Hello fellow Redditors,

I hope this post is allowed but here's my situation: I have a secure offer from 2 labs, both of which offer different experiences, but I am so conflicted on which to choose. I want to make it clear, I'm not looking for anyone to tell me which lab to pick, but I thought I could maybe get some anecdotal experience based on some of the pros and cons I have for each lab, specifically from people who are in or have been through a research-based grad program (this would be for an MSc in bio).

Lab 1: I did 2 undergrad projects in this lab, and I really enjoyed it. It's more benchwork and working with live animals. It is a more niche lab with less funding, but the PI is experienced.

Lab 2: This is a new lab in a bigger city and bigger institution. The work would involve a lot more bioinformatics than I have experience with, but I know my PI is eager to teach me. Since the lab is new, they have more funding, but I also don't know what life as a grad student would involve since it's a new university, etc.

Here are some of the main differences between the two labs:

• Experience with the PI: I have done 2 undergrad projects in Lab 1, so I have an established relationship with the PI. I have always loved how close knit he is with his grad students, and I really like how he runs his lab. Lab 2 would be a new experience - I've toured the lab and it seems really nice, but it seems a lot more impersonal and I couldn't really gauge the kind of relationship he has with his students.
• Project: Considering the previous work I've done in Lab 1, I know I'll enjoy my project there. The PI and I discussed some of the projects he has in the works and they are definitely up my alley. I would be more likely to pursue a PhD in this lab, which would be more in line with my future goals. Lab 2 however can help me expand some of my skills, particularly in bioinformatics. It would also give me a chance to branch out in my field to see if there may be more interesting projects out there, though I do think this lab would be a stepping stone to something in the future.
• Industry Potential: I know that industry positions in biosci can be hard to come by, which is why I want to build the best resume possible should I want to enter into it. Lab 1 would give me more experience with animal handling, bench work procedures. Lab 2 would give me more bioinformatics experience, and is located in a big city on the west coast, which has more biotech jobs available.

Like I said, if there is anything that I mentioned above that you, or someone you know, has experience dealing with, I'd love to know. I don't know many science grad students (at least not ones that are doing a masters for the science and not to boost their med school applications). I would love to hear your personal experience of what grad school is like and what you think are important considerations for future students.

I got laid off from my job recently. I went on the schools job website and found a Health and Safety position, which I do have experience in. It requires some OSHA training but long term I could sit for another professional license that could be a real feather in my cap. But I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket. When working for the school, are they usually understanding of class schedules and such?

Currently doing my first semester of DS at UMiami. I’m really starting to regret it. I’m taking a sql course which is meh. A data visualization course which is also meh. And then there’s statistical analysis and I hate it.

I have a masters in business analytics and wanted to do delve deeper into DS.

I know statistics is the bread and butter of DS, but damn is this shit boring and it’s the class I hate the most. It’s surprising because this professor manages to teach statistics without using real world examples. And on top of that we have to use R and R markdown which is annoying and useless af and when I asked my professor he was like “I can’t help you with that”.

My blood starts boiling with rage when I have to use R studio and start reading the assignments and I start screaming at the screen and I even broke a mouse when I threw it at the wall in frustration

I don’t exactly get excited about studying statistics when I get home. In fact, it’s probably the class I hate and procrastinate the most. I’m really starting to resent starting this program.

Luckily I’m not out any money so I’m just curious on your thoughts. Should I keep going and give it a chance? Should I stop if I’m already not liking the basic fundamentals; how am I supposed to enjoy the rest of the program?

Hello everyone,

I am thinking of applying for a phd position in the US, but the thought of not seeing my family for 4 years, or more, scares me. I am totally okay with seeing them once per year, no problem with that, but I am really worried if that is not possible for different reasons, such as money and visa stuff.

International students, do you visit your family? If not, why not (money, visa, etc)? If yes, how often, and why do you visit them with this frequency?

I am in my second to last semester of undergrad and some of the masters programs I am applying to want me to have a short paper on my thesis proposal. I feel a bit behind because I really do not know what I want to investigate. I am doing my bachelors in industrial/organizational psych, but am pivoting to sociology in my masters, so I haven't taken as many classes in sociology as I would have prefered, but I have taken a few and really enjoyed them. Luckily I have already been accepted to a program that didn't ask for my thesis proposal, but I am a bit worried about applying to the ones that do expect that.

Will I be ok with just coming up with something for the proposals? What if I change my mind while in the program? thanks :P

Hi, I am planning to apply to graduate programs in Canada, specifically Econ and Stats masters at top 10 Canadian Universities. I have a BSc in Math, my CGPA is 74%, which is quite low, but I am also a second co-author of a conference paper in the ACM (Association for Computing and Machinary).

