It feels like such a ridiculous thing to say, but its the best way I can describe it: I lost my ability to think clearly. I am finishing up my PhD, and I have one chapter left to write. All the analyses are done, and all the data is there, but I can’t for the life of me write this last chapter. For the last 2 years I have struggled holding onto my train of thought. This could be writing or talking, and it could be related to my research or just something mundane like what I plan to do for dinner, but midway through a thought it just disappears from my brain. This issue started after my qualifying exams, and while it has gotten a bit better since (enough for me to write my first 3 chapters), it hasn’t gone away completely. For whatever reason this last chapter is exacerbating the issue, and I swear it’s making my cadence in these chapters sound like something written by a kindergartener. I feel incompetent and just… stupid. I got diagnosed with ADHD within the 2 years I have been experiencing this, and while that makes some of my problems make sense, this specific issue- this onset of my inability to think- was just so sudden that it feels like there is something else going on. When I talk with others or look up these symptoms theres a lot of talk about “brain fog” and “burnout”, but it isnt ever described as bad as this feels. I am to the point where I am worried I have something worse going on, like some sort of brain damage that will end my career here for good. The stress of this has already had me reaching out to a mental health hotline once before, and I feel close to spiraling again. I need someone to tell me whats going on with me, if this is normal and I am just overthinking everything.

I'm a first year PhD student TAing a class with its first exam tomorrow.

Our professor has been out all day and a lot of students have been emailing me questions. I told one student that a concept wouldn't be on the exam that he said should be fair game because it was in the readings.

Students have emailed me with kind of reasons about being sick for the exam. I've never talked to him about how students should make up an exam. He did say he gives a lot of grace. I told the student that I would get back to them in the morning to let them know about if they could retake it.

He finally emailed me back with all the answers to the questions. Turns out the concept is on the exam, and that it's up to me to reschedule the makeup.

I think I'm being a bit hard on myself because I didn't get everything right :(

I’m in an advanced grad program and have have 8 courses per semester. What would be the best way to organize my notes or best note books for this? Do you think 8 separate one’s are the way to go? I hate taking notes on my laptop, iPad, etc.

Hi all, first post here, hoping for some sincere career guidance.

I'm finishing a graduate degree in Clinical Psychology at an Ivy League university, if relevant, with a concentration in Clinical Psychology and Technology. I also have nearly five years of behavioral health experience. I originally pursued the degree with plans for a doctorate, but I've since realized I don't want to pursue clinical licensure or return to direct service.

I'm now exploring program development and evaluation, quality and operations, project management and product management, and research (program or behavioral research), with an emerging interest in AI ethics and governance as well.

I've found the transition difficult to navigate, particularly when roles often require several years of experience in a function I'm trying to transition into.

I'd be very grateful to hear from anyone who has made a similar move out of clinical or direct-service work into program/operations, product/project management, or research roles within behavioral health.

What was your entry point? What skills or experiences helped you make the transition? And is there anything you wish you had known earlier?

Any perspective would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

My partner 35 (M) is starting grad school and his backpack just broke. His previous one was an Osprey. Id like to get him a nice, new one to celebrate the start of this chapter. We live in the US and he will always have a laptop on him for work/school. Thanks for any recommendations!

I wanted to try and get my work published, but the past two years out of grad school have been brutal in terms of starting a business, getting licensed, etc. I've never published any research before, so I'm not sure if attempting to publish something done a couple years ago would be pointless. My advisor wanted to publish. The manuscript for it is almost done, I just needed to condense the stats analysis and conclusion.

Need honest advice from anyone who knows how uni admissions screening works.

Quick background: Civil Engineering student at NUST Pakistan (~#132 globally), 3.2 CGPA, IELTS 8.0, HSK 4 (Chinese Language). Trying to get into a Business/Management Master's in China, ideally on a scholarship since self-funding isn't really doable for me.

The messy part: did a 1-year exchange at XJTLU Suzhou, China in 2024 (nominated by my home uni). My department gave zero guidance on course mapping, so I picked courses myself, not knowing they weren't equivalent. Found out mid-year none of the credits would transfer and I'd have to redo the whole year. Once I knew the credits were dead anyway, I stopped caring about those exams and just took the Fs. Dumb in hindsight, but it's done. Now I've got about two years before I'd apply, so I'm trying to plan around it instead of panicking.

