tier 1 college. I have a paper published in a journal as well along with social work of 3 months. Cgpa: 7.9

Can someone tell me which unis can I shortlist?

To make a long story short, I’m doing a three month internship ending in December (started in September). My supervisor is very nice but very absent and aloof. Ever since I started my internship, all her coworkers have been supervising me except her; she even sent out part time student employees to evaluate my work.

It’s gotten to the point where I feel completely alone and don’t know who to turn to about my questions. I’m an independent person so being alone doesn’t bother me to an extent, but it’s hard for me to learn without supervision, even if it’s occasional.

The thing that bothers me is that I only started getting feedback last week via email, so two months into my internship. So basically, I’ve been making mistakes for months and I had no idea. I’m worried that this is gonna make me look bad in front of my professor who is supposed to be evaluating me after the internship.

I should mention that my supervisor is aware that she hasn’t been helping me at all. She mentioned it many times by email. I’m kind of annoyed by the fact that she won’t correct my mistakes or give feedback in person, everything is by email; so basically she’ll send out someone to watch me, that person will watch me make mistakes and say nothing, then report to her until she tells me about it weeks or months later.

Is there anything I can do, aside from quitting my internship and finding another one (not really doable atm)? Should I talk to my professor about it? I feel like it would kinda be a dick move to tell on her like that. I’m not sure what to do.

In my program, we didn’t need to find an advisor immediately after application, so my the professor in some of my classes had to take over the role as “advisor” for the first year students. Most of my seniors have recommended finding one after winter break. So now, I’ve met with this professor that matched my interests so I have asked him to be my advisor. In my cohort, we’ve been using my class professor’s name as Advisor for all our class presentations. He also approved some papers that I will be presenting for his class. Do I need to inform him that I found an advisor already? I don’t want to be rude and just suddenly change topics and remove his name in my presentation slides when he already approved all the papers for his class. I guess what’s getting to me is that I’m also one of the minority who has found an advisor way before the usual (after winter break)

I’m in Asia (Taiwan) so I’m not sure how it works with the culture here, so if anyone has suggestions, please let me know

Hi

Tangentally related context: I'm an AuDHD graduate student and studying ABA academically, for many reasons but a big part is understanding where the disconnect is. My academic background is in STEM/med/neuroscience so this is really just adding another component to that.

Anyways, so in my search for support resources for myself at the graduate level, with subpar results... I have an opportunity to embark on a passion project of sorts and I (think) I'd like the opinion of the interwebs. There are some schools around the country that have various infrastructures around autism/neurodivergence/adhd and support all in various capacities, and I'm looking to set up an improved/similar infrastructure to for this demo in Chicago. I go to UIC, so having something like this there would be huge, and it would definitely set the stage for something statewide.

What I'm interested in is any/everything anyone is comfortable in sharing to help me create a bigger picture than I have. This is just the brainstorming stage for my team. I am interested in anything, but here are some focus questions:

1. undergraduate or graduate?
2. What was your experience like overall? why? any thought in hindsight what could've helped?
3. Maybe not then, but do you know now what you struggle with/what your support needs are?
4. Dream world, pragmatism be damned: what do you wish this level of academia had for students like us? why?

For me a lot if not a majority of my issues aren't directly school related. I have echoic/photographic memory so grades are not a barometer of how I'm actually doing. My issues are indirectly related and no one can argue they don't effect functionality.... i.e. I started college in 2009, have 2 degrees already and haven't been able to go consecutively for longer than a year and a half, I watch the sun come up at least 60% of the week. I don't have/acknowledge hunger/fullness cues, etc.

The infrastructure I'd like to create would be able to primarily focus on those indirect issues that 100% effect the student and are outside current models of support in disability resource centers on campus. Anyways thanks for the feedback... lol please be nice.

My current job I have my supervisors email and phone number.

But my last job I was at, I was there for 3 years and moved around different departments and had different supervisors.

I have some of their contact info but I don’t have some of my other former supervisors info. One of my former supervisors got fired which is fine because she hated me, she would have probably given me a bad review.

but one of my other supervisors has since resigned.

Do I just leave that info blank and just type they no longer work with the company?

Hello all,

This is a topically relevant topic and something we are all curious about - how to cut expenses and save up during graduate school. As an international PhD student in the US, here are some tips and tricks I use to ensure that I can make ends meet while also maximizing my savings.

Notes to keep in mind:

- I do not own a car but use local commute (buses) every time.

- I live in an area with comparatively moderate COL (although rent and expenses keep rising yearly while our stipends don't or barely match up with inflation).

- I have lived with roommates for the last three years.

TIP #1

Sharing an apartment with roommates: I know living with roommates can be overbearing at times (it is for me too!) but sharing a space with other people not only brings down the cost of living for me, it also allows me a much-needed space to communicate and relax, especially after a tedious day of research. On average, I save about $400-600 a month by not renting a studio or a one-bedroom apartment for myself and living with two other people. By ensuring that I room with people who are on the same page as me in terms of policies around shared spaces and general etiquette, the living situation turns out to be a little less overwhelming (problems persist at times; when it does, we try to talk it out).

