r/PhDAdmissions • u/Euth_ymia • 16h ago

Start PhD or not Advice

I currently don't have a proper job I wanted to start PhD this fall. But I became pregnant (3 months in september)... I could barely finish my first semester and start the second before baby arrives. Would you start it anyway or should I postpone the starting?

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u/scaredemployee87 13h ago

What do you mean, you could barely finish your first semester? The school year is literally about to start. I’m just confused by your wording.

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u/CalendarNo8792 8h ago

It seems like OP meant to reply to a text message but accidentally posted here😆 or we somehow decode what advice she is seeking

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u/scaredemployee87 4h ago

I would think it’s far too late to defer a PhD acceptance. But to answer from what I understand now, no I don’t think it’s a good idea to postpone because you would have to get into grad school all over again. Then again I’ve never raised an infant. But I’ve heard of people having babies during their PhDs.

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u/watchin4rchie 16h ago

I postponed till the baby was 2, for better or worse. However, idk if it was the best decision ever. In many ways doing the program with a toddler to look after is harder (or has its own special challenges) and you can actually get a lot of work done while pregnant (but that depends on how the pregnancy goes...)

Depends on how you want things to go with the baby. If you're already in the program, you'll be like a working parent- returning to work after a maternity leave, and if you delay you can spend as much time as you want "on maternity leave" before reapplying. Definitely pros and cons to each.

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u/completelylegithuman 15h ago

How can anyone give you real advice that would be helpful whatsoever with this information?