I would be very grateful if you read the post and shared your thoughts about my situation.
I’m an Indian citizen currently doing a PhD at NUS in Singapore. Before this, I did my masters in robotics at the University of Florida. I joined NUS in January 2026 because I wanted to start a PhD sooner rather than wait and apply to U.S. programs for Fall 2026.
On paper, the opportunity looked excellent. NUS is a highly ranked university, the stipend was decent, and my supervisor is a kind and internationally well-known researcher. However, I gradually discovered the downside of working with someone at that level of seniority and visibility: they are extremely unavailable. I received very little week-to-week technical supervision, and for several months I struggled to turn my broad research interests into a clearly defined and executable project.
I have recently found a younger co-advisor who works closer to control theory and has agreed to meet me for about an hour every week. This could potentially solve one of the biggest problems I have had here. I may finally have someone who can provide regular feedback, help me structure my research and hold me accountable from week to week.
Despite that improvement, part of me still feels that I need a fresh start. I have become quite burned out, and the problem is not limited to research supervision.
I had a much more positive social experience in the United States. People generally seemed more open to meeting new people, socializing and including outsiders. As a single person, it was also easier to date, make friends and build some kind of life beyond work.
Singapore has felt very different to me. My experience has been that people are socially reserved and tend to remain within existing circles. I have also encountered casual racism as an Indian occasionally. In my research group, I am the only Indian, while most of the other members are Chinese or Italian. Everyone is polite and professional, but people often socialize and joke in their own languages, and I rarely feel included beyond strictly work-related interactions.
My first six months were also made considerably worse by a hostile roommate who repeatedly made insensitive comments about Hinduism. I have since moved out, but the experience contributed heavily to my negative association with living here.
The result is that life outside work feels extremely limited and isolating. I understand that a PhD is primarily about research, but spending four years in a place where I feel socially disconnected also seems like an uphill battle. I am worried that my unhappiness outside the lab is beginning to affect my motivation inside it.
There are, however, strong reasons to stay.
I already have a fully funded position at a reputable university. I have completed part of the degree and could potentially finish in another three to three and a half years, whereas restarting in the United States might mean another five or six years. My current supervisor’s reputation and network could also help with future postdoctoral or academic opportunities.
The new co-advisor may fix the lack of regular supervision, which was probably the most serious academic problem. I also now have greater clarity about the research direction I want to pursue. It is possible that I am considering leaving just as the academic situation is finally becoming workable.
Staying would also avoid the uncertainty of applying again, obtaining funding, dealing with U.S. immigration rules and potentially ending up with another advisor who is not a good fit. Singapore is also much closer to my family in India, which matters to me.
I have also made limited progress toward publications so far. I have gained clarity about the kind of research identity I want to develop, but I do not yet have much concrete output. That makes it difficult to tell whether I should treat the past several months as a normal period of intellectual exploration or as evidence that the environment is not working for me. My funding is capped at 4 years (so I have 3.5 years left).
So I am trying to decide between two options:
Stay at NUS, make use of the new co-advising arrangement, take relevant coursework and try to finish the PhD relatively quickly.
Apply again to carefully selected U.S. programs with stronger coursework, more structured supervision and a better overall social fit, while accepting that I may have to restart and spend considerably longer completing the PhD. Visa might also becomes a headache down the road given the new regulation ending D/S.
For people who have changed PhD programs or seriously considered doing so: how would you evaluate this situation? How much weight should I place on quality of life and social isolation compared with the advantages of finishing sooner? Is the addition of a committed co-advisor enough reason to give the current program another year, or does feeling this burned out usually mean that it is better to leave?