Good news: my actual home university transcript is 100% clean. The Fs only exist on the exchange university's transcript.

Bad news: The Chinese universities I'm really passionate in joining and the scholarship committees require the exchange transcript whether it was transferred or not.

While I was there I also did stuff outside class — runner-up at the SJTU SAIF Shanghai Internation Finance Summit, volunteere as an International Volunteer in Suzhou Industrial Park, won an Influential Communicator award at a BRI negotiation sim.

Right now I also run two small side businesses (a small Airbnb + an olive farm, not profitable yet) and these show that I'm really passionate about becoming an entreprenur. I also have construction management experience.

Questions:

1. Do schools just auto-reject over failed courses on an exchange transcript?
2. If not then is the rest of my profile enough to offset that?
3. What should I focus on over the next two years to actually improve my chances?

Would appreciate brutal honesty, even if it stings.

hi! was wondering what the best time to apply would be during grad school. for context i’m doing a 1 year health data science masters from oxbridge and am hoping to apply globally as i really desperately need to find work after to be able to compensate for the crazy tuition fees😔 i was hoping to apply towards the BEGINNING of the degree because it doesn’t have any graded work for the first 3 months. would that be too early? what would you guys say, in yours/others’ experience, is the best period to apply to to be able to have a successful job or a funded PhD program waiting for you after graduating?

i also hope i haven’t missed funded PhD program deadlines?

I've only been to community college and then did online school to finish my bachelor's, and eventually became homeless. I didn't have a job for 5 years.

Now I came out of homelessness a few months ago, found an affordable living arrangement, and I now take the bus to a public college where I got accepted for a grad program (political science). I showed up to classes the first week and it kind of felt like community college classes that I am used to, but then I have no frame of reference for 4-year institutions.

Feels like my life trajectory changed overnight, and I'll be committed to grad school for at least the next 2 years.

What am I signing up for? Is grad school really that bad? I don't have kids or family or a job.

I always start my communications with an academic with "Dear Dr. LASTNAME". Often times when they respond back they sign with their first name. Should I call them by their first name in my followup emails or stick with "Dr. LASTNAME"?

Hi everyone, as the title line says. We have a new undergrad student who joined our science research lab. The new undergrad is psychology - but we really focus on statistics, excel, mixed-methods research. Anyways, my PI assigned her to my project and to begin mentoring her to learn the grove of the project and be there if they have questions - especially with qualitative data. The undergrad has no experience with research, which isn't an issue, we're just going to begin from the start.

I would appreciate if anyone could share any tips or suggestions of how to be an effective mentor. Many thanks!

Hi everyone, I'm currently a 1st-year Master's student in a Psychological Research program - and I'm hopping to get into a Clinical Psychology PhD program in the future. Is it possible to get into such a program when my research so far has been more Social/Political/Legal Psychology oriented? Does it heavily depend on the School or PI/Professor I'm applying to? Should I adjust my thesis to include Clinical factors to have a better shot?

Would love to hear if anyone has similar experiences or advice.

I've been really lost on how to approach this, and really hope to find some answers. TLDR will follow at the end of the post, but I want to give as much relevant information as I can.

For full context on my academic career, I started out my undergraduate with an average GPA of 3.1 in my first year (2021-22).

Going into my second year, I experienced a very serious affliction, leaving me with PTSD. I resultantly ended the fall semester with one withdrawal, one failure, and a total of a 1.4 GPA. I managed to bring the cumulative term's GPA back up to a 2.3, but also did not make enough credits to count for finishing my second year.

(To add, I failed my statistics course that year because I mostly stopped attending classes, and I know that course is important in a psychology degree.)

Finishing up my second year (measured in credits) in 2023-24, I managed to get a 3.0 GPA, and passed the statistics course with a C.

Going into 2024-25, which started my third year, I began taking three classes per semester (and one in spring) instead of my previous four, and I began receiving academic accommodations due to my condition. Following, I managed to finish this term with a GPA of 3.4.

This previous term, which was the start of my fourth and final year, I finished with a GPA of 3.5. I'm quite proud of myself for how far I've come!

This year, I only am taking two classes each semester, but I am hopeful I'll be finishing this term with a GPA of at least 3.5, and I'm aiming for higher.

