Continuation from a previous post titled "What in the world happened to me?"

Just wanted to provide an update. Thank you to everyone that helped build my courage. I ended up applying and got an interview!! Completely was not expecting it.

Think I bombed the interview tho, I was way too passionate about my topic and wouldn't shut up... but I feel good, so all is good in my world :)

*Not starting this off great with a typo in the title :(

Hi Friends,

Crossposting this from another subreddit just in case it's more applicable here. I already tried Googling this question and didn't find many recent results/discussions, so I thought I'd post here to hopefully lend a hand to others in the future. If there are certain posts that I might've missed in the wiki or elsewhere that are helpful, I would be greatly appreciative if you could point me in the right direction.

Context: A little bit of context: I am a North American, late 20s "working professional" who is getting really burned out at work, and I am evaluating my options for 2025/2026. One of those options is escaping via grad school. I doubt that my position is unique, but I (maybe uniquely dumb) impulsively booked a GRE time and took the test with little-to-no studying... something that I became painfully aware of when I (1) had to complete the writing portion and didn't even finish my concluding paragraph (RIP) and (2) completely forgot my high school geometry formulas (also RIP). I totally acknowledge that I may have put the cart before the horse here, but I was having a particularly bad week and wanted to make some progress.

Results: I don't know my writing score, but I think I got a 157 and 159 on the quant/verbal (I can't remember which score goes with which category).

Question: As I mentioned, I browsed online and found it really hard to find what those two scores even mean in the context of graduate applications, etc. Obviously, Reddit can include a lot of humble bragging/exaggeration, but from what I've read, is 165+ really what you need to get into the good programs/eligible for scholarships? How have you approached grad-school soul searching when looking at programs? Am I just being delusional/is this motivation of escapism stupid?

Apologies if this question is vague/way too broad (or if it deserves to be in a different subreddit) - any help would be greatly appreciated. I also get that I am kinda rudderless right now, and your advice might be to do some soul searching around what you want to do, etc.

After years of doubting myself and being rejected from masters program after masters program. I finally got into one and it is a more prestigious program. I applied just to get to tell myself “I told you so” well here we are in the program and now I’m scared because what did I get myself into.

So I was gonna go to community college but my dad keeps saying to at least apply to college but is it even worth it if I have a 2.3 GPA I’m planning to go to A&M, UH or UT after CC but is it even worth it if I just straight apply for it

The co-chair of the history department told me in a meeting that she doesn't support PhDs in history and that she would never support anyone's decision to pursue graduate education in history; she concluded that I've made a huge mistake. I know all to well that there is currently a significant shortage of faculty positions that lead to tenure, but I feel that the level of discouragement that she places on students to pursue graduate education IN HER OWN FIELD is insane. It seems that if she is that bitter about her own academic field, she needs to get out of academia.

I talked to my advisor about this and she was outraged and suggested that I go to the Dean. Thoughts?

I applied to Columbia for MS DS, and I am currently applying for the Shardashish need based scholarship ($50k).

Nowhere they have mentioned about what range of personal resources do they consider as being in need. So, I am not even sure if I am eligible to apply to this scholarship.

Next, they ask us to list the amount that I've secured or will be able to secure when the program commences. And they mention that the student is expected to meet the costs of graduate study which is around $150k for 3 semesters. I don't have such resources and my fallback is loan if no scholarship. I mailed Columbia for clarity and they specified that I can't mention loan amount here.

If somebody were awarded this scholarship or have applied to this in the past, please share your experiences.

Has anyone with a research doctorate here sort of psychologically crashed after final defense?

I work full-time and got my doctorate in a part-time program. I defended late last year, and feel the need to recover, refresh, and re-energize for the entirety of 2025. Even my boss (a PhD herself) said to "breathe" for the time being before figuring out next steps for my career.

I feel like a race horse who has been pushed to peak performance, but to the point its now injured. Sometimes, I can't even think straight. I am male, but am starting to understand what "pregnancy brain" might be for women.

What have your experiences post-defense been? How are you recovering?

