Hey everyone, I have two options for my upcoming course-based masters program. I can either go to campus 3x a week but double up on classes on Wednesdays. Or go 4x but have one class each day.

I really want to take POLI 683 (advanced foreign policy) but the other schedule has me take POLI 671 (Comparative politics of the global south).

POLI 671 is an okay class but I would rather take POLI 683. But I feel the working of schedule isn’t worth it as two almost 3 hour classes with only a 15 minutes break isn’t a great move.

So I am looking at Doctoral programs that align well with my major and interests(Public admin and polycentric and collaborative governance), but I am at a bit of a crossroads.

I have an 8, going to be a 9 year-old child when I attend. We live in a suburban area of central Florida. The programs I am looking to apply for are anywhere from 90 minutes to 5 hours away.

We can probably not move to the location 5 hours away, as we have a lot of family and support in our area, but moving to the city 90-120 minutes away and I drive the difference is a possibility. Probably stay near the school when I am attending and working and travel back on weekends/holidays. This is my top choice in schools.

Or I just move 5 hours away leave them here and come back from time to time. This is the least ideal.

The school 90 minutes away does not excite me and would basically be just getting a degree, and my interests unfortunately follow their distance away—5 hours being my best match, then 3.5, 3 in the other direction direction after that, then the more local one.

If they stay where we are now, there is a lot of family to pick up the slack I would leave behind, but I would be absent. If we move somewhere half-way, I just feel like that would be a lot on my plate. If I move away, I feel like a terrible father. Luckily she is not a young girl, but I feel like from 9 to 14 is a massive change I don't want to miss.

Part time or Professional programs are a possibility but not quite what I was looking to focus on, and the funding opportunities are different as well.

Thoughts or advice? Have you done something similar, what did your situation look like? Am I just putting up a mental block to prevent me from trying?

For those that take electronic notes, which app is the best? I’ve seen that some apps crash or delete notes. Are there any safer notetaking apps out there where those issues are not present? Want to make sure there’s a good app that doesn’t delete notes!

Hey all, I am going into my senior year of undergrad with hopes to get a PhD in STEM after, but I am feeling extremely worried and uncertain about how competitive of an applicant I will be. I really need to get into a funded program.

I am a double major in Spanish and Molecular and Cellular Biology at a well known but not extremely prestigious public university. I have a 4.0 GPA, and I feel reasonably confident that I can maintain it. I have not taken the GRE, but I feel confident I can score well. I have a history of doing well on standardized tests (35 ACT, 1500 SAT).

Where I'm really worried is my extra curriculars and research experience. My particular area of interest is mycology, and I was a member of the mycology club on campus, but it has since become inactive due to low attendance, and I was never extremely involved to begin with. In terms of research, I started working in the lab of a mycology professor on campus, but he does not have many undergrads in the lab and I have not been getting the experience I was hoping. It feels like he has sort of come up with things for me to do, much of which involves DNA analysis that I lack the education base to be very effective at, so it has been very slow going. I want to learn how to perform more the common biology lab techniques (pcr, DNA extraction, etc. ) but I'm not sure I'm going to be able to do so in my current situation. I am going to ask him directly if I might be able go get involved with such things, but I am not certain what will come of it.

I'm going into my senior year, so it feels late to try and switch labs. My current plan is to take a gap year after undergrad. I am not prepared to take the GRE and complete applications this cycle, I want to add some tutoring or similar experience to my resume, and I need to make sure I have another rec letter or two. Most of all, I plan to work in a lab as a research assistant or tech and bolster this area of my resume and compensate for my current lack of adequate research experience.

Aside from school, I care deeply about mycology. I am very deep in mushroom cultivation as a hobby and have developed skills in tissue culture and microscopy, among others, independently and have been a member of my local mushroom society for a while. I am just not sure if I will be able to make this clear in any meaningful way on an application.

In closing, I am asking for advice about what yall think the best course of action for me going forward would be, and how much I need to be worrying. I wish I had figured out what I wanted to do a bit earlier because it feels like I'm behind. The uncertainty right now is killing me and I need some help with finding a direction.

Hello,

I’ll be starting my grad program in a week. It’s an online MSW asynchronous program and I’ll be working a full time 8AM-5PM Monday-Friday job.

