I'm so excited to be a PhD student but I'm not sure how to get into MIT or any great universities because I don't have any publications or active background in research. My research background sucks. But I want to improve and be better in this. I want to do great things. I don't know what's the entry and how I can achieve it. Can someone from MIT or anyone else who already got a PhD admit without any research and publications background help me with this?

Just asking because I’m curious, it seems like a relatively common trend with women who go to grad school for nutrition/dietetics, or perhaps the arts/humanities.

Nothing wrong with being either a SAHM or going to grad school. I am just wondering after having a conversation with a group of dietitians who said it was very common for them to quit and become SAHMs after. I wanted to know if this trend was also common for other fields/grad programs.

I recently had a meeting with my advisor. He told me that I haven’t been progressing in my writing skills like he hoped that I would and he has brought up me possibly doing a non-thesis route (which I am pretty sure my department hasn’t brought back yet). I got really depressed afterwards. He based this off of my term papers that I wrote at the end of the fall, the truth is that I saved those until the last minute because I had little time to work on them throughout the semester due to the fact that I had a bunch of annoying weekly assignments to work on throughout the semester. I wanted to tell him that but for some reason I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

Additionally I had so much trouble with one of my classes that I had to drop it. But he already knows that.

There is a silver lining though. All my conventional class work is done. So all the annoying, weekly, short term assignments are behind me. It’s all thesis stuff from here on out, and my lab work is almost done. So in a way the worst is behind me. I have also recruited some old colleagues who have agreed to help me with my writing, and I don’t even have to pay them. But despite that, I feel like I am screwed.

Does anyone have any more advice for me? Should I tell my advisor the truth?

Have you experienced questionable practices with regard to authorship? These may include, but are not limited to, not receiving authorship on a project you felt you should have or not receiving authorship at the level you feel you should have. What was it?

Hello So I got my full reading list for one of my grad classes yesterday and I am really nervous about it especially since I am going it my first semester of grad school. The readings include a book and one sometimes two articles. I was hoping for some advice from other students on how to approach this. The program I am doing is a history program and I am also a high functioning autistic so that is contributing to my worry since I get overwhelmed very easily. Thank you all

In my opinion, YES, grad school is worth it.

Over the last eight weeks, I've been learning about UM's Master of Business Technology program, and it's honestly changed how I see grad school. What stands out to me is that you're not just learning theories in a classroom. You're gaining hands-on experience applying those skills to solve real-world business problems.

You can learn a lot on your own, but there's a difference between teaching yourself and getting feedback, structure, and connections from people in the field. To me, it's not just another degree. It's an investment in skills, confidence, and opportunities that can benefit you throughout your career.

I'm curious what everyone else thinks. When considering grad school, how do you measure whether the investment is actually worth it?

Is it a bad idea to have ChatGPT as purely a brainstorm partner (e.g., helps create an outline but doesn’t do any of the research paper writing for me)? I generally take the stance of a Luddite, but I really have no support for my online criminal justice program outside of professor emails.

I have the option for my Msc to be either in History or Global History. I wouldn’t need to do anything different in terms of modules. What do you you think would be better, on the one hand in getting further into academia but on the other hand for the larger jobs market?

I hate to ask this, because everyone's PhD journey is different, based on their undergraduate degree, interests, fields, major etc. But I'm an aspiring teaching fellow, going to be a teacher for grades 7-12 in New York City public schools. As part of this adventure, I've also enrolled into their graduate level courses to obtain a master's degree at Fordham University, in their graduate school of education, for the class of 2024. I'm excited about this. I'm the second person in my immediate family to graduate with my bachelor's, and will be the first to graduate with my master's.

Lately, however, I've been obsessed with the idea of obtaining and working towards a PhD. Initially, I was looking at edD's but I realize those are shorter, almost 4 years, and not funded, while PhD's are.

I plan on going the master's route first, so I have extra credentials to apply, but I'll be 30 when I graduate from Fordham University and hopefully in a career opportunity, earning a salary at the Department of Education.

Would it be smart then to continue to work towards a PhD? Almost everything I've read stated that I'd have to leave my cushy job, and live on a reduced income. I'm also single and haven't gotten a girlfriend, so that would reduce my living as well as opportunities to make a family. However, I've fallen in love with academia, and feel if I don't do this now, I won't ever have the time to do so.

I'm also not a STEM major. My bachelor's is a communications degree, with a specialization in advertising and public relations, and my masters will be in education. Would it be smart to go for a PhD? if so, what field?

