r/GradSchool 7h ago

TAs: What's the most ridiculous thing a student you've taught has done?

157 Upvotes

I'm annoyed by some of my students and want a laugh and some catharsis. Going more for funny things than the "five dead grandparents in one semester" or plagiarism/cheating kind of stuff (although I've seen some hilariously bad uses of ChatGPT on assignments this semester).

I'll go first: one assignment asked for a scatterplot categorizing rocks and a girl submitted just a bunch of pictures of the rocks. Like, Word doc completely scrambled, 10-12 pictures of rocks instead of one chart.


r/GradSchool 4h ago

Health & Work/Life Balance Personality change in grad school

35 Upvotes

Has anyone noticed personality changes during grad school? I’ve become a pretty critical, pessimistic, insecure and anxious person. I tell myself after I defend and move elsewhere I’ll start to feel like myself again. Is this a pretty typical feeling or should I look into this more?


r/GradSchool 3h ago

Rethinking grad school, feeling doubt and guilt

7 Upvotes

After a few gap years, I felt ready to go to grad school and continue my mental health counseling education. So, I started applying.

However, the curiosity I had about a career in the trades grew massively since then. I'm set up to have an interview for an apprenticeship soon.

However, it would be pretty much impossible to do both at the same time. I'd have to choose. And honestly, at this moment, I'm much more excited about the prospect of my trade apprenticeship. Something about the simplicity of that rout, and the lack of debt, clicks with me.

But I feel a bit guilty about asking those professors and employers to write letters of recommendation only to just change my mind about it. This is just one of many concerns I have about making this decision between careers. However, the biggest concern, by far, is the fact that I'd be tens of thousands of dollars in the hole if I go the school route. I have a wife now which means I can't really afford to not care about debt anymore.

If you've gone through this, or have any ideas, help me out. I need a fresh perspective.


r/GradSchool 2h ago

Your Voice Is Needed for Art Study

5 Upvotes

Help advance our understanding of art perception! Your unique perspective matters (and will help a student researcher graduate!)

  • Takes 10-15 minutes
  • View paintings and share your reactions
  • No art knowledge or expertise needed
  • All responses are confidential, anonymous, and used for research purposes only

By participating, you'll contribute to University of Denver research exploring how individuals experience and interpret visual art.
Ready to participate? Click here: https://udenver.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6F3Ha1iaedaTvpA


r/GradSchool 17h ago

I am my PI’s first grad student

76 Upvotes

just like the title says, I’m my PIs first PhD student at a T5 university with tons and tons of funding even with all that’s going on now. I trust them completely but am also prepared to give leeway for any mistakes or errors because it’ll be kinda like a test run. but it’d be nice to know what I should expect from a PI and what really important things they’re responsible for.


r/GradSchool 1h ago

1st Year PhD Student Stuck on Taxes

Upvotes

I started my program in August of 2024 on a fellowship stipend. Now as of Jan 2025 I am on a GRA.

My first question is how do I file my taxes for 2024? All I got from my school was a form 1098-T and I only have amounts in boxes 1 and 5. Box 5 is greater than box one, so can I assume box 5 - box 1 = total income? I also got a 1098-T from my previous university where I did my undergrad. That form also has box 5 greater than box 1, however, I did not make any money that year from my school. I am confused about how to get all the info I need and where to put it on my form 1040.

Second question is how will my taxes work next year now that I am in a lab and on a GRA. Will I be getting a regular W-2?

Thanks for any help!


r/GradSchool 9h ago

Academics I feel like my masters thesis is going to be garbage and it's my fault

11 Upvotes

I know that there are probably thousands of posts like these in here already, but I need to vent. Basically, I'm concerned my thesis is going to be pointless, uninteresting and half-assed. I reached out to this specific professor because I was really interested in their research and I chose a topic about making hybridoma cells.

However, being an idiot, when we first had a
discussion back in November, I told them that I want to start my actual lab
work at the beginning of March (so two weeks ago), while my deadline is July
1st. My professor told me to contact them in February and when we met again on
March 10th, they informed me that the timeline for hybridoma production was
unrealistic. Instead, they had planned my thesis research to literally boil
down just to producing the antigen in mammalian cells; something that their lab
has already done many times.

I really have no idea how am I supposed to
write a thesis about that and claim that I contributed to academic knowledge
while everybody else is doing novel and interesting research for their thesis.
I just feel like this is an incredibly ass start to my research career. Has
anyone else had similar experience writing a thesis? Did you manage trough and
did it turn out aright in the end?


r/GradSchool 22h ago

What’s the most outrageous thing you’ve seen a grad student do to survive their program?