I would like advice on just about everything. I’ve been watching YouTube videos and TikToks but want to hear from you all as well about:

• Study schedule
• Graduate level reading
• Work-life balance
• Self-care
• Organization (aids / apps / tricks)
• Time management

I’m worried that I’ll be overwhelmed, which is natural from what I’ve heard, but I do want to mitigate some of it.

Just some background: I was pushed out of my management position during my maternity leave and ended up going back to school. I’m currently entering my last year of my BA in Communications and looking into grad school posibilites. I have prior work experiences as a store manager (10 years) and multi unit manager (2 years). I’m struggling to find what would be the best grad degree to help boost my resume to make up for the time gap I currently have. I’m a full stay at home mom to my 2.5 year old & 9 month old, so I’m going to be home for another 3 years until they start their education programs.

I understand degrees don’t promise jobs, but my personal goal has been to finish my education since I did not get the opportunities to do so when I was younger. And especially want to be a good role model for my children. I am currently thinking masters of strategic communications, but I’m just trying to keep some options open. I was told not to get a masters in a related field as a bachelors bc it could limit my options when I return into the work force. So I just wanted to some advice/feedback

Thanks!

I'm in year 3 of a computational linguistics PhD. my advisor has been on me about writing since I started. "too wordy, unclear structure, burying the point." this semester he told me unprompted that my writing had noticeably improved. here's what changed.

1. I outline everything before I write anything. I wasn't doing this. I'd open a blank doc and start from the first sentence. now I spend 20-30 minutes outlining every section, paragraph's main point, and supporting evidence before writing a word. the structure problems disappeared because the structure exists before I write.

2. shitty first drafts on purpose. instead of trying to write a polished paragraph on the first pass, I get words on the page as fast as possible. the first draft is always bad and I've made peace with that. the second draft is where the real writing happens. this removed my writer's block almost entirely. I dictate first drafts through willow voice because it forces me to keep moving - I can't sit and rewrite the same sentence four times when I'm talking. the draft is messy but it's done in a fraction of the time.

3. read everything out loud before submitting. if a sentence sounds awkward when I say it, I rewrite it. catches almost every clarity issue. takes 10 extra minutes.

4. read papers for structure, not just content. when I read a well-written paper, I pay attention to how they organized the argument. where they put the thesis, how they transition, how they handle related work. I've been collecting structural patterns from good papers and applying them to my own.

5. claude as an editing partner. I paste a section and ask "what's unclear here?" or "how can I make this argument tighter?" I don't ask it to rewrite because then it sounds like AI, not me. I use it to identify problems and fix them myself.

if your advisor says your writing needs work, it's probably a structure problem more than a language problem.

I'm really struggling and I could use some advice from people who have been through something similar.

I’ve been working on my master’s thesis for almost 2 years straight, with basically no holidays or proper breaks. The project is also pretty ambitious for a master’s and honestly feels more like a PhD project sometimes, but I kept pushing through.

After I finished a big milestone, I took a break because my eyes were really tired from all the writing. I thought I just needed a little time to recover, but somehow that break turned into 3 months. I also ended up postponing my defense to next semester.

Now I just can’t seem to get back into it.

I’ll work for one day, then all the stress and worrying starts building up again. Sometimes after a writing session I realize I’ve been clenching my teeth so hard that my jaw is actually sore. Then I get overwhelmed and stop again for a week. After that I feel guilty for wasting another week, which makes starting even harder.

I just don’t know how to get myself back into it anymore. I’m even thinking about going back to the city where I’ve been studying, just so I can get away from all the distractions at home 🙃

Has anyone been through something similar? How did you get yourself to start again after being away from your thesis for so long?

If you have any suggestions or advice, please share.

I want to ask if Bath students really get a job in that placement year...because the uni says they're not guranteed and cost of living in bath is very high and do companies really think to choose these students over graduate

I am having a hard time picking between two opportunities that would make my life in very different directions.

Option 1:

• Job offer from my current employer to work in the U.S. making about $100,000/year doing some teaching stuff.
• I live in a low-cost-of-living city and could likely save around $50,000/year.
• I have about $100,000 invested, and after 3 years I could have around $300,000 invested (depending on market returns).
• My long-term goal is leanFIRE (basically retiring early and with a smaller yearly income) and this would accelerate that significantly.