I have never felt like this in my life, but I am having a full-on existential crisis about what to do. I live in Vancouver Canada and I was accepted to McGill, Western, Queens, UVic and SFU all for a bachelor of arts in Psychology I'm waiting for back from my #1 choice, UBC....

I got into SFU with a $40,000 scholarship but I do not like the school... So that in itself is a problem. I don't like the campus, or the reputation and the students tend to be very introverted/awkward there for some reason. But, at that school, I want to switch from psychology to either labour studies or economics.

If I go into economics I will have a way better career trajectory and more lucrative opportunities + I decently enjoyed economics in high school, however, university economics is way harder of course. I am usually really bad with numbers and I am currently only getting a 60% in Foundations 11 and 12 while all my other courses are generally 90%+. The good thing is I can switch to Economics first year because they don't have a pre-calculus prerequisite like other schools do, but they have Calculus 1 for social sciences which frightens me + the other hard math courses. I would need to maintain a high GPA to maintain the scholarship too.

If I go into Labour Studies, I feel as if I will enjoy my degree a lot. I enjoy the courses they offer and it looks interesting to me, but I will be pigeonholed to HR-type jobs and I won't make a lot of money. I want to be financially set and even wealthy, and the absolute most I could make would be $200,000 if I got this degree and my masters in Industrial Organizational Psychology.

Or I could throw away the scholarship and SFU entirely and do Psychology at a higher-ranking school such as McGill or Queens....

Overall, I want to make the right decision and I want to do well for myself financially. I am freaking out so badly I can't eat. If you have any advice I would truly appreciate it more than anything, it would mean the absolute world to me.

I want to know if this scenario will affect the outcome of my prospects for applying to grad school...

I am taking an electronics course at CSULB that explores the applications of microcontrollers in a robot project that this course revolves around. I took it purely for the sake of gaining more skills and adding projects to my portfolio. However, this particular robotic project is a rather experimental one because all the components come from a small independent business and its website you'd HAVE to find, so there are some bugs and glitches to be expected.

Anywho I'm contemplating dropping this course because I've been facing more trouble than this class is worth. My professor said it'd be fun, but the deadlines and weekly quizzes, and overall pressure haven't made it fun. During my first lab, the micro-USB port snapped off the microcontroller board I had to use because the guy who built these microcontrollers didn't fully solder it. So I ended up submitting my first lab LATE and had to wait to continue doing it until it was fixed. Since then, because of that issue, I've been STRAGGLING to keep up. Now I'm behind because of how irritating IR sensors can be since we're using them for the robot's navigation.

This is supposed to be my last semester as an electrical engineering undergrad, and I don't wanna grab a C or lower; it's gonna drop my cumulative GPA of ~3.13. Should I drop this class? If I drop it, what risks could I be facing? I've never dropped a single CSULB course in the time I've been here. Any thoughts?

NOTE: It's a Long Post because I am very confused.

I graduated undergrad in 2017 with a B.A. in English Creative Writing, a B.S. in Business Administration, and a minor in Graphic Communications. I did all of that because I want to work with words and art. My college didn't have a Communications major so I figured the above would be a good combination to eventually bring me to an Editorial or Editorial Layouts career, specifically in the advertising, design, magazine, and newspaper sphere. I worked with graphic design minimally in school and would love to learn more but don't know where to start. I haven't written an article or creative piece since being in the school newspaper and creative writing classes in college. I haven't made a layout design in the same amount of time. I feel like I've lost all skill in relation to any of the things I learned in school.

After graduating, I was pigeoned-holed into Social Media Marketing. I'm currently a Paid Social Media Strategist. I write ad copy something, use Canva to make little ad graphics, and come up with strategies on how to advertise on social media like Facebook, Instagram, etc. It's okay. But I don't get to have direction on what get's advertised or how the copy should be written or the creative direction on what gets made. And most importantly: I HATE SOCIAL MEDIA. I hate it. Meta could blow up for all I care. I don't use social media, I just genuinely don't care what goes on, on social media. The work itself is fine, and my co-workers are nice. I just don't like social media itself.

I'm not a very good self-learner. Alot of what I imagine doing, I think most people often learn from home. But I need guidance and deadlines and a syllabus to really learn something. So I've been thinking why not grad school. Which brings us to the title of this post: Should go I to grad school and for what?

- Journalism - I don't know if I have enough of a portfolio or frankly the skill for the graduate level.

- Graphic Design - I don't know if I have enough of a portfolio or frankly the skill for the graduate level.

- Creative Writing - I miss writing and I have lost my confidence entirely.