I am a bit concerned that my CGPA will be a problem. I will have a reference letter from my research supervisor and 2 more from profs whose classes I did well in (80%+).

I would like to know if I have a fighting chance for admissions.

Hi everyone. There are a few universities that I want to apply to for a Masters and I don’t fit in any of the categories for application waivers.

Each university is charging $100-$125 which comes up to a lot when I convert to a local currency.

I want to increase my chances of getting admission & want to apply to as many universities as I can manage completing the application for.

Is there any way to get waivers? 🥺 Most universities have virtual events when you visit their website but there’s no way of determining whether you’ll get a waiver at the end. Does emailing work? Or anything else?

I am in my senior year of college and I am applying for a master in psychology. I have a 3.65 GPA, and I do have research experience and volunteer but only from my senior year. I have worked as a substitute teacher and the programs did ask if I have any classroom/teaching experience.

What are my chances of getting in? I think my GPA is too low and I won’t get in. This is killing me to a point where I can’t think about anything else

I was wondering how others use notion for grad school. Do yall use it to keep track of papers? Organize your schedule? Classes? Research progress.

Im trying to get into a more organized system to manage stuff!

I am defending my master's degree tomorrow!! I still have some slides to cut down for time and add some more speaker notes and haven't actually practiced the whole thing in entirely (have practiced bits here and there as I added speaker notes). Feeling jittery and nervous but trying to use that as excitement to spring into action. Practicing the whole thing on a friend this afternoon.

Was originally terrified about questions but I think if I can get through the actual presentation that's all that matters and if I can't answer all the questions I'll admit I don't know or do my best.

Wish me luck!!!! Any last minute advice!!!??

Cannot wait for this 4 year long stressful, traumatic experience (postponed original defense 2 years due to mental health then an internship and taking a full time job) to be over. I'm actually emotional knowing the joy I will feel when I (hopefully) will pass. My advisor thinks I will pass but I'm still so anxious about presenting and whether I will sound natural or blank out.

I'll update with the results!!!

Hello all. I’m currently taking a break from school due to financial and mental health issues. However I plan to start again in the fall of next year, but I’m truly at a loss. I want to definitely be licensed because I’d like the option of offering therapy. I want to get a Psy D. because I’m interested in developing more concrete trauma informed programs with SEL integrated to support our students. But I know it’s hard to get into these programs. But I’m also interested in being a therapist by being licensed as a MHC or MFT. Any guidance on what to do would be greatly appreciated. Or even what you’ve done after completing your school psychology degree.

Hello! I am a Physics student and I am going to be applying to my masters. I want to get a PhD in Materials Science but first I am going to apply to Masters in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology at the University of Siegen. Is that program still available? Cause it is just letting me apply for the EMINENT (European Master on Embedded Intelligence NanoSystems Engineering) and I don't know if it is a scope of that. My goal is to study Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. Please let me know if that Masters was taken out the Graduate Program. If you sear in google "Nanoscience and Nanotechnology University of Siegen" it takes you to the age where you hit the Admissions button and takes you to do your application, but it says EMINENT. Thank You.

Hey all, I’m wrapping up my diss this month and currently on the market. I’ve applied to 50+ jobs so far, have about 20 more to go and of course more keep popping up. I’m grateful to have so many jobs out there that I can apply to, since I’m in the humanities and the market is absolutely brutal, but OMG I am exhausted. So far I’ve gotten a few rejections and moving forward in one search that I know of. Would love to hear about other people’s experiences (venting and rants, too, haha). Solidarity!

I need to rant. I’m working on my master’s thesis research and keeping the participants from ghosting me is getting more and more difficult. So I finally caved and started promising to give out Sephora gift cards (my people of interest are all women) if they participate, hoping they’ll take the bait and not bail on me. I’ll be broke by the time this damn thesis is finished, so hopefully the effort pays off.

Do you have any tips or experience when it comes to trying to recruit participants for your research? I’m doing interviews (in person or online, doesn’t matter).

Should I give them the gift cards before the interview even happens, hopefully to make them more cooperative, or would they most likely just f me over and ghost me again?

Thanks and good luck with your research to all of you!

I am halfway through my MPA program and will have to take a seminar at some point.

I’ve searched this topic and all I read is that a seminar requires lots of participation, reading, and writing… but that’s been my experience with every class so far.

In all my lecture classes, participation is required and is sometimes a big chunk of our final grade. So I’m not sure what the real difference is.

Are there any websites where people offer services to review sop and provide feedback.

