Following up about being Waitlisted

Hi all, I wanted to ask about whether or not I should keep in contact with the admissions officer at KU about having been waitlisted.

My significant other and I have been trying to match graduate schools and Kansas University was the best fit for program and locale - and now that we’ve received other schools acceptances we’ve decided KU is the move to make. My SO has accepted their offer and we’re planning to make the move this Fall. I got my letter back a couple weeks ago about being in the alternate pool and expressed that I would indeed like to remain under consideration if a spot opens up. I also explained that my SO and I were waiting to hear back before we made any decisions.

Now that we’ve made the decision to move forward to KU even while I’m on the waitlist, should I update them that I would still like to remain under consideration so as not to make them think we’d moved on to a different school? Or is that email unnecessary and superfluous?

Any advice would be appreciated.

I know the reviews dont come out until next week but I am so nervous to read them! Anybody elses feels this way?

I started working as a technician in a lab (2months ago) where I had also been accepted into the graduate school and my boss/PI thinks I am 100% on board to start a master of science with him as my advisor. I recently decided to accept a very good job in my field instead of going to grad school. The new job starts in June-I really don’t think that the PI will take the news well, both regarding me leaving the tech position early (which involves a live mouse colony experiment) and not going forward with the MS. How do I tell him that I have taken another job? He has been pressuring me to register for classes and I am scared to tell him. I am even more worried that I am screwing them over by leaving during a very busy live animal experiments. How do I tell him/approach this? Is 1.5 or 2 months enough of a heads up in this situation?

I'm dropping out of my PhD program after 6 years, and I'm in a position where I need to be looking for a job. And I'm definitely a bit stressed about that and seeking advice and tips for job hunting. Or just encouragement. Anything, really. I'm in quite a stressful time right now.

Some more context:

First, just want to mention- I'm not looking for encouragement to stay in the program. That's not happening. I was already thinking of leaving in year 5 because I realized I just really don't like academic research. Then, the past year, I dealt with quite a few medical issues that left me bedridden and unable to do much of anything for months, and perpetually physically and mentally exhausted for a few months past that (still not fully past that phase, honestly, but it is getting better). It's been close to a year since I've made any meaningful research progress, and I'm nowhere remotely close to having anything dissertation-worthy. Also, my university doesn't give any funding past year 6, and I'm not nearly interested or invested enough in finishing the degree to self-fund. So my time is up; I will probably be able to teach over the summer, but after that I'm fully out of grad school.

I did finish my master's degree along the way, so I have a MSc in Mathematics. My undergrad was a BA in Math with a minor in comp sci. I find myself in the really awkward position of having a degree in math. From what I've seen on job sites and around the internet, outside of education, everyone loves math majors but nobody is looking for math majors.

I also have zero work experience outside of academia; in undergrad I mostly worked the tutoring center for my department or graded for professors, and in grad school I've been a TA. But I no longer want to be involved in academia.

The hope for this year was spending my time building up my skills, going to job events, and starting to network so that, whether I dropped out or finished, I would be ready to move on to something at the end of the year. But then my medical issues cost me most of a year, and I feel like I'm basically starting from scratch.

As far as skills, I do have a fair bit in the way of programming skills, though I'm not sure how to showcase that to employers because it's almost never been a part of my professional or research work. I've also been taking online courses in things like data science, machine learning, and cybersec because those things are of interest to me and I think they could make good careers for me.

But overall, I'm feeling a bit lost in terms of how to figure out what kinds of jobs I'm even qualified for. I went through undergrad and most of grad school intending to be a professor, but it's only in the last couple years I realized it's really not the path for me. And I don't know how to pivot. I don't know how to figure out how to pivot. And I feel like I'm on a relatively tight clock to get something figured out.

I have an appointment next week with my uni's career center to talk things out, but I also wanted to seek input from this sub because of how many unique perspectives there are here.

Like I said, I would greatly appreciate any advice, tips, or just encouragement and virtual hugs. Thank you!!!