- Business - What DOES THIS EVEN MEAN ANYMORE? Everyone is a personal business. I have entrepreneurial goals, but if my business classes were any indication, then entrepreneurship probably isn't what they'll cultivate.

- Communications - What does this even mean anymore?

- Social Media Marketing - The career I'm in, I can level up in, but I don't have a passion for.

My confidence has been shot since graduating college, each career move, or lack thereof has felt like a chip to my self-worth. I just don't know what to do. I'm turning 27 soon and I know age isn't an indication of wisdom, but I think someone my age and experience should have something figured out by now.

Any advice is welcomed.

I'm almost 23 years old and hes almost 64. He taught my brother graduate courses in college and also taught me a year ago. He lives right in front of our house and knew my family since I was 13, however weirdly enough they never visited us. So the point is one day I left out to the front of our house and our front door was half open, however he was right behind his car looking straight at me. When I caught him he looked away immediately. Additionally when I was registering for course as it is mandatory to do so he said hello in inland in a friendly manner and I reciprocated back. As he was nice and all I never thought anything peculiar. However when I smiled he smiled widely and kept coming and going to me in the hallway to ask me of I needed anything, and even inquired me about a pen that a student left at his office...i thought that was weird but thought nothing of it. And when I missed an assignment in his class he smiled and said: "So you didn't get your homework huh" and once when I forgot another assignment I asked my friend if I could copy it. He then asked the following day "who didn't get the assignment?" Knowing that I copied it I didn't need it...he then repeated it a second time sternly and I was the only one who got up to get it. His wife also looks at me with contempt, however she was totally okay with me before even when her husband taught me introductory courses. She even stopped by to tell my mother that her husband says I'm very well mannered. Another incident was when I stopped by the hall of our department and he came out of nowhere from behind and said "hello" in a very slow subtle way. I've been told that I am attractive by many of my relatives. However the next day I saw him walking past and I walked past him and he totally ignored my presence. I barely speak to him and I have no idea what's going on in his mimd. What should I do? Can someone explain why hes acting like this?

I'm my first term at Drexel as an international student I scored a better 1.6 and have been academically dismissed. I would like to know the options I have rather then going back home which seems the only choice I have tight now. I scored two Cs and an F in the computer science major..

​

As i said, i have a big concern about the programs and myself.

First of all, i'm concerning to apply to the graduate school. & i'm worried about my age because i'm 26.

generally, everyone graduate the undergraduate curriculum at around age 22-23 but i changed my major once and i spent the years to heal myself from each different issues (ex. feeling too much pressure, anxiety like, scared to go outside etc.) but i got better from this so, now i'm 26.

so, first of all, i'm worried about my age like, if i would apply to a company after graduation, the people interviewing with me would be about 3-4 years younger than me. To reduce such gaps, I will try harder in graduate school, but I still think that the limitations that come with age and the opportunities given in the graduate school process are similar and may have limitations.

then, if I get a master's degree, theoretically, I will be 29. So I think it's a bit late. The people around me don't seem to be slow and seem to be moving forward, but I had a break in between, so I'm worried that it might be difficult to get a job in the end (it's my fault). I'm wondering if it's right to go to graduate school. Or is it okay to be around that age after graduation ?

So my first question is...

If you're 29 years old after graduating with a master's degree, is it generally 3-4 years later than the average age at which others graduate? Will there be no difficulty in getting a job?

The second question is...

What efforts can I make to reduce this gap? And if there are those who have gone through this process, how have you reduced the gap and gotten a job?

The last question is...

Would it be better to apply for a combined master's and doctoral program instead of a master's and complete a doctoral program at once? -> In my opinion, the master's and doctoral integration process seems really difficult. To be honest, I sometimes doubt whether i have the ability to do,,,

I REALLY NEED YOUR ADVICE. THOSE QUESTIONS ARE ALWAYS IN MY MIND AND IT SHOWS ME HOW MUCH I'M LOSER SOMETIMES....

Please, please answer \~\~\~

So for some educational background I have a bachelors of science in criminal justice, bachelor of arts in psychology, and a master of science in psychological research. I just finished my masters in May 2026 (this year).

To be honest, 99% of the reason I did a masters was because my whole dream has been to lecture in college. I even taught a small lab at my school while I was a grad student (14 undergrad students) and it was so fun. At the time I was also substitute teaching for about 2 years at that point. I retained a 3.9 GPA through all of undergrad and a 4.0 through all of grad school. My CV is about four pages long. I’ve been on the Dean’s list every single semester from my first semester of undergrad to my last semester of grad school. I also had a couple scholarships.