TIP #2

Budget: Personal budgeting is my single biggest friend. Apart from the rent and utilities, I budget for everything else. I generally use Walmart, and have a general sense of what I would buy for the next two weeks, which I keep adding to my Walmart cart. If my budget for the next two weeks is $100, I will add and subtract products from my cart unless I can bring my total cart value under $100. I hop on a bus, shop, and take an Uber back home. Saves me from getting unnecessary stuff that I do not need by getting into the process two or three days in advance and adding or subtracting products from my cart over two or three days until I can bring the cart value under my budget.

TIP #3

Meal Prep: Meal prepping has been one of those facets of life I had never considered in my first year of grad school, but it has been an unexpected blessing. I meal prep for 4 days (only dinners), having to only cook two times a week. If I am cooking on Sunday, I am covered till Wednesday dinner. For lunch, I generally go for low-effort meals; it saves time and money while allowing me to enjoy the luxury of freshly cooked meals. (Sandwiches are my go-to; cheap, flavorful, and take less than 15 minutes.)

TIP #4

Use bank sign-up bonuses and apps that allow for cashback when you shop: Many US banks offer sign-up bonuses when you open accounts or credit cards with them (you need a valid SSN and direct deposits made from your payroll for this!) and apps offer additional cashback when you use their portal to shop online. A quick and easy way to make some extra money on the side. This income is taxed; however, it is "free" money.

TIP #5

Going out on a budget: I enjoy an outing every now and then. At least, I used to. These days, an outing with friends is generally a potluck. We cook some of our favorite meals and gather around. Same enjoyment with a fraction of the cost. I also take advantage of free events hosted by the university to socialize with people.

TIP #6

Thrifting: Utilize thrifting for clothes - healthy for the planet and saves you a bunch of money.

TIP #7

Subscriptions: I have no recurring subscriptions. One of the most beneficial subscriptions for graduate students is Amazon Prime and Netflix. For Amazon purchases, I plan them out as I do with Walmart and get the total cart value above $35 every time I need something from Amazon. And these purchases are not impulsive either - I buy shampoo, toothpaste, and other essentials in bulk; the cost upfront is larger, but if I have to use it over the span of the next 3 months, why not get them together to save on delivery fees? For Netflix, I share the subscription with my two roommates. You can also get by without the subscription and resorting to a VPN and you know ...

TIP #8

Passive Income: I will sometimes review people's SOPs and profiles for graduate school admissions or work on Fiverr as a content writer since I have a lot of experience in both. However, time constraints have stopped me from doing this as much as I would like. (And no, I am not looking to review SOPs and profiles right now.)

TIP #9

Scholarships/Fellowships/Grants: Keep looking for those. Many universities offer short-term internal scholarships, fellowships, or assistantships to students that can even offset a part or whole of your tuition fee for the semester.

I wished somebody had provided me with these tips and tricks before I started grad school; however, I write this in the hopes of someone benefiting from these. This is a tiring third year of my PhD program and all of this is written down from my own experiences. I am curious to know if there are other ways people are saving money. TIP#4 is a very efficient way to rack up vouchers, sign-up bonuses, and cashback, making my lean wallet just a tad bit fatty every now and then (you can leave a comment here if you want to know more). Also, making sure to budget and using a dedicated app for it always helps!

Edit: Since some of you reached out to me about how to open a bank account for bonuses, I understand how one might not be familiar with the process. I don't want to make this a promotional post, so please DM me in case you're wondering how to proceed.

Some of the schools I'm looking at have a few faculty whose interests overlap with my own. Do I have to pick just one or can I pick 2+?

hello,

I’m in a shitty situation that came out of nowhere this past week. Looking for feedback and advice.

I was on a partial medical leave negotiated with my department for the spring and last summer after I had an acute reaction that almost killed me to Covid that I contracted while teaching (mandatory for everyone in the program). I was on probation during that time because I hadn’t taken my candidacy exam yet.

Came back in August to take the exam, passed, and was taken off probation. They asked I submit my dissertation proposal by the end of this semester. Tried to schedule the meeting with my faculty last week and suddenly two of them are just telling me and the department they have too much on their plates to continue (one is a Dean and the other just got a whole new center the university is creating dumped on them).

I wouldn’t balk at trying to replace them but the department is now saying if I can’t get enough faculty on my committee by the time they want the proposal (which is already, outlined, sourced, etc) that they will have to cancel my funding/essentially ending my time in the program.

I have about 2-3 weeks to find people to get on board my project or I’ll be very unlikely to meet this December deadline. My committee chair is furious that this is happening and is trying to see why the department isn’t giving me a fair amount of time to replace my faculty.

My graduate school has one person who does grad student disability accommodations and evals and I found out the school has no official sick/medical leave policies as each department is so different (total bs if you ask me but…). I want to know if it seems to be retaliation that the grad school had my department handle my sick leave negotiation but now is holding it against me for not showing “adequate progress” towards the degree.

I have no bad or failing grades. I even presented original research on a panel in April despite being super ill. I’m in good standing and my project chair is/was very excited about my dissertation project proposal. This is all very out of left field.