Questions tagged [quitting]

Questions about leaving an academic position. This could apply to quitting an educational program, such as a doctoral program, or quitting a faculty position.

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36 votes
25 answers
28k views

How bad will refusing to defend PhD look on industry-job applications?

I have been a PhD student (Pure Mathematics) for the full PhD time in my country (a northern European country) and am very vexed with my supervisor and the department I have worked in. Education is ...
0 votes
1 answer
184 views

Leaving my undergrad research assistant position mid-project? (With two months notice)

After a lab meeting today, I am absolutely fed up with the state of my lab right now, and the current project being worked on going… nowhere. A year and a half ago, I joined a mechanical engineering ...
1 vote
0 answers
117 views

Feeling hopeless immediately after starting my MSc

I recently started my Master's in Physics. My Bachelor's was not in Physics, but all of my research was. I worked with a very supportive supervisor who wanted me to do my Master's thesis with him. He ...
5 votes
1 answer
597 views

Leaving postdoc after 6 months (or less)?

I just started a postdoc position at a prestigious institute in the US. I am one month in and the contract is for 1 year with a possibility of renewal (the project I work on received a 3-year grant). ...
1 vote
1 answer
437 views

Is it possible to apply for a Master's programme then leave current PhD?

I'm a 2-year PhD student at a research institute in Asia, and now I'm thinking about applying for a Master's programme abroad (possibly in Australia or Europe), so is it possible for me to submit my ...
0 votes
1 answer
734 views

I want to quit my PhD in year 4 because I'm depressed and unhealthy. How to do it nicely? [closed]

I'm an international student doing a PhD in California (UCR) for the past 4 years. This period of time has been nothing but nightmares. At least I got my masters last year, but immediately after I ...
32 votes
10 answers
9k views

ls it wrong to not have any research ambitions after PhD and postdoc experience?

I did my PhD and 1 year postdoc in mechanical engineering from a top 20 world ranking school. Though it took me longer than others to get my PhD (5.5 years), I published 5 first authored papers there. ...
1 vote
2 answers
307 views

No interest in the field, no interest in academia, don't want to please supervisors, time to leave PhD?

TLDR: zero interest in the topic, bad relationships with supervisors and colleagues, I think I'm not suitable for this, thus, I must leave. Hello all, I would like to ask for some advice from people ...
0 votes
4 answers
338 views

I've been offered a major fellowship in my field, but I've been seriously considering mastering out and don't know what to do

I'm a Ph. D. student just entering my third year. Last winter, I submitted a proposal for a major fellowship/grant in my field, and last Friday my advisor told me that I had been offered funding. ...
1 vote
2 answers
257 views

Shall I quit as a co-author on this paper?

I was involved with a physician in the write up of a unique case report. In May 2022 we started the project. I wrote the introduction, case reports after interviewing the patients, prevalence data ...
-1 votes
3 answers
204 views

What will happen if I quit my MS? Will I be able to get a job?

I am currently in my third year, 5 semesters over, of my MS programme at a top Indian institute. MS is a research based Master's programme in engineering. Being a research based curriculum, there is ...
1 vote
1 answer
321 views

How to kindly tell my supervisor that I will pursue my career in the industry?

I have received my MSc. degree at software engineering 5 months ago after a 3-year period of study and research. At the time of graduation, my supervisor asked me whether I would like to continue as ...
3 votes
1 answer
351 views

Should I defend my PhD at another university? [closed]

I'm doing my PhD at a university in Scandinavia, it's my own project (open call) and comes with funding (PhD salary from the university). Over the years, some people in the administration at the ...
19 votes
5 answers
11k views

How should I write leaving a PhD program after 6 years on the CV?

I started my PhD in engineering in 2018 right after finishing Master's. In my 3nd year, COVID happened and I couldn't continue my research for various reasons. I tried to switch topic, but after doing ...
5 votes
2 answers
472 views

Transferring PhD due to Colleague Harassment

I am a first year PhD student. I have no issues regarding academics and relationships with faculty. Unfortunately, there is a fellow student in the department who is making my life very difficult. The ...
4 votes
2 answers
256 views

Quitting a PhD program and reapplying to a different (though somewhat related) field?