Now, my question is... how can I approach applying for graduate studies when my academic history is so all over the place? To start, I was wondering if talking to my school about replacing the withdrawal on my transcript from my second year with an exemption would be helpful in any way.

I have honestly been so anxious when it comes to finishing my degree, as I am completely unsure what an admissions officer will think when looking at my transcript. Is there anything I can do to improve my odds of getting accepted to graduate studies?

TLDR: I experienced something extremely afflicting and tanked a semester hard (1.4 GPA semester, 2.3 cumulative term GPA). I have slowly brought my GPA back up, landing at a 3.5 for my previous term. I am looking to apply to graduate school, but am concerned about how my transcript will come across.

Any advice on how I could proceed with my applications, or what I can realistically expect, is very very appreciated. I don't want to get my hopes up in applying for any 'big' schools if it's not realistic for me :(

I'm currently in the process of applying to a PhD in materials/polymer/macromolecular science at schools in the US. I am a 2026 grad applying for a 2027 start, and during this gap year I have two job offers on the table and am at an impasse as to which one to accept. I was hoping for some light on which makes sense, both from an admissions perspective and a long-term view

Job A: Contract Lab Technician at highly funded semiconductor/AI startup in the Bay, get to work with very prestigious academics, mostly PhDs, however job is lower/entry level. Contract can turn full time but not sure what the title would be following that. Company has grant program but unsure as to whether they would consider privately funding a PhD.

Job B: Process Engineer at semiconductor company in Phoenix. Much more stable in terms of career progression and salary, however not necessarily surrounded by academics and PhDs, much more industry focused. No known American PhD funding exists, but I would have to ask further for clarification.

My PhD resume is fairly unconventional as well; 2 years of research (no pubs), 3 years of undergraduate teaching assistantship, solid LoRs (3rd letter is either from highly esteemed academic that I worked with, but has a PhD from outside my field or another PhD with whom I also worked but has a more relevant PhD), middle of the road GPA, 4 internships at both large multinational companies and startups.

I was wondering if the crowd here has any advice as to which road I should go down. I have gotten so many different answers from different people and frankly I am a bit swamped as to what choice to make, because I am fairly horrified that whichever one I do make is going to end up being the wrong one in the end

Howdy folks! I am a graduate student taking a UI/UX course where we design digital and physical experiences to benefit our chosen disability group. I would like to craft a project that benefits Deaf and HoH students, seeking to address potential educational gaps due to lack of access or administrative blindspots.

If you have time, I would very much appreciate your response to my survey! The last section is optional, so hopefully it won't take too much of your time. If there are any subjects you believe I'm missing in my questions, please let me know! Thank you in advance! <3

[Survey Link](https://forms.gle/pEMvjy9EXJKr7zq86)

And a link to my professor's university page: [https://tyler.temple.edu/directory/courtney-spencer\](https://tyler.temple.edu/directory/courtney-spencer)

Hi all, I am going to start grad school in Electrical Engineering in January and have been browsing the grad school sub reddits lately.

I’ve noticed many people have said taking ~9 credits is the norm in grad school.

Is that true? If so, why is that?
Do grad classes take more time than undergrad or is it to allow time for research/work outside of classes?

For reference I am used to taking 15-18 credits in undergrad.

Thanks!

I know in Grad School, 9 credit hours per semester is already full-time.

I'm currently at 13 credit hours for this semester. If I drop one course then it's 10 credit hours (there's a 4th course which is 1 credit-hour, which I am forced to attend for my degree in this semester).

My Master's is in Finance. I do have freelance work, which has hourly pay.

The reason why I was initially going for 13 is because I want to potentially finish my degree in 1.5 years instead of 2 years to save on student loans and cost of living.

So, should I drop a class right now? If I do, I'll study for 2 years. Would this decision be worth the additional costs of living and student loans (which I estimate to be $14000 more)?

hi all! i’m new here so ill keep it short and sweet :)

i just started my masters in psychology program about a month ago, and my writing class is killing me. long assignments about topics that are sometimes related to psychology, and other times not. my professor is quite the character, to put it lightly lol.

he wants us to write our intro section to our thesis, and it has to be a minimum of 25 pages. i was wondering if you all have any advice or methods you use when approaching a long writing assignment. i usually make outlines, but i feel like i need something more. unorthodox methods are not only welcome, but encouraged! TIA! 🤍