Hello,

So, I (22 M) just graduated from an American university with a BA in English and Philosophy. As my intention is to one day get a Phd (and be a professor in either English or Philosophy), I decided to try my hand at graduate study by getting a Master's Degree in English. Towards this end, I applied to two MA programs:

1. My local university where I got my BA
2. Florida State University (an R1 institution, if this matters)

Now, by all counts, FSU is the better option: higher stipend, more class options, larger department, more prestigious campus, and stronger networking opportunities for the eventual Phd (two of their profs. graduated from Yale). They even have a professor who specializes in my preferred theoretical camp: Psychoanalysis (which I intend to study further, but that's a different story).

BOTH options are fully funded, which means they will cover tuition in exchange for TA work, so that's not the issue.

The reason why I'm conflicted is because I have very strong connections with my local university (I've grown rather close to the faculty), and, if I stay, I also get to stay with my parents.

The kicker, here, is that I've never lived on my own before, have never worked, and, by all means, am totally dependent on my parents for financial, emotional, and even social support (I have no friends, for instance). Beyond my family, I truly have nothing and no one to lean on, and all of my life experience seems to me focalized through the lens of this, shall we say, naïve or even warped innocence.

Academically, I feel quite prepared for the next level (that is, having completed a double major and an undergrad thesis), but, in every other domain, I feel quite unprepared.

The prospects of leaving for the first time, of going to a new university, of assuming new responsibilities, and of everything that comes with this decision feels rather overwhelming (and kind of terrifying, to be honest).

I'm truly stuck here, and so I need some honest advice.

What do you think I should do? Thoughts? Bits of wisdom from all you grad students/graduates?

Thanks.

Hey friends!

My question is exactly what it sounds like. I am currently on the waitlist for my dream school, however I will most likely not know if I get off the waitlist till after the deadline to accept other schools. Should I say yes to a school I am already accepted to, and if I did is there a way to take back agreeing to go?

I’m a 1st year PhD currently making x amount of money from a research assistantship and y amount from TAing both semesters. My current program requires me to pay tuition, so my research assistantship accounts for that. I’m switching to a program (keeping the same PI and project) that will give me a tuition waiver. I asked my PI if he would reduce my research assistantship by the ~1/2 to keep my stipend around the same, or let me keep getting x (very hcol area). He said he would think about it over the weekend, but this would mean my stipend would be larger than many others in the same lab and department, and I’m worried he’ll now think I’m entitled and that this will sour our relationship (he’s kind of vindictive).

He said he wasn’t offended, and it genuinely seemed like he would think about it, but I’ve been so anxious since and feeling regretful. Do you guys think this was a fuck up?

i searched through some of the old posts about grievances but many of them are from several years ago, so i wanted to ask in here.

i’m not sure what the grievance process looks like in regards to how much i can/cannot disclose, so apologies for the vagueness. i have experienced significant and sudden academic delays, emotional distress, and financial burdens because of my committee and while i did muster up the courage to have a meeting with them directly to address these issues in december, there has been no resolution nor effort.

i am already planning to speak with the chair of the department about some changes in committee members but i plan to file a grievance this week at the very least, while also looking into other resources to get restitution for the financial situation i was put through. i have reviewed what feels like every university policy we have and i feel that i have a solid case with the precedent set by those policies and the evidence i have.

for anyone who has filed a grievance or similar against their advisors/supervisors/committee/etc., what were the outcomes? if you did not win your grievance case, did you appeal or find another escalated approach that worked? if you won your grievance case, what was the resolution?? is it simply a formal “you were right they messed up, our bad”? if you experienced financial burdens directly in relation to the grievances filed, were you awarded the money you had lost?

i’d really appreciate reading your experiences about this as this is such a difficult thing to be going through and i do not have people in my network who have experienced this. thanks so much in advance

For people that know about it, heard about it, or even attended that program:

What do you think about the Master in Finance at the University of Utah for an international student?

Strictly academic and career wise, I do not care that much about religion.

Because it gives option for a 16 weeks program and do an internship. But in the other side, I have an opportunity at Penn State but the master in finance is 9 months and do not give the opportunity for an internship, which scares me as an international trying to find a job. I also have an opportunity for the MiM-Finance at EDHEC business school which on paper is obviously better then Utah or Penn State, but the MSF being in France kinda scares me of not being able to find a job in the USA.

Anything as an input will be appreciated !

Thanks guys !