Just looking for some tips to get out of the funk I'm currently in, thanks to an exam I just did. It was especially disappointing because I studied SO much but it really didn't go well for me

The reason I ask is because they basically have a social Darwinist view of education and believe only the “fittest” among us deserve the opportunity to learn and succeed. With all this talk about massively changing higher education, I wonder if anyone believes they will require more standardized testing like the GRE?

I’m from Canada. I will technically be able to graduate from my undergrad program by the end of the summer, but my gpa and is pretty average to get into a good grad school or the programs I want atleast.

Some of the programs I’m applying to only look at your last 10-20 courses you take. What I’m thinking of doing is taking another year where I just do a bunch ‘easy’ courses outside of my program where it accounts for 10-20 courses. That way my gpa is higher and I have a higher chance of getting in.

What do you think? I actually don’t know if this is considered a good plan or not.

Good evening to all! I am looking for some life advice and (more realistically) knowledge of opportunities other than what I am pursuing.

My significant other will be in the Army and likely have to move around every ~ 3 years. I have applied to multiple PhD programs in Chemistry and seperately in Statistics (I am an extremely multi-disciplined scholar and love to learn). I have considered many different career paths but due to the change in enviroment am looking towards something that can change more easily. I anticipate (maybe very ignorantly) being a Chemist does not allow one to make these frequent movements without difficulty.

From that point of view, I have looked at professional degrees as a way to bypass any need to remain in one place. Becoming a doctor (likely a MD-PhD) type thing seems plausible, or even finishing the Chem PhD and pursuing a patent attorney career.

As mentioned before, I know very little of how things realistically work out and that is why I have come to reddit. All opinions and information is valid + greatly appreciated. What should I look for, is there any need to change my current path? Thank you so much in advance!

(If needed, I am currently a 4.0 double chem and Math major with minors in Philo and econ. I have been accepted into the Rice chem PhD program (so grateful) and am waiting to hear back from some other schools as well)

I am planning on applying for some different MBA programs. I would like to get into a top program, HBS/Wharton/Booth/etc but unsure of how heavily they will critique my undergrad. My undergrad (double major | CprE & Finance) is from a standard state school. I started off with a 1.98 GPA in my first 3 semesters and graduated with 3.33.

I got into a T20 school for a masters in IE and have a 4.0 currently. I have dreams of going into management somewhere and think an MBA at some point would be fun to do.

My question simply is: My undergrad transcripts aren't great, how heavily is that viewed vs my most recent education as a master's student?

Thanks!

I recently got my Masters (chemistry) and got a job shortly after but I find myself missing academia. I decided I wanted to go back and pursue a PhD because (1) I genuinely do miss the research side of things and I enjoy my subject matter a lot, and (2) I don’t love my job right now and figured this would allow me to (at the end of it) have the title to get the job I desire. I think staying in academia would be something I would consider, but I do know how competitive it can be especially with lower compensation.

Regardless, with this in mind I applied and got into 2 of my top choice programs. I was initially very excited and ready to go back and then all the funding freezes happened. I’ve been trying to follow as best as I can but it just sounds like a terrible time to go get a PhD. I know some people say “it’s never a good time to get a PhD” but I feel like this is different. I have friends whose projects are just frozen right now. I’m rambling a little.

I didn’t have second thoughts until today. A part of me knows I already have a MS so it’s not like I NEED a PhD. I would like to be a scientist / senior scientist eventually though.

I guess my question is, is it worth it to go get a PhD even if I have a MS. Additionally I just wanna see what people think and maybe get some insight. I know things are still unknown on the government side, but I’d appreciate any feedback.

So I debated on posting something about this. I’m a PhD, and I went on Hinge and met another PhD. Both Social Science (I’m communications, he’s educational policy and leadership)- we have a few chats and I come to find out he’s also working on his proposal- and he uses ChatGPT to help with his writing.

To this, I say “Okay; that’s fair I guess. If you were one of the students I teach; we’d probably have to talk.”

We talk some more, and it’s revealed that he like, REALLY uses ChatGPT to “synthesize” his ideas- what does this mean? He says formulating a literature review and building an argument “would take forever” without it. So I start to panic. I ask him to bring his computer to show me his outputs on our coffee date- and I’ll bring mine and I can show him what I do with the AI. I tell him I can’t date someone who does things I’d fail my students for doing.