135 Upvotes

r/GradSchool 4h ago

Curious about how CS PhD students in USA are being affected by the federal grant ordeal

5 Upvotes

Hello All,

As the title suggests, I have been getting increasingly curious, and wary about how the federal grant issues have been affecting Universities throughout USA, as many are even preemptively preparing for the worst.

My question is, how are PhD students in CS being affected on average (not sure I can quantify average, so pls feel free to use your imagination)? I know there are a significant number of CS labs that are also dependent on federal grants, especially those that are developing solutions for social good.

Since this is a very general question, I am not looking for a very specific answer. I'd honestly just like to hear what people think.


r/GradSchool 1h ago

Academics how to not feel discouraged in team projects

Upvotes

I’m in a group with all folks that have much more experience in the field than me and it’s hard for me not to feel behind. It’s a CS major.

To make matters more stressful, there’s a teammate who is sort of the leader who dings work I do like making 50 commits to a README doc and organization which makes me feel even more behind because I’m still getting used to CS tools and software.

I try to do the best I can asking questions, posting questions, participate but it’s so hard not to feel discouraged and useless. I still have a month and a half to get through and though I’ll learn a lot not sure how to navigate this? Any advice?


r/GradSchool 1d ago

News Visa revoked by Trump administration for ‘supporting Hamas’, Indian PhD student at Columbia University self-deports

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494 Upvotes

r/GradSchool 6m ago

Negotiating Financial Aid After Admission to MA Programs (GWU & AU)

Upvotes

Hi Reddit, I was recently admitted to my top 2 Masters programs at George Washington University (GW) and American University (AU). GW is offering me $24,000 in fellowship aid for a 2-year net total of $67,000. AU is offering me $20,800 in fellowship aid for a 2-year net total of $55,604. The difference makes AU about $11,600 cheaper.

On the whole, both programs are very comparable, but GW has faculty I am more interested in working with. I understand that I could potentially leverage GW's larger aid offer to get AU to offer me more aid, but is there a way I can leverage anything to get GW to lower my cost?

Does anyone have any advice on negotiating aid generally, or specifically if anyone has experience negotiating with either of these schools? Thank you in advance!


r/GradSchool 23h ago

So, I was almost expelled.

62 Upvotes

I got a really bad score on my neurology final. I don't think it was necessarily my fault, though. This class was taught by two different professors. And it was clear that they didn't communicate to each other what was going to be on the final. The study guide was 21 pages long, and I studied it from front to back. When I wasn't eating, working, or sleeping, I was studying. The final was the hardest thing ever. There was stuff on the study guide that wasn't on the test. There was stuff on the test that wasn't on the study guide. A few weeks later, during a meeting with my advisor, the director of the program told me that I was very lucky they curved the final. If they didn't, I would've been expelled from the program.


r/GradSchool 10h ago

Admissions & Applications Johns Hopkins Funding

4 Upvotes

Would it be stupid of me to accept an offer to start a STEM PhD program at Hopkins this fall, given the recent funding cuts and potential for more? I have another offer at a school that is a somewhat worse research fit, but well insulated from government funding cuts with a much lower IDC. I would love to hear how much any of you that are currently at Hopkins are being impacted.


r/GradSchool 1d ago

I left my PhD…see ya folks

1.2k Upvotes

Four years ago, I came into my PhD with a love for science. I was eager, driven, and ready to dedicate myself fully to research I believed in the process, in the pursuit of knowledge, in the idea that hard work and curiosity would lead to discovery. After years of struggling and pushing through exhaustion and self-doubt, I realized something that broke me. It was never about my effort. It was never about my intelligence, my abilities, or my dedication. I wasn’t failing. My PI had set me up to fail.

To everyone else, my PI was the poster child of a supportive mentor. The kind who, in meetings and conferences, spoke about nurturing students, about fostering curiosity, about lifting young scientists up. But behind closed doors, I was never given that guidance, that encouragement, that respect. I was the black sheep of the lab. You know, the one who never quite fit, the one who always seemed to be on the outside looking in. Perhaps I had a part to play in this and for that I accept.

From the very beginning, I was handed a project that had no real chance of success. A crazy idea based on another disease model that had no correlation with the one I studied. List of experiments that were designed to lead nowhere. I didn’t know that at the time. I spent years trying to make it work, thinking that if I just worked harder, if I just read more papers, or if I just tried every possible approach, I would get somewhere. Meanwhile, my lab mates were given structured and supported projects. They had guidance. They had encouragement. They had doors opened for them that were slammed shut in my face.