Hey guys, I was wondering has anyone had their rejection reversed because of being awarded the GFRP. I was awarded the GFRP but I received a rejection from my top choice school because the pi did not have funding. He only had potential funding at the time. Fortunately, I was awarded another graduate fellowship that is stackable with the GFRP.

What are my chances with getting an acceptance??!

I am a Bachelor's pf Pharmacy student with a year year work exp in a big hospital, I'm planning to do masters in Germany and have been trying for the last 2 years this is my 3rd attempt. Is it a good idea to add some sort of visual aid in your sop, add like make bullet points Or even change the traditional format into a narrative type format to give a unique look and make it different. Please help. And if possible it's a really humble request if anyone would help me just proof read my sop.

In my research, it seems like there are a lot of online degrees, though not as many Master's degrees as Bachelor's of Associate's. Of those, only some are self-paced, and only some of those seem to be affordable or tuition-free. I've seen stuff like University of the People, or courses from well known universities on edX or Coursera, but I feel like every source I see is unreliable. Does anyone know of an institution that would let me complete an online Master's degree on a flexible schedule and on a budget? Ideally, I want to be able to complete a degree slowly and flexibly while working a full-time job and being able to save my money.

I'm applying for a GAship (TA position) for a MA program (Humanities). At the bottom of the application is this question: "Do you intend to go to graduate school even if you do not receive an assistantship?"

The thing is, I could attend grad school w/o a GAship, but I would prefer not to (it would involve me taking out loans, which I am trying my hardest not to do.) This GAship would cover full tuition, so I really want to get it.

Is this a trick question? If I select "yes" I don't want that to hinder them from giving me the funding, in order to give it to someone else who might have selected "no.

Hi! So I submitted my PhD thesis the other week (phew!), and am looking ahead to my viva. I was wondering if anyone could offer me some advice regarding suitable prep/anything I should know in advance? For context, it's an engineering PhD in the UK. Any helpful comments would be thoroughly appreciated! 😊

I am planning to graduate in Fall semester and apply for phd psych grad programs. I am planning to get a recommendation from a research assistant position I did for awhile but other than that I don't know what else to do about recommendations. I worked full time at a furniture store throughout my entire college. However, Im not sure if a recommendation from someone outside of the department will do anything. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks!

I have two computers both of which are like 8 years old and together act like one functional computer. One runs windows at a glacial pace and the other is a Chromebook and isn’t compatible with Zotero. I would like to have to use only one computer for school and I would like for that computer to be reasonably fast and able to run Zotero. I also am a poor grad student and don’t want to have to spend any more money than I have to. Thanks for any advice or suggestions!

I am a second year MSc student and employed at the University lab of my MSc advisor. My employment duties go until January, with my MSc program ending in September. I am eligible for an extension, if needed to, which according to my advisor I am guaranteed to have due to my duties on the lab. As my thesis will be part of that research contract, it is impossible to graduate on time.

I'm based in Europe and the city I am studying in is known for its housing crisis. My lease is ending in the summer, and with that 6-month gap between August and January it does not seem worth it to renew my contract, at even a higher price, given almost everyone in the lab works remotely. Let me explain:

I will be having no courses to attend. Since COVID, the whole on-site lab offices have not been as active as before, as almost everyone works remotely. In the 1 1/2 year that I have been part of the lab, commuting every day except for weekends, I have not seen anyone else besides a single other lab member. The reason for both of us, "We can't concentrate working at home with our pajamas". Even for the PhD candidates, I very rarely see them. They have multiple PCs connected remotely, so they run their work and experiments there. All my meetings are done remotely, and it irritates me that everyone else is attending from home, with fancy camera backgrounds. Even when my advisor has his semester courses to tutor, he doesn't even visit the lab. The only day the members of the lab attend on-site are at a bi-weekly meeting that lasts about an hour, and then everyone leaves and I stay alone again. On our remote meetings, he does not care that I am the single person in the lab. He does not even mention it.

I am trying to find a way to state my intention to work hybrid or entirely remotely on my employment projects and Thesis, but am afraid he will not let me and come up with excuses (like, the fellow members may not visit the lab, but they live in the same city). To me, the way our collaboration is structured, I could attend the meetings and get the work done even if I was in a different continent. Besides, I do not work directly with my professor but with a researcher who is working hybrid (couple days a month on-site at the lab), living in a different city. My hometown is just 1hr distance by plane, so it does not seem like the end of the world for me.