Folks, he is making an entire deductive code book using ChatGPT. I asked him if he mentions this in methodology in his proposal. I read his methodology section of his proposal. No mention of how the deductive code book was developed using this particularly novel “iterative” process.

We have a whole discussion on citing AI. I show him resources. He needs to do this because he’s having the machine craft entire paragraphs of his proposal- make it sound better. Move this here, make this argument there. Good discussion. End of coffee date. We leave.

A day or so later, he tells me he’s submitted his proposal to his supervisor. I asked if he added a line about how he used ChatGPT to develop his code book.

Nope. Not a line. Said it required 1-2 paragraphs. Fair; but it’s the proposal. He could’ve just added a single line and prepared for an oral defense and expanded for the dissertation.

Aside from that, his “Grammarly” detector marked 18% of his paper as AI generated. My class syllabus counts 15% of content generated with AI as plagiarism. He wouldn’t have passed. Sigh. I do all my work by hand, and I cry over it. Sometimes I think using the machine would be more helpful but I don’t like how easy it is to abuse AI as a “tool” in academia.

Edit: So many of you missed the plot. Shame. Cite your tools, then you won’t need to worry about your professors using checkers. Goodnight y’all!

grading papers … becoming suicidal. If you’re gonna cheat don’t be so obvious about it 3/6 graded so far have used AI did not bother to change the font. WHYYYYTY

I’m having trouble figuring out how grad school works in California, what do they usually look for in order to get in and what can I do to stand out of the rest I’m worried because I don’t want to already ruin my reputation as I just started my first semester in the spring as a freshman and I’m only taking two classes at the moment , and want to take my time throughout my whole entire time in undergrad I know it’ll take me a long time to complete but that’s the pace I can only handle :/ I’m taking two classes atm and going to keep taking two during my time here, does That look bad and would it lower my chances of getting accepted?

Hello! As the title suggests, I’m a Junior Mathematics major with a minor in Statistics.

However, I’m interested in not only Statistics, but several other fields of study as well. While I wouldn’t have the class requirements yet, I’ve recently taken an interest in Applied Physics, Computer Science, and overall fields with high levels of Mathematics.

I want to achieve several achievements in my career when it comes to work, and am willing to do 2 masters programs for that goal.

So, my question is this: what would be the best combination of masters programs to have the most amount of jobs available?

Hi everyone,

I’m a 26-year-old first-generation female college student with a mixed academic background. I’m seeking advice on choosing a master’s program, as I’m unsure about my next steps.

Academic Background:

• Undergraduate 1: Full-time, 4 years, Economics (International Economics and Trade).

During this time, I wasn’t very focused on academics, mainly just passing exams to get the degree.

• Undergraduate 2: Full-time, 2 years, Computer Science and Technology.

I became more mature and graduated as the top student in my class with a GPA of 90/100. I received the top scholarship at my university, but unfortunately, the national scholarship I was eligible for was unfairly taken by a professor.

Research Experience:

I participated in a national-level research project with a professor, but I don’t have any quantifiable results or publications.

Graduation Project:

My graduation project was on deep learning-based image recognition. A year ago, I wanted to pursue a PhD in AI, but now I feel unsure about my abilities and also have concerns about my age as an East Asian.

Current Situation:

I’ve been unemployed for the last six months and my IELTS score is 5.5.

What I’m Looking For:

I need advice on selecting a master’s program and specialization.

• I understand that most top universities have already closed their applications for Fall 2025, but I’m hoping to find programs that may still be accepting applicants.

• I’m particularly unsure about which specialization to choose. Computer Science seems very competitive, and I’m worried about not being accepted.

• A year ago, I was excited about pursuing a PhD in AI, but now I just want to start working, earn money, and gain real-world experience.

Any guidance on how to approach my next steps would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance for your help.

