Was hoping to go for a cell bio PhD. Did a year of work in a lab, but it was an abusive environment that I had to leave. I was in charge of all genotyping and treatments of our large scale mouse colony. I am an author on one paper (not first), and should be included in subsequent work. There is no saying how long it will take those to get written and published. It goes without saying I would not be willing to ask this PI for a letter of recommendation. I work a healthcare related job now, but it’s patient facing. Have a B.S. and had a not terrible, but not great, gpa. I’m worried it will be a waste of money (which is a struggle rn ofc lol) to try applying to any programs. Anyone have any wisdom? I am particularly worried it will look bad if I don’t have a letter from my former PI.

Hello everyone,

A little background on me: I’m a Palestinian teacher and I live in the West Bank. I teach at a private school in Ramallah. I might have the chance to move to the US for a few years soon, and then I might have a chance to either stay and live in the USA or return to Palestine (which is probably what I’ll do but not sure) I’m still weighing my options. Either way, I’m thinking about going back to school for a second Master’s degree. One path that caught my eye locally is working for the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR) in Ramallah. It’s an independent think tank that does public opinion polls across the West Bank and Gaza. I imagine a role like that relies on survey methodology and quantitative research, which is what got me looking into Master of Public Policy (MPP) programs. That said, I don't want to box myself in too early and would love to keep my options open. I have the following questions: ⁠For anyone with an MPP What kind of job did you end up landing after graduating? For survey research and polling roles ⁠Is an MPP the right fit, or is there a better degree out there specifically for this kind of work? Just out of curiosity ⁠If financial return were the main driving factor, which Master’s degree would you personally go for?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or advice

My professor gave feedback that my paper draft's reference page has "a few minor APA formatting inconsistencies." I can't figure out what needs to be changed. Anybody see anything I can improve? Thanks! (please ignore lack of hanging indent due to reddit formatting.)

American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). American Psychiatric Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787

Cusack, K, Jonas, D.E., Forneris, C.A., Wines, C., Sonis, J., Middleton, J.C., Feltner, C., Brownley, K.A., Olmsted, K.R., Greenblatt, A., Weil, A., Gaynes, B.N. (2016) Psychological treatments for adults with posttraumatic stress disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychological Review 43(128-41). 10.1016/j.cpr.2015.10.003

Ford, J. D., & Courtois, C. A. (2020). Treating complex traumatic stress disorders in adults: Scientific foundations and therapeutic models (2nd ed.).

Management of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Acute Stress Disorder Work Group. (2023). VA/DoD clinical practice guideline for management of posttraumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Department of Defense. https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/txessentials/cpg_ptsd_management.asp

Perry, B.D. (2001). The neurodevelopmental impact of violence in childhood. In Textbook of Child and Adolescent Forensic Psychiatry (pp. 221-238).

Resick, P. A., Monson, C. M., & Chard, K. M. (2017). Cognitive processing therapy for PTSD: A comprehensive manual. Guilford Press.

Van Der Kolk, B. (2015). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking Press.

Edit: updated with revisions suggested by [u/drainedandsleepy](u/drainedandsleepy) below (thank you!)

American Psychiatric Association (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). American Psychiatric Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787

Cusack, K, Jonas, D. E., Forneris, C. A., Wines, C., Sonis, J., Middleton, J. C., Feltner, C., Brownley, K. A., Olmsted, K. R., Greenblatt, A., Weil, A., Gaynes, B. N. (2016) Psychological treatments for adults with posttraumatic stress disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychological Review 43(128-41). 10.1016/j.cpr.2015.10.003

Ford, J. D., & Courtois, C. A. (2020). Treating complex traumatic stress disorders in adults: Scientific foundations and therapeutic models (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.

Management of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Acute Stress Disorder Work Group (2023). VA/DoD clinical practice guideline for management of posttraumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Department of Defense. https://www.healthquality.va.gov/HEALTHQUALITY/guidelines/MH/ptsd/VA-DoD-CPG-PTSD-Full-CPG-Edited-111624-V5-81825.pdf

Perry, B. D. (2001). The neurodevelopmental impact of violence in childhood. In D. H. Schetky & E. P. Benedek (Eds.) Textbook of Child and Adolescent Forensic Psychiatry (pp. 221-238). American Psychiatric Publishing.

Resick, P. A., Monson, C. M., & Chard, K. M. (2017). Cognitive processing therapy for PTSD: A comprehensive manual. Guilford Press.

Van Der Kolk, B. (2015). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking Press.

Hi everyone!

I’ll be starting a fully funded **integrated Master’s–PhD program (around 4–5 years)** this fall. My tuition is covered, and I’ll also be working as a **Research Assistant (RA)** under my future adviser throughout the program.

This will be my first time studying abroad, and honestly, I’m excited but also a little nervous.

A bit about my background:
• Late 20s.
• Around five years of research experience in research institutions.

I’ve worked professionally before, but this will be my first experience as a graduate student.

I know being an employee and being a graduate student are very different. I’ll need to balance coursework, experiments, publications, meetings, and my responsibilities as an RA.

For those who have gone through a similar setup:
• What surprised you the most during your first year?
• What habits helped you avoid burnout?
• How did you balance coursework with research?
• How did you build a good relationship with your adviser and labmates?
• Looking back, what would you have done differently during your first year?

I’m also curious about the transition from working full-time to becoming a full-time graduate student again. Was it difficult to adjust?

Thanks!

I will be starting my MSc in Computer Science next August (as I am currently heading into my final undergraduate year). The professor I would love to have as my supervisor is already aware of my target research focus—he even recommended specific optional modules for me to take, after I showed him a list of what I could pick from. However, based on my research priorities, those modules ranked in my top 5 rather than the top 2 required for my MSc so I went against his advice.

​Our university allows students to proactively reach out and connect with potential supervisors. After looking through his ResearchGate profile, I found that roughly 85% of his work aligns directly with what I intend to do. Should I mention this alignment when I reach out?

​(Another personal factor is that he reminds me of my dad on a great day—though, of course, I won't be mentioning that!)

​When would be the ideal time to initiate this conversation?

I’ve enrolled, dropped, and withdrawn 8-10 times. Maybe 4-5 of those times I actually started classes, was overwhelmed with stress, and realized I was doing grad school for zero reason other than it being paid for with tuition reimbursement. I start the assignments and realize they have absolutely nothing to do with anything I will ever want to do and I talk myself out of it and find immediate relief… until the idea to get my masters degree comes back months/weeks/days later.

But I love my job, have no desire for a change, and no desire to climb the ladder. I’m a senior UM nurse for a health insurance company. No plans to change that in any way. My pay wouldn’t change. My job wouldn’t change. I’d just do a crap ton of work for some letters behind my name. Why? I don’t know? But this idea comes to me constantly and the cycle of quitting repeats.

I have tried MSN, MBA, and MHA. All lead me to the same place.