Since my advisor is leaning towards being exploitative and pushy (he's trying to convince me for a PhD, adding my name to future research proposals), I have put much though in the situation and trying to find ways to discuss it with him soon enough and making it clear that it won't transform me to being lazy. Thankfully he knows my work-ethic, as does the researcher I collaborate with. How would you phrase this to him without any possible misunderstandings (and intense arguments) ?

Hi all,

I searched around to see any chatter and didn't find anything so I figured I'd start the conversation. I received a "selectable" designation for my proposal in NSPIRES and the notification letter I got via my PI basically said that my proposal was pretty good and wasn't being outright denied. They are considering their budget and will return to my proposal in a second round of considerations once they figure that out. SO. I was wondering if that is the same for everyone, or if some peoples' proposals did get outright accepted this year.

Searching this sub didn't yield anything recent, so I thought I would start a new conversation about it.

There seem to be a bunch of new AI apps that will run scientific papers efficiently through text to speech. Text to speech is something I've relied on heavily in my academics, and I'm very interested in one of these more specialized apps.

Given there are a bunch now, has anybody found one or two that stand above all the others? What do you like about them? Are there any other AI apps/tools you've found useful for academic reading?

I’m currently working as a busser and the money is good, but my back is killing me. Every part time job I’ve had has needed me to be on my feet and idk if I can do it for much longer… I’m exhausted. My undergrad is in business (MIS) if that helps.

Hello everyone, I need some guidance please! Luckily I’ve been blessed with the NSF GRFP, and as a result have received an offer for a fully funded MS from my dream school. However, I have straight PhD admits to other schools with better COL situations (dream school is in California). Any thoughts? All the programs are “Top 10” if that means anything lol, and I like the projects and advisors at all the schools. I feel like 20 years from now if I don’t attend I’ll be like dang wish I could have gone to the school but I don’t know. Any advice is appreciated.

Edit: The advisor at the MS Program strongly believes I can swap to PhD after first year - they essentially are saying I’ll be an MS student in name only

Hi, I am a 1st year in my lab, and the first person to join the lab is about to defend his masters. Everyone in the lab is friendly, and we have a relaxed environment. Is it normal to get a fellow grad student a defense gift? I am stressed about making a mistake by getting or not getting him something. If I get him something, it would be a small plant in a little terracotta pot (he loves plants and it would be one that would not add a burden of care as it barely needs watering). If it is relevant for general lab culture stuff, I am in the USA.

I'm finishing up an applied math masters. I've been sort of deep in thought since yesterday, after I realized I don't have anything I've "specilized" in. I just haphazardly took courses, and since this is a year long degree without a thesis or project, I've got nothing to show for it. All my courses have been beginner knowledge and now I feel like all I have is a credential and I can say I have a masters but I don't feel much better off than I did when I completed my undergraduate. The list of elective courses I've taken is

-Scientific computing -high performance computing -numerical analysis -random processes (failed this one lol) -data analysis methods (some ML, neural networks etc) -cancer modeling (stochastic processes basically)

My required ones were complex analysis, and methods for ode's and then for pde's.

Is there any way I can say I have a specialization? Computational math maybe, even though thats pretty much the same as applied math? Is it important for me to modify my coursework in my last term to make sure I can say I did specialize in something? I'd probably change the cancer modeling course. I can take a numerical analysis for pde's course that just goes kinda heavy into finite differences, which i want to avoid since ive done finite difference stuff for like 3 courses since my undergrad, but this does delve more deeply into stability and convergence theory. I can also take an ML focused course that goes sort of deep into RKHS theory, which doesn't feel very industrially related but id be able to say something about it at least.

After I graduate, to get a job, I'd still need to work on several projects or even certifications on my own, and that could take months. Which isn't an issue, but then it feels like my degree was a bit of a waste.