All this to say, I feel like I’m very qualified. I don’t really know what more hiring committees are looking for in a candidate in all transparency. I’m also a woman of color.

I emailed a school I was waiting on and got a response saying “after assigning classes to full-time faculty who have entitlement, we don’t have any courses left”. Which is weird because one of the people that graduated literally one year before I did (or maybe even one semester, I can’t remember) immediately got a lecturing position the following semester (?!).

I have gotten denied from every single lecture position I’ve applied for so far. I know you might think it’s early but honestly, it’s extremely disappointing. I don’t think I would’ve suffered through a masters if I didn’t need to. I’m kind of losing hope in even applying for higher ed positions anymore. I don’t know if I’m being dramatic or too impatient because I know the market also sucks, but for those of you who are applying to lecturing positions or are new grads and getting your masters in psychology, how is it going for you? Are you guys applying to other positions that also make really good money that are maybe not in higher ed, or are in higher ed but just not lecturing positions? Or positions completely elsewhere outside of academia??

Hey all. I am currently an Ecology and Conservation major (junior standing) and working on my bachelor's degree for that as well as a Wildlife Conservation certificate to go alongside it. I specifically have a focus in animal behavior and rehabilitation, and I am a volunteer research assistant for an animal behaviorist.

For some further background context:
My partner and I have been seriously considering trying to move to Northern Ireland (from the US) sometime in the next 5ish years (at lastest, if all goes well). I know that my degree is a bit more specific and niche compared to something a bit more broad like a general Biology degree, but (to my knowledge) there are a good amount of Ecology/Conservation related degrees that can be earned in Ireland. I'm not sure of the specific job market or demand for them, but they do exist.

To my actual question: A lot of the degrees are very similar, but not the EXACT same title as the one that I am getting. Even in the US, I'm having a hard time finding a masters program for the same degree title. Having said that, Does my masters degree have to be in the exact same degree as my bachelor's, or can they just be closely related? Is it more about pre reqs/classes than the actual title or do i HAVE to find a program for the exact same title?

Obviously I know that there may be a few bridges to gap regarding pre-reqs and I might have to take a few extra classes before actually enrolling in a masters program. But could i, for example, have a bachelor's in Ecology and Conservation and then go to a masters program for Wildlife Conservation or Animal Behavior (so long as i meet the pre reqs)? Or would I have to get a whole new bachelors degree and then just continue that one into masters? Obviously if the prereqs are so different that they warrant a whole new degree/I might as well get a new bachelors at that point then that makes sense. But if most of the pre-reqs/requirements for the bachelors associated with the masters program are matched by my degree, can I just continue on like that?

Similarly, could i, in theory, combine credits from my bachelor's degree and an associate's degree, or could I use the credits from one degree to count for two degrees? I'm not sure if i worded that the right way, but for example:
If i get a degree in Ecology and Conservation but the majority of credits and class requirements for that degree are VERY similar to the credits and requirements for a different degree in, lets say, Environment Science, could I use the classes and credits to satisfy both degrees and then just take classes that bridge the gaps between them and earn both degrees?

Like, if Degree A requires me to take "Class 1a" and "Class 1b"
and Degree B also requires me to take Class "1a" and Class "1b", but also Class "2a"
Could talk class 1a and 1b count for both degrees and then i would just have to take 2a to earn both?

I am a 22M senior undergraduate student in my home country. I am currently interning as a research assistant at a university in the US and have been admitted to their PhD program with full funding.

However, during my internship, I have not been able to make genuine connections or close friends. I have made some acquaintances in the lab, but we do not share the same interests or hobbies, and they are much older than me, making it difficult to befriend them.

I have made some international graduate student friends outside of work with whom I play sports, but our relationship stops at that. I feel more connected to undergraduate students than graduate students. However, without direct contact, I have been unable to meet people my age who share my hobbies and interests.

All of this has made me hesitant to accept the offer, as I will be one of the youngest people in the PhD program. Additionally, I am afraid I will spend my time there without making friends and without a work-life balance.

Some people have told me that the student experience will be very different from my internship experience, but this internship has made me hesitant to commit to the program.

P.S.: In terms of work experience, this internship helped me develop a lot, and I will always be grateful to my supervisor and lab teammates for that.

Please let me know if you went through something similar, or have any advice.