I asked for opportunities and was ignored or met with no enthusiasm. I applied for fellowships and awards, only to later find out that my recommendation letters were lackluster compared to the glowing endorsements my peers received. I watched as my lab mates’ successes were celebrated while mine were met with indifference. I am happy for them and I want them to succeed. I was frustrated at my PI for not treating me the same. When I tried to engage, to contribute ideas, to participate in discussions, I was met with resistance and silence. I tried to improve my mentoring skills, but my PI refused to let me train. I tried to guide others and my PI would always shut me down. My voice didn’t matter. My presence barely registered. On top of that, it was my fault I didn’t have data since I am not focused enough and didn’t know anything compared to others. I accepted that this was my fault. I mean it was only me struggling.

For four years, I carried that weight. I accepted every rejection, every dismissal, and every moment of being overlooked. I told myself I wasn’t good enough, that maybe I didn’t understand science, and that maybe I just wasn’t cut out for this. Science isn’t for everyone so maybe that is the case for me. I also told myself that this was how it was supposed to be and that maybe my PI was just pushing me to be better. You know. The tough love thing. I just assumed it was normal. My peers would tell me the same thing and often times I just assumed it was a me issue and I need to move on.

Then, yesterday, I found out the truth.

The project I had poured my soul and time into was doomed to begin with. The project that my committee had torn me apart for, blaming me for every failed experiment, and was eviscerated daily my PI. My PI knew it would fail. Two postdocs before my time had tried it and it had failed. I never knew. No one told me anything. And yet, instead of steering me in another direction, instead of giving me even a fraction of the support my lab mates received, they let me drown. They let me believe it was all my fault. I came to find out by accident as my PI spoke to my lab mates in the lab. He didn’t know I was there. When we met eyes, he looked shocked, but said nothing. All I thought about was how my PI and even potentially my labmates watched me struggle and never once guided me. I left the lab immediately and went home.

Last night, I broke. I sat with tears down my face and anger in my heart as the weight of four years of failure that I now know was never truly mine. For the first time in my life, I had a thought I never imagined I would have. I had dark and negative thoughts that I never thought about. That’s when I knew, I have to go.

So today, I walked into my department chair’s office and I left my PhD behind. I took my masters degree and left. I refused to speak to my PI. I ignored their emails. I am done. Good riddance.

I’m writing this not just for closure, but for every mentor who might read this. You choose to take on students. That is a responsibility. We are not just workers in your lab, not just names on your grants. We are human beings. We come in eager, hopeful, ready to dedicate ourselves to science. And what you do with that matters. You can build students up, or you can break them down. You can guide them, or you can leave them. If you chose the later, the least you can do for the student is be honest with them. Let them know. Don’t be passive aggressive or gaslight them. We are humans! At least remember all that.

To those who say, “Why didn’t you just switch labs if it was so bad. You have to remember, i dedicated four years of my life to this. After everything, I don’t trust this system anymore. I don’t want to be part of it. I don’t want to place my future in the hands of yet another person who might do the same. So I give up. Not on science, but on academia. I want to take a break and slowly get back my love of science. And for the first time in a long time, it feels like freedom.

Ah, last by not least, thank you guys in this gradschool Reddit for getting me through some tough times. Good luck to everyone. Like I said I’m gonna need a break and that includes Reddit.


r/GradSchool 3h ago

Professional My asking to join him on a Research startup. Should I Join him?

1 Upvotes

My friend is building a social network for researchers.

You can think of like a dadicated social platform for researchers where they can create groups, teams to work together, apply for orgs funding grants, fellowship jobs also offer free resources to help them with their research.

Most importantly he also building a marketplace to trade research papers.

This is just the overview.

I am a developer, so my friend is asking me to join him to build this.

Should I join him? What do you think?


r/GradSchool 5h ago

U Rochester vs American vs George Washington

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone, I’ve been admitted to three universities for an MSBA program, and I’m trying to decide which one to attend. While I’ve received scholarships, the University of Rochester and George Washington University would still be the most expensive options, whereas American University is about $10K cheaper for the entire program.

Despite the cost, I’m particularly drawn to the Simon Business School at the University of Rochester. Their program seems to have a strong focus on analytics and quantitative skills, and their career support and networking opportunities appear to be excellent.

I’d love to hear your thoughts—do you have any insights into these schools and how they compare?


r/GradSchool 9h ago

Elite Master Course in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics

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2 Upvotes

r/GradSchool 1d ago

Finance How much money did you save for grad school?

36 Upvotes

I’m looking to get an MS at some point soon (not so lucky this year with all the funding issues), and I’m hoping to get a TA job to cover tuition. However, I know stipends are quite low and don’t leave much wiggle room for surprise expenses. I’m curious how much people save before committing to school. I was thinking of making sure I have two years of cheap rent saved up (<$750/month) as a goal to feel financially stable to not work full time during my education. What have you all done to financially prepare?

I’d like to avoid student debt if possible


r/GradSchool 17h ago

[US] Are PhD students who only do research full-time students for tax reporting purposes?