But idk, it just feels like I've had a lack of focus for most of my degree, and I kind of regret it, and I have no idea how to remedy it other than stay back an extra term and take another courses in either numerical methods, machine learning, or even a computational biology related class. Or maybe do a project. But I don't think I have had any benefit from what I've done as of yet, so I guess I'm kind of here just looking for advice, and maybe consolation?

Has anyone been through this situation? What kind of mindset should I have right now? I'm honestly just stressed, I don't think I've been doing anything right :/

Edit to add: I already have around 60k in loans from this degree. I'd need to add either 10k-20k more depending on whether I take the next term irl or online.

What the title says, bonus points for data on different type of postgraduates, like econophysics, optics etc.

I graduated with a joint degree in English Literature and Film and Television Studies from a very prestigious uni back in 2019. I did really well at uni - I almost got one of my final essays published, but I fell out of love with how self-referential both of my courses were and wanted to go and "do real things" instead.

Five years later, I'm incredibly bored with my "real things" job and am craving some more intellectual stimulation. I love the idea of going back to university for a Masters, in a degree with combines my creativity (five years experience in non-profit communications and documentaries) with academic rigor and real-life applications. I was thinking about doing Sociology or similar, something in Social Justice. I especially like the idea of continuing to do research while also working with non-profit organisation.

My question is, I have no experience with research methods because my previous degree was very essay focused. Will this be a problem? How much prior knowledge is assumed? And is my pipe dream of working and doing research realistic?

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/gen-z-trades-jobs-plumbing-welding-a76b5e43

*I'm in therapy and have five meds defending myself from myself.*

I am a first year PhD woefully unprepared for my program (chemist BS in materials sci and eng PhD) who never took past calculus two. I have been reported to uni admin for SI twice, suffered a psychotic episode before my first semester, and experienced my first seizure during my second month of PhD. I am highly unhappy, I am burnout, I do not want to read anything or think about anything. I have decided to truncate my PhD with a masters.

I cherish my coursework and the opportunity to expand my mind and problem-solving abilities. But, actual research? Idk. I love research so much that I am both terrified and vexed by it. I love science so much that I despise it. I love to learn and think, but I feel guilty for doing it. I feel guilty that I pursued a college + advanced degree while there are welders who did not do the same. I feel immense shame that I was born with some aptitude for critical thinking. I wish it weren't so.

I am just at the end of my first year, but I literally cannot use my brain anymore. I have reached a point where my nervous system subliminally rejects learning. I dissociate and develop a fog when reading a paper. I cannot even work on my presentations because my OCD asks me, "Why does this matter? You know what would? Actually spraying the polymer (that I am designing) in the field at the factory rather than analyzing data and thinking about it."

I so desperately want to "do". I want to see tangible results to my labor that have immediate impact. I do not want to simply theorize in a masturbatory sense; I want to theorize and be the one who delivers said service to the customer/society. I question the utility behind postulating anything and then being shut down (in an arrogant way) by labmates and advisor. What we call toxic is billed as unprofessional and fireable in the real world.

It seems like the blue-collar folk get stuff done. It also seems like they help the world around us work. They maintenance my fume hood, fix my AC, and ensure that electricity runs from house to house. Ain't that something noble and grand? How am I contributing to society whilst being an office chair warmer who plots esoteric data for esoteric conclusions?

Our inventions and technologies probabilistically will amount to little. Few intellectual property makes money, and few intellectual property changes the world. I've worked in startups; I've seen this. Yet, the blood and sweat that I expended designing products/ideas went to waste. My whole project (which I worked on for two years post B.S.) got shafted. The research question was too complex with far too many constraints put onto it by upper management. My boss, an MIT Chemistry Post-doc, couldn't even solve it and was promptly fired.

When doing science, you must realize that you own nothing. Your company owns it, but even then your company will quickly cease ownership of it when financially salubrious to do so. But the tradesman, they own quite a bit. They own that they fixed the pipe. They own that they made the part. They own that they helped the oil pump out of the well. Tradespeople own achievements that linger on for life. You cannot remove, obfuscate, or arrogantly "challenge" the accomplishment of a tradesman. What a breath of fresh air. Maybe it's time for me to put on my steel toed shoes and hard hat.

I have an international schoalrship to study a Masters program in KFUPM, I alos have other opportunities to study in France.

Which is better? KFUPM or french universities?