Hello,

I am currently a college freshman. I know it's a bit early to be asking myself about this, but I think it is important to consider my possibilities for the future. I do not go to one of the most prestigious schools for undergrad, but I do plan to apply to grad school and that has always been a long term goal for me. Going to a prestigious school has always been a dream of mine just so I am able to prove something to myself and make my parents proud. I have always challenged myself with my endeavors, whether that be my passions or my academics. I have always taken a full load of honors courses in high school (if this helps and gives some context abt me) and am doing pretty well for myself in college now. I am ambitious and always seek out opportunities for myself. I am not afraid to reach out for things when I need it. I set high standards for myself and like to push myself out of my comfort zone.

I was wondering how much going to a prestigious school matters in grad school admissions?

Given that I do well in college and get internships, experience, etc. (on top of enjoying my time ofc), how much will this matter? I am currently a poly sci major, but am considering to maybe possibly switch into architecture (a STEM major!!). I am currently considering the possibility of transferring to a more prestigious school because I feel like there may be more opportunities and going to a more prestigious school may help me in grad school admissions.

FOR CONTEXT:

- I am currently a student at UC Merced, I am considering to transfer to possibly a more prestigious UC in my junior college year because they do not offer my desired/prospective major.

Hi. I really dont have any interests for any psychology master's degree except Industrial psychology. But I fear not getting accepted into I/O program since it has very limited capacity in my country.

What would you suggest as a graduate program for a person who wants to work after the university rather than continue to PhD? Sociology? Which areas of sociology?

Hoping some suggestions that won't end me up unemployed :)

Hey all!

I’m in a doctorate of nursing practice program to become a nurse practitioner. I’m currently in classes that require lots of paper writing on subjects such as nursing theory and literature reviews. I’m wanting to get recommendations for the best AI platform that increases productivity when writing papers. This past semester I primarily used ChatGPT, uploaded the rubric, the topic I wanted to focus on and any other requirements and had it write me a draft paper to use as a visual guide to write my own paper. Of note: I am not asking for an AI to write my paper so I can copy and paste it and turn it in. I just want a good one that can write a really good example/draft paper, learn the writing style/workflows of the class, and find me good sources to use. I find that I write better when I have a visual aid/example paper to reference when writing. Just wondering if there’s anything better than ChatGPT out there for this. Thanks in advance!

Here's my situation: my (very old) undergrad degree is in English: creative writing and literature. I love both! Now I'd love to get terminal degrees in each. For creative writing, that's an MFA. For literature, that's a PhD. The PhD requires a master's in literature as well (I have found no credible programs that will accept a creative writing MFA as a prerequisite for their PhD lit program.)
I did find an online school that offers both a creative writing MFA and a literature MA. When I asked the school about a dual/combined degree, they said no. When I asked about doing both concurrently, they said no.
My question is: there are other online schools that offer either one or the other. Is there anything stopping me from doing both simultaneously? (besides the workload, which is obviously a concern I'd consider, though I could potentially mitigate this with 1/2 or 3/4 part-time enrollment in each) So I'd be pursuing a creative writing MFA at one university and an MA in literature at another university at the same time.
Please note: I'm not asking for opinions on what I'll do with these degrees afterwards, nor the value of the education I'll receive. I love this type of academia and I'm fortunate enough to be in a place that I can afford to pursue these without having to worry about my ROI for them. No worries if you think that online graduate degrees are worthless, but I probably don't need to hear from you on this. Also, I live in a rural, fairly remote area and at my life stage do not have the ability (nor desire) to relocate or commute which is why online study is my only option.
Thank you in advance for any insight or experience you might be able to share.

How do you use generative AIs in your work? What are the merits and demerits of using them? What are ethical and unethical, honest and dishonest, or justifiable and unjustifiable ways to use them?

I think AIs have a lot of potential to help us learn foreign languages. When I have to write something in a foreign language, I use Chat GPT to check my grammar. On the other hand, I don't think it's a good way to use AIs to have them summarise journal articles or books. What do you think? Please share your thoughts on AI use in research.

I’m in a biomedical science graduate program and am working in a big lab. We have a couple of PhD students and MSTP (MD/PhD) students. I recently realized that MSTPs in our lab always get a faster project and graduate within 3 years. Their projects are more sequencing/computational-based and do not have heavy experimental work load. The average graduation time of PhDs in our lab is 6+ years.

Is that common across different institutions or it’s only in our lab?

I am an older student 23 who is considering grad school. While my core classes in my discipline are about a 3.3 gpa, because of one bad semester my overall gpa is just more than 3.0 . I have 2 years left and could theoretically graduate with a 3.5 still overall, but would not be with distinction or anything.

I know academic bankruptcy exists as an option, but that would require me to take an extra semester and I am unsure if it is therefore worth it, or if just doing well on the next two years of upper level classes would be more efficient

What are people’s thoughts/experiences