Back in my original cycle, I applied right out of undergrad for a couple of programs that I initially thought could fit my interests well. All of them ended up falling into two fields, Engineering or ...
3 votes
2 answers
3k views

Should I quit the present Ph.D. program after 6 months?

I am a first-year Ph.D. student in an engineering field in my home country, and my Ph.D. supervisor is my master's supervisor. The central problem is that he is very busy with administrative work, ...
0 votes
1 answer
167 views

Will there be bad consequences if I decide to leave my current master's program?

I am doing a 9-month master's program in physics at a very top UK university. However, after completing the first two semesters, I found myself very unhappy with the program itself. I don't feel like ...
2 votes
1 answer
248 views

Should I indicate to my boss that I will not stay beyond next academic year?

I have been suffering from depression for some years now until I feel I almost want to give up on my job. I have to evaluate my mental condition year by year and keep pondering the point of time to ...
3 votes
2 answers
950 views

How to quit my TT professorship job gracefully?

I'm a TT assistant professor at a R1 school, and I just recently accepted an offer from a private company. I'm planning to talk with the department head and let him know and I was wondering if anyone ...
1 vote
3 answers
566 views

Mathematician (who loved PDEs) leaving academia but for what........? [closed]

Let me begin with a short disclaimer: I am aware that similar questions have been asked here more than once. However, none of the answers seemed useful to me and hence, I decided to make my own post ...
4 votes
1 answer
433 views

Is quitting PhD a good decision in my case?

Currently, I am at one and half years into my PhD in Netherlands. I had burnout at the end of my first year, I got some help but I don't think I am able to work still at my full potential. The burnout ...
4 votes
3 answers
657 views

Is it possible to leave a research position in the middle of a project gracefully and without burning bridges?

I have been seeking a full time research position in psychological research since I graduated and moved to a new city. Breaking into it without any connections was hard, so I took a part-time ...
1 vote
2 answers
191 views

Continue my phd in another instution

I'm halfway through my PhD studying abroad and due to a series of problems with my current advisor and the way the university is handling these issues my mental health has been affected and I'd like ...
0 votes
1 answer
187 views

How to Change Labs Within The Same Field?

Short version: I started a PhD with an advisor who I am no longer interested in working with. Can I still leave this lab and find another lab in the same field (how)? Long version: I am an American ...
1 vote
1 answer
482 views

Withdrawing from the first-year PhD program, what explanation is required to not hurt my reapplication?

In the first year of my Ph.D. this year, I am at a Canadian University. Previously, the background has always been in the direction of Mathematics , and both masters and undergraduates are mathematics....
0 votes
1 answer
353 views

Ph.D. in a ghost town. Worth it or not? [closed]

I have been living in this town for 16 months, but I am in this Ph.D. position only for 4 months. For the other 12 months, I had been working as an employee in the same research group. I really like ...
3 votes
1 answer
625 views

Leaving postdoc for another one

I have started my first postdoc for a little less than a year now. It is a two-yrs position. However, my relationship with these new supervisors have been at least questionable. Additionally, my ...
8 votes
3 answers
832 views

I want to change PhD programs because the city is unsafe, how do I approach this?

I am an international grad student in a middle-tier mathematics PhD program in the USA. I am still in my first year. Soon after joining the program I realized there is no active faculty who works ...
2 votes
3 answers
417 views

Prolonging PhD to make up for low-productivity caused by poor mental health [closed]

There are several posts on this site about potentially leaving a PhD program due to mental health issues (e.g. 1, 2, 3), and these issues can impede productivity. Seeking help from a mental health ...
4 votes
1 answer
264 views

Is it a good idea to move universities late into PhD?

I have been enrolled in a PhD program for 3 years now. I have a had a pretty disappointing experience so far: I have had three different supervisors (didn’t get along with the first, the second moved ...
0 votes
1 answer
315 views

How to ask your PhD promotor for a letter of recommendation for another PhD position

I may quit my current PhD position after a year and a half due to supervision-related reasons. My promotor is the professor who is head of team (and supervised my master thesis), while I am currently ...
9 votes
3 answers
3k views

Should I consider another Ph.D somewhere else after a year and half into my current Ph.D? [closed]

I had asked a similar question after six months into my current PhD. Then, the question was too dependent on individual factors and hence the question was closed. I will briefly explain the situation ...
6 votes
5 answers
2k views

What should I do with a year left in PhD?