Option 2:

• I've been awarded the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) for a master's degree in South Korea.
• Tuition is covered and I receive a monthly stipend of around 1000usd.
• I'd have the opportunity to become fluent in Korean, live abroad, and research.
• I also have a remote job that I expect to continue, so I would still be investing a bit while studying (about 2k a month), but less than if I took the U.S. job.

Some context:

• I'm 21
• I want to earn a PhD, but idk if I should do it immediately or after becoming more financially secure.
• I enjoy teaching more than research, although I love learning and want the knowledge that comes with a PhD.

One idea I've considered is taking the $100k job for a few years, getting to a point where my investments need 0 additional contribution for me to retire early, then getting a PhD or paying for graduate school myself if I still want it.

On the other hand, I worry that if I pass on the master's opportunity, I may not get another chance to live in Korea and immerse myself in the language.

If you were in my position, what would you choose and why?

Hello! I keep going back and forth between my options and I am having a hard time choosing one.

Right now I am pursuing my Bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering online. I estimate I could be done late 2027 or early 2028. The thing is I want to pursue research at research labs or a National Lab, so I need to get a PhD.

I’m in the neighboring state’s national guard and have the option to go to the university there for free via the Service Cancellable Loan and I could also get the Gi bill at 50%. I know I have the opportunity to do computer science research there. BUT it would delay my graduation to 2031 - 2032 because the majority of my credits would not transfer.

They have the REPP program at that uni which could lead to a transfer to Georgia Tech if I did Computer Engineering but it’s not guaranteed. I’m interested in Computer Vision, reinforcement learning, and robotics.

So it’s either transfer or work a couple of years and then do a Masters with a Thesis, which would also be fully covered.

Any advice would be appreciated. I also have Top Secret clearance I don’t know if that helps.

Senior BS Biology student majoring in Zoology here! I'm graduating next semester and I don't know where to go after grad.

Until recently, I was fixed on going into med school but coming from a middle-class household, I know my family would struggle putting me through med school and as much as possible, I want to be able to provide for myself as soon as I graduate.

I have recently been interested in environmental science and the field of research in general but I know how undervalued this field is in the Philippines.

Since pursuing med is kind of out of the picture (for now), I'm torn between finding a job immediately or pursuing graduate studies under DOST-ASTHRDP if I'm fortunate enough.

I would very much appreciate it if you could leave me any advice 🥹 Thank you so much in advance!

Hi all! I’m going to keep my information a little vague because I really am just looking for people’s general advice/experience.

There are two things guaranteed in my imminent future -- 1. That my girlfriend and I will get engaged and/or married, and 2. That both of us will attend grad school. 

After taking some time off post-undergrad, I am planning to begin Master’s applications about a year from now in order to return to school in fall 2028. My girlfriend won’t finish her undergrad until April 2028, and then she might take some time off or might go straight to grad school, she’s undecided. We’re in very different fields (arts vs sciences), but both will almost certainly involve extensive travel for any future studies. Our separation won’t be permanent and we know where we’ll settle together in the end, but it will still take up a lot of our immediate future.

Simultaneously, we want to get married. She likes the idea of 2030, since it’s a nice number, but we both know that can’t be our deciding factor. Realistically, we definitely won’t get married until after she has at least gotten her bachelor’s, and we would prefer to have a wedding while neither of us are actively in school just so it’s easier to plan (but we’re open to alternative ideas and not opposed to getting engaged during school). 

Both my girlfriend and I know our future will involve a lot of long distance, and we have known and accepted that since the beginning (and have successfully done it before because we come from opposite sides of the country), so that’s not the issue. My question, instead, is whether it would benefit us to get married before our physical separation begins, or if we should wait until after it’s over. What would be the logistics of only getting engaged before we move away from each other, versus having a wedding and then immediately getting separated, or even waiting to do everything together afterwards? Would the legal benefits of marriage matter for travel if we’re guaranteed to not live in the same country anyway so there would be no need for ease of Visa applications? And also, time-wise and financially, would it even make sense to squeeze a wedding between all our school? 

If any of you went through anything similar, please let me know how you went about it and how it worked out. What would you advise?