I am an international student and here is my dilemma:

I got accepted into JHU and Vtech for engineering program, in jhu for mechanical masters and in vtech for aerospace engineering masters. Now I have been really confused where to go, Vtech might give me a funding but it's a might not sure and I can be ta/gra for someone's research and might get it. But for jhu I am not getting funding, not sure really cause I have only gotten acceptance letter and not any offer letter yet I have accepted it for now cause deadline was soon and I am thinking to back out but need to know if vtech is going to fund or not before that.

But keeping that aside I want to go academia, I want to go do phd at caltech after this or Stanford one day and after that do job for some years then go become professor. And i am not sure what would be the best path for that? I can go into jhu which is known for its research or vtech which is known for more hands on research experimental would say? But really not sure what would be more worth it. Would jhu be worth paying?

I’m in grad school, and my cohort is very small. Only about a dozen of us. I have always struggled with severe social anxiety. Even though I’m a lot more talkative now, I’m still very quiet by comparison. For most of the school year, I thought my classmates merely tolerated me out of necessity. I’m throwing a party for my birthday with a few of my cousins and friends. I decided to invite my class. So I sent all the information in the class group chat. Four of them confirmed they were coming.

We had a 15 minute break from class today. I went to the restroom and walked around a little bit in the hallway. I come back to the classroom, and everybody is standing around. I hear somebody say “she’s coming, she’s coming!” They all sang happy birthday to me. They even lit a candle on a cupcake too, and they bought brownies chips.

I dont know what to do. I'm so anxious all the time. I have so many things to do and the work never ends. I just want to live. Is that too much to ask?

I (32M) am graduating with a BA in Digital Technology and Culture (with a focus on software dev,) from a state university in WA in Spring 2025. While I focused on software dev, I’m also in the works to get my IT certifications too.

I am originally planning to get a job in WA first so I can raise the money needed to do all of this. I am also willing to learn the languages needed (I know a little bit of French but I’m willing to dive deeper into that as well as any or language if needed).

Thus, I am searching for any decent/cheap universities in UK or EU where I can get an MA so I can eventually get a tech based job there. My overall goal is to get my masters and then work in Europe if I can.

This has been a goal of mine for many years, but now that I’m so close to getting my bachelors, I can finally start taking the next steps needed.

Hey guys,

Sorry to ask a question like this for the 100th time but I've been really thinking of going to Masters for Network Engineering or Infrastructure Security but had a low GPA in University for Computer Engineering (2.6 GPA). I also did a Grad. Certificate for Wireless Networking (1 Year) and got a 3.2 GPA as well. I got 2 years of experience in IT working with Network Infrastructure, Email systems and Cloud based technologies. I'm based in Canada and planning to check with local Canadian universities in the GTA.

I do have lots of interest in the field and have an extensive homelab. I was thinking of picking up relevant certs. as well to bolster my resume (CCNA, RHCSA -> CCNP, RHCE).

I was thinking of checking with the universities and the professors to express my interest but I'm afraid that they wouldn't take me seriously with my grades.

Word keeps inserting the whole figure caption but I just want the title. How do I do this?

The Dilemma

I am currently overseas in a MA program that is facilitated by a US institution of higher education and to put it bluntly... it isn't what I signed up for. I was prepared to enter a critical space that was academically rigorous but it hasn't been and a lot of that has to do with my cohort.

Every. Single. Week. We talk about issues in international education (the focus of our MA program) and my peers have somehow made it this far without the self-awareness to acknowledge or even recognize that THEY ARE DOING EXACTLY WHAT WE ARE SAYING IS WRONG. Traveling every weekend, unabashedly being tourists, avoiding meaningful engagement with the local community...

They fail to grasp simple concepts in class and none of them have the basic experiences I expected them to have out of their undergraduate careers. One of my peers espouses misogynistic rhetoric and does not have the wherewithal to recognize it, nor the drive to actually question and change their behavior when it is pointed out. I feel like every other day is an episode out of The Office, and I'm Jim just looking straight into the camera with that look that says, "Are you getting this? Is this actually happening?" I mean, there are times when I am literally sitting in class, waiting for my professor to give me a subtle head nod, before jumping into a conversation and explaining a topic to my peers or answering a question that no one else can, simply because they didn’t review the assigned readings.

I’m almost certain that one of my peers is using ChatGPT to do their work, judging by the clear inconsistencies in their written assignments. They also proudly talked about using random excerpts from academic articles for a recent assignment we had, completely missing how the point of the assignment was to thoroughly review relevant literature.

I feel, more often than not, that I am back in high school; my peers have labeled me as "the smart one" and "the overachiever" when I am literally just doing the work. On top of that, I overworked myself in order to afford being here, yet my peers are being sponsored by their parents and treat this program as a vacation. Worse is that they have an expectation of a degree at the end of the program, regardless of their effort, and I am almost convinced that the school we attend is under pressure to pass everyone even if they only put in a minimal effort.