I'm a phd student in mathematics in US. Basically, I worked hard throughout the first two years because of the qualifying exam. After that, I kind of lost steam when I was supposed to start doing ...
2 votes
1 answer
418 views

Will I be competitive for college teaching jobs if I quit ABD?

I'm looking at quitting my PhD (4.5 years in) in engineering in the U.S at an R1. My advisor and I tried a new tack after I broached quitting this Spring, but I'm concerned that things aren't ...
1 vote
0 answers
156 views

Thinking about leaving my PhD: my particular story [duplicate]

I know this was asked here many times, but each situation is different than others. I'll tell you my story to get some insight. Roughly 6 months ago I started a fully funded position for a PhD abroad. ...
2 votes
1 answer
274 views

Possible options for an unhappy graduate student

I am a first year PhD student in Mathematics at a US university but I cannot adopt myself to the environment of my current program. I feel this program is not right for me. Unfortunately, I have to ...
31 votes
6 answers
8k views

Guilt about quitting PhD as first student of the lab

I am a first year PhD student in a lab in Europe. I joined the lab 6 months ago and soon afterwards realized that the topic and institute are not what I had imagined it would be. It took me quite some ...
-1 votes
2 answers
528 views

I am being asked to resign with only a week left on my postdoc contract, should I? [closed]

My two year postdoc contract is ending next week. I am looking for a job at a bank in my state now. My university's personnel office has contacted me asking me to resign; that is to say, they're ...
17 votes
6 answers
1k views

What steps could universities take to reduce Ph.D. drop-outs?

One of the major issues in universities with respect to PhD is the high dropout factor. Demotivated students cause a big loss to the university - a lot is spent on assistantships, but in the end, the ...
1 vote
1 answer
1k views

How to reapply for another PhD program after quitting existing PhD?

I am in 4 semester of my PhD program. The moment I joined the XYZ University, I was not that much happy with the lab, supervision, system, environment. Then, the pandemic happened. On and off I tried ...
43 votes
9 answers
9k views

What advantages do professors have over equivalent industry and government researchers?

Tenure track professors at USA R1s, ideally in STEM, help me understand: in 2021 what advantages do professors have over equivalent industry and government researchers? I am tenure track at a top 5 ...
2 votes
2 answers
1k views

Unable to find a PhD advisor: Questions about leaving the program and other options

UPDATE: Lost funding and leaving the program. I continued my search and tried to establish contact with around 10 faculty of interest. Most did not even reply to my emails. Contacted gradutate ...
0 votes
2 answers
677 views

9 vs 12 months distributed pay options and quiting your job before the end of the school year

What if you opt for the 12-month pay but quit your position before the end of an academic year? (For example, give 30-days notice in December). Do you forfeit your 3 months of distributed pay that ...
0 votes
2 answers
194 views

Quitting master degree MBA [closed]

I am planning to quit my master degree ( I have completed 14 of 20 months) because I dont feel it will be helpful in my career, I also dont like to do a final Business model plan (which is huge around ...
2 votes
1 answer
276 views

I left a Ph.D. after a semester and now want to apply for master's degree. How can I justify my reasons of leaving well?

I was enrolled in the neuroscience Ph.D. program in 2020 in Turkey (without doing a master's because I graduated from medical school) in the condition that I had to take the GRE within my first ...
1 vote
1 answer
136 views

How will me leaving my program effect my lab's funding?

I'm currently dealing with some personal issues that are affecting my progress in my Ph.D. program. As a result, I intend to leave my program as soon as possible (end of this semester). However, I ...
124 votes
19 answers
42k views

Should I quit my PhD - workload, self-esteem and social life [closed]

I don't really want a degree. I just want to get married, and have weekends and evenings off, and chill out and play board games, and have nice conversations with friends, and have time to exercise ...
7 votes
1 answer
268 views

Left postdoc for a non-academic post in the same university - PI is chasing me to write a paper

I recently left a postdoc position (UK) due to the grant coming to a close, and I have moved on to a non-academic post at the same university. I had been looking to move out of academia for a while so ...
6 votes
3 answers
2k views

Dropping Out Means You're BlackListed

Would students who drop out before they take any exam be blacklisted by the (prestigious) university? Especially if those students have shown a resentment and a disagreement with the arrangement of ...

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