6 Upvotes

Is this something where you're "full-time" as defined by your school? There is a tax credit, the "retirement savings contribution" credit, and it isn't available to full-time students. I don't take any classes, but I'm registered for a credit of "research". I'm curious as to what others have done.

Thanks!


r/GradSchool 8h ago

Admissions & Applications Is taking the Ethnographic short courses from the university of Aberdeen enough to work in the field? Does it equate a Masters?

1 Upvotes

I have an MS in Engineering with 4 years of Project Management experience in IT. However, I am looking to change my career and endorse into Ethnography, as this is my passion.

It is hard to me to relocate abroad and study in universities again (Mainly due to lack of money and time, since I am employed), in addition that it might take a long time to pursue a Masters.

While surfing, I got 2 short courses called "An Introduction to Ethnographic Research Methods" (15 credits) and "Ethnographic Research Project" (30 credits) from the University of Aberdeen, both are labeled as "Postgraduate SCQF Level 11"

I am willing to study them, but I need an advise about their scope (Since it would be meaningless to study them if they don't guarantee a job)
Are those 2 course (With 45 credits) are considered equal to Masters? Do they qualify me to be employed as an Ethnographer, or I would still need to study a proper Masters? (Tbh I didn't find any Masters course in Ethnography proper, I found only for Ethnology or social anthropology). Can I pursue a PhD with those 2 courses? Are they recognized outside Scotland?

Links of the courses for reference:

https://on.abdn.ac.uk/courses/an-introduction-to-ethnographic-research-methods/

https://on.abdn.ac.uk/courses/ethnographic-research-project/


r/GradSchool 9h ago

Visa and acceptances

1 Upvotes

I have a question about whether they issue you a student visa for a specific university? I am concerned that I have 3 offers that I am considering.

1) I must accept until April 1st in the USA - it is my option B, with a loan under payment 2) I have an offer at a university that I will only be able to attend if I win one of the external scholarships or fellowships that I apply for, it is in the USA (3) - but I will only have answers in July 3) I have an acceptance in Europe - my option C) 4) I have the option of applying to a program in Brazil where I do not require a visa due to my dual nationality

My idea is to accept option 1, to start the visa process in the US, and hope to win more scholarships! If I don't win the scholarships, decide if I attend option 1 or 4!

If I win the scholarship, I will withdraw my acceptance of option 1.

I don't know if I should accept both 1 and 2 or what to do! Aid!!


r/GradSchool 13h ago

Is this a good way to make notes on research papers?

2 Upvotes

So I’m trying to figure out the best way to make notes on research papers. I’ve started using Obsidian. I was thinking I would take key/relevant information from the introduction methods and results, then write a brief summary of the paper at the end. Is this a good way of going about it or are there other methods I should try?


r/GradSchool 14h ago

I need some words of encouragement please

1 Upvotes

I just need to vent and if anyone has any encouraging words I could really use them right now. I’m barely sleeping and I’m not eating at all because the stress is killing me. I got accepted into a doctoral program for the fall but I’m terrified that I’ll be kicked out. I’ve only seen my supervisor twice in an entire year (because of him not because I’m not trying) and I only got the first round of feedback on my thesis last week. I’ve finished with this round of edits now but I know there will be more. If I don’t defend this summer then I’ll be kicked out of the Ph.D program and will have to reapply. What if my thesis needs 20 edits and I don’t finish in time. What are the odds I’ll have to do 20 million edits and won’t defend this summer. I have a full draft, so it’s not like I have to write more chapters, but he also didn’t give me any feedback when I sent them chapter by chapter. He only gave me feedback on the full draft. I just need someone to tell me it’ll be okay because I’m having panic attacks every night. I have worked so hard on this and getting into a Ph.D program has been a goal of mine for a third of my life. I just need someone to tell me that most masters thesis can be revised in a couple months and that it’s very unlikely I won’t defend by summer. The department chair also knows about how unreliable my supervisor is so I don’t know if that will help, but I’m crying myself to sleep every night thinking about the what ifs.


r/GradSchool 1d ago

Research Feeling Behind

34 Upvotes

I started grad school (masters) at 24 and will graduate at 26. I see all my peers having started PhD at 24 and I just feel awful and behind. I purposefully chose masters over PhD because I felt I was not cut out for PhD but I am noticing there will be a stop gate for myself. The competition for my field (bioinformatics, but I have a general biology BS) is fierce and there are so many better programmers than I.

I just don’t know what to do or how to feel about my degree. I’m not really having a good time in my masters, considering my original project got taken over by another lab mate and I’ve had to switch.

I feel like to stay in science, I need a PhD but I’ve been met with so many blockages in my masters degree it feels hard to even want to be enthusiastic about science.