I feel so tense all the time, and things really piqued for me a few days ago when I openly maligned political apathy in class and my peers felt obligated to give poor excuses as to why they didn't vote in the US presidential elections before imploring that we just "move on" from the topic of the presidency.

What's Next?

I feel like the obvious answer to this dilemma is to double down on my independent research, utilize my relationships with my professors for personal and professional growth, and continue networking outside of the classroom.

I should mind my own business and let my peers determine what they are going to get out of this program. It's just so difficult for me to let it go because this MA program was sold as a cohort-based program so when my peers are unequipped for class or shallowly interact with guest lecturers or community partners, it directly impacts me.

I've spoken with my professors about the varying levels of commitment and preparedness in my cohort, and I think I should arrange another conversation, but I don't even know what to say at this point because they are already well aware of the in-class dynamics.

Do I directly address these issues with my peers? The biggest issue I have with doing that is the small size of my cohort, and I don't think that bringing up these issues would have the intended effect; it would probably serve to alienate me. Is this a common reality at the master’s level that I should’ve expected? I honestly thought that by this point students would be more committed, driven, and ready to engage at a deeper level.

What do I do?

(Also, please note that for some level of anonymity I don't want to share the name of the school.)

I’ll go first.

1. Framework…

Hello everyone!

I am currently an American master's student nearing the end of my first year and I am interested in continuing my PhD in Canada. Specifically in Manitoba. I'm married, and I had seen on the Canadian visa website that there is a visa for the spouses of graduate students.

Can anyone tell me what the application process of that is like? Specifically more about your spouse finding a job. When is a good time to start looking or applying?

I am planning on applying to grad school for my MSW in Clinical Practice this January with the goal of practicing independent therapy. I am currently a senior at Washington University in St. Louis majoring in Psychology-Neuroscience-Philosophy, minoring in WGSS (Women, gender, and sexuality studies).

I primarily want to work with teens from marginalized groups in individual therapy, but will likely take on clients from other demographics as well.

I am planning on using a letter of recommendation from a psychology research lab I worked at for 2 semesters, but beyond that, I have questions about the 2-3 others I am currently planning on asking.

My closest relationship with a professor has been one of my WGSS professors, who would be willing to write me a letter. However, I was talking with my mom and she said this might not be the best idea because this professor cannot speak to my aptitude in psychology. However, she can speak to my understanding of social issues, communication skills, grasp of theory, and more as I have taken 3 of her classes. Would this be a strong person to ask for a letter of recommendation?

Another professor I am considering asking is a professor I have for 2 classes this semester. My only concern is one of the classes I am more engaged in than the other, as the content interests me a lot more. I am still doing well in the other class, but he has given me a lot more praise for my papers and projects in the class I am more interested in. The class I am more interested in is more psychology and cognitive science focused than the other class, which is more philosophy focused. Would this professor still be a good choice to ask?

Lastly, I am wondering if it would be a good idea to ask my boss at my service industry job I've been working at for 2 years for a letter? I realize it's pretty unconventional, but I've gotten consistently good performance reviews from him and I do know him on a personal level. I believe he could also speak to my ability to be professional and provide a good experience to people from various walks of life as my job is in a very socioeconomically diverse area.

Any advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

My best friend, who is doing PhD in management but her own work involves Machine Learning and training and using it in stuff, just went from being a “research work/study->play games->eat/sleep” to a “work/study->play games->workout->glow up like Pokemon evolution every week->socialise and go out”

And she’s starting her 3rd year in PhD

Meanwhile I’m in my masters and I barely can manage my studying and rest. Haven’t played games in 2 months Barely have time for anything…

I’m being led to believe either PhD is just FAAAR more relaxing and time efficient than BSc and MSc or my friend is a god…

Good day y'all I'm currently a nursing student looking at other options. In still taking prerequisite for nursing and getting a master's is something I'm looking at. Are there examples of master degree major I could take that don't require me to write a thesis. I would like to know my opinion before I commit to getting a master's in nursing. Thank you all in advance

I need a masters course I can finish in 6 months, fully online, and super easy that I can get good grades on. I am being forced to take it, which is why i asked. Thank you

My undergrad advisor implies an applicant can't be competitive when applying for a biology MS program in the US unless a faculty member has agreed to be their thesis advisor and bring the applicant into their lab if they are accepted. Yet I gather some people apply without this, are accepted, and choose an advisor later. Is the latter approach feasible? For context I have a 3.0 GPA and no research experience, though I am willing to work very hard.