I finished my bachelors in business and management last year and planning on doing my masters. Not sure what exactly what masters I should do as I want to learn finance and marketing. I can do a masters in commerce but it seems to ‘generic’ for my liking. The long term plan is starting my own business and a masters in entrepreneurship seems unemployable in the coming years.

a broke girl who has a paper due

I got into Oxford - It's my dream program and I am so happy and immensely grateful for my referees. I know I would not have been accepted without their letters.

I would really like to send them a hand-written thank you card and a small gift but I want to ensure that that is appropriate. I am wondering if you guys think that would be ok, and if so, what might be a nice gift to send them to thank them for believing in me and taking the time to support me.

I am just so happy <3

Hello everyone! I was recently accepted into one of my top choices for a PhD. I’m an international student, and although only the department has contacted me about the offer, they mentioned that they’d like me to come for their Recruitment Days in late March (an all expenses paid trip). I really want to make use of this opportunity. Here’s my question: I’m yet to receive an official letter of acceptance, and it’s February. The US visa process takes a long time in my country, and I want to start the process as soon as possible. I’ve not received any emails from the university after the initial acceptance mail. I’d like to contact them about this - how should I proceed with this? Should/can I email them about this?

The economy in the US feels like it’s going to be pretty dire really soon. And instead of working and saving money, I just started grad school that my parents are paying for.

I feel so freaking guilty. I was originally super excited to start my program, learn, network, and so on. But now, I just feel this deep sense of fear that everyone will end up homeless and it’s all my fault.

The first semester is already paid for so I need to at least finish it, but I can’t help worry and stress.

I generally have a happy go lucky attitude but now I just feel nothing but guilt and regret.

I can’t even sleep properly at times.

I started my online MLIS program a few weeks ago. I’m taking two classes each for the spring, summer, and fall semesters (I prefer to spread my schooling throughout the year rather than cram it in the spring and fall). I’m also working retail part-time to make money for my tuition. I was so excited to start grad school, but now I’m feeling regret. Juggling grad school and work is rough. Is it normal to feel this way at first, and if so, does it get better?

So I have to preface this by saying he's a nice guy. But he's just clueless about what I'm doing. I'm basically working on an acoustics project and to measure impulse responses, you technically need good equipment for accurate data.

Well, when I started the project, I had no idea about acoustics and went along with what my supervisor asked me to do. He gave me a shitty (in hindsight, I call it shitty) studio grade audio interface and studio level mics with low sensitivity to do my testing. I have racked my brains and spent countless pointless hours trying to get good data with this shitty equipment. I kept bringing this up with my supervisor and he just says that I must be doing something wrong in my signal processing or calibration and to keep working at it.

At my wits end, I asked a fellow student in the lab to borrow their DAQ system (which is scientific grade and much more expensive) for my test and validation.

Guess what? Accurate data. I'm really pissed off and think it's very unfair that I'm being given bad equipment just because it's cheap whilst others at my level and the same lab doing a similar experiment are being given good equipments.

Quick rant, I'm sorry just needed to get this off my chest somehow. Also I'm at the masters level. Wanted to go into PhD, but thinking I'm going to leave after masters because screw this bullshit.

If you want a master’s degree from a U.S. institution but don’t want to study in a traditional university-based program, check out Westminster University’s global graduate programs. They blend travel, hands-on learning, language study, and service with community-based organizations.

https://westminsteru.edu/academics/global-learning/ipsl-global-engagement/ipsl-programs/graduate.html

There is a post on this sub from 12 years ago (link), but I am interested in hearing people's more recent experiences since there are a record number of papers being published every year it seems.

I think it is important to have these conversations so that people can understand the realistic timeline of publishing, and that is is very specific to your research area, program, and many other factors.

When did you publish your first paper? Was it during your program? After? What field are you in?

For me, I was a co-author on a paper during an internship in undergrad, but now I am in a program for MS in AI. I got a R&R from a conference, but have not yet published a paper 1 year in. Curious about others experiences!

Edit: Adding your field would be very helpful as well!

The world feels dark right now. This sub can be depressing. Let's share something happy or good. I'm sitting at my desk in front of a window, the sun is coming up, I can hear mourning doves calling, I've got a hot cup of coffee, and I'm working on a proposal for PhD funding. It's really nice.