I was reading a book and the author said "I have always said that if I ever hit the lottery, I will spend the rest of my life getting master's degrees."
This got me curious: if you were actually given the option of having tuition covered and a livable monthly stipend, would you keep doing grad school / getting grad degrees?
New federal rules sharply cap how much graduate students can borrow, forcing an immediate sea change in how students evaluate attaining an advanced degree, with some scrambling to pay tuition — and for colleges, prompting concerns about future access to their programs.
The median total cost for a master’s degree in 2020 — before inflation skyrocketed — was $24,250, while professional degrees came in at $59,076, though some universities — particularly private institutions — charge far more, according to EdTrust, a nonprofit that advocates for equity in education.
Under the previous rules, graduate students could take out federal loans for as much as they needed to cover the cost of their master’s and doctorate degrees, including tuition and living expenses, often taking on crushing, long-term debt that contributed to a national epidemic in defaults. Effective July 1, borrowing is restricted to $20,500 annually, with a $100,000 cap. Those pursuing designated professional degrees, including law, medicine and dentistry, are limited to $50,000 a year with a $200,000 cap.
Read more.
Currently my job has pledged to fully reimburse my online MS program which I have greatly benefited from.
However, I received a pretty decent job opportunity elsewhere in the US, and unfortunately I'd have to forfeit last year's funds. So far, that'll amount to around $10k.
I have about 4 classes remaining, but to be honest I haven't greatly benefited from this program as much as I originally had hoped. Unsure if I'm seeing a long-term return on investment. The MS program does include a final project/thesis, though.
New company will reimburse up to $10k/year, but only after working there for a certain period of time.
If I choose to stay at my current company, I'd have to stay there for another 2 years, which I'd hate myself for doing. Each class is around $5k (I got a weak scholarship).
I feel like any path I take will be a massive, embarrassing loss for me. How would you handle this?
Long story short, I'd like to do a 2-3 year long master's in Buddhist Studies abroad in Chinese, tuition-free, scholarship available. It's technically a continuation of one of my bachelor's degrees which is in History of Religions, but the field I've been working in has been IT and digital transformation (but no coding) as my second bachelor's degree is in informatics. I'll have a few years of work experience in that under my belt if I decide to embark on this journey. I've also done things related to NGOs and project coordination in the past before any of my degrees.
I have no inclination of doing a PhD and would just want to do this master to expand my knowledge and better my language skills. I think my main worry is that it'll be seen by future employers as something negative (career gap?), e.g. making it hard for me to return to my previous field in IT or something similar. That's why I'm asking this to get a reality check.
Anyone that has any advice or has done anything similar? If it matters, I'm in Europe.
I'm currently preparing for the upcoming admission cycle and I was surprised by the lack of uniformity in how the topic/advisor selection process works in US universities.
It seems that, broadly speaking, there are two types of processes: either the advisor selects you for a position in their lab or you have to rotate between different labs before choosing an advisor at the end of the year. The former is straightforward, but the way I interpret the latter suggests that there might be a good chance you won't get to work on the topic you really want. This is especially the case for universities like Stanford where there's little scope of communicating with the potential PIs to confirm if the topic you really want would even be offered to the PhD candidates. Worst yet, it's not uncommon for faculty members to not respond to inquiry emails no matter which university they work in.
Am I wrong in my interpretation? Because I'm struggling to understand why people would even want to go to universities like Stanford if there's a decent chance they won't find out if they'll get the topic they want to work on well after getting admission, and maybe even after they've rotated between labs.
This made me curious about how the topic selection works in other universities. Who writes the proposals in your school? PhD candidate or advisor? Do the candidates have to choose between a fixed number of topics offered to them as options or do they have a more free hand?
P.S: I'm using the term topic bit loosely here. Think of it as a niche research interest of sorts.
I don’t know if I’m looking for advice or just trying to get this off my chest.
I’m doing my Master’s, and I still have about a year left before I graduate. Lately, my PI has become increasingly toxic toward me, and day by day I can feel my mental health getting worse.
The favoritism and partiality in the lab have become so obvious that it’s hard not to notice. People are openly favored even when they make mistakes, while my work feels dismissed no matter how well my experiments are going.
What hurts the most is that this change happened so suddenly. She used to respond to my emails and messages, but now she barely replies. In the lab, I feel excluded from discussions and treated like I’m not wanted there anymore. Last night, I asked if she could prepare my drug for my experiment, and instead of a normal response, she was quite rude.
Yesterday I cried myself to sleep, and this morning I woke up feeling so emotionally drained that I didn’t even want to get out of bed. I’ve started questioning myself and wondering if I’m doing something wrong, even though my experiments are progressing reasonably well.
The hardest part is knowing that I still have another year to get through in this environment. I want to finish my degree, but I’m scared that if things continue like this, my mental health will keep deteriorating.
Has anyone dealt with a PI who suddenly became distant or dismissive for no apparent reason? How did you cope with it without letting it destroy your confidence? And if you stayed in the lab, how did you make it through the remaining time?
hey guysss so i’m starting my masters program this fall and i’ve been researching housing left and right. i found some really nice options but they ended up being income restricted. i do qualify financially but im going to be a full time graduate student so idk what the work around for that may be im also 22 so i would be considered a dependent
Hi all,
I feel really dumb about this situation so please be gentle.
I’m currently enrolled in a MS program (env science) and due to lapses in communications, lack of committee meetings, and all my own shortcomings, my thesis defense was postponed and therefore I am set for the latest summer graduation date (Aug 31). Which means I could still have defended, submitted my thesis, and be finished, but I would not have my official diploma until the 31st of August.
My PhD program starts August 25, but my graduate teaching assistantship contract doesn’t say I start until sep 1. I have yet to hear back from my PhD registrar/person in charge of GTA, but I am really panicking. I know I’ll probably hear back tomorrow but I’m getting scared- anyone have experience with this and can lend some advice or insight?
Hi, I am about a year from finishing my PhD. My husband and I would like to start planning a trip for when I’m finished to celebrate. We are in the US (Midwest). Would love to hear any recommendations or experiences you have to share! Both locations but also general vibe— relaxation? Diverting adventure? Getaway from society? Romantic reconnection? We would prefer cold weather (mountains vs beaches).
Also, how far out from graduation would you plan it? My end date could be pretty variable and I don’t want to go as I’m prepping for defense if my degree is delayed. I have heard people talk about major depression and burnout after defending and that it can take up to 6 months to bounce back.
I have two strong LOR but am missing a third, which I know many if not most grad programs require. I plan on trying to get a letter of rec from one of my professors this Fall. It wouldn't be very strong obviously but has anyone known someone who's done this or think this is possible? I'm particularly nervous as I know I'd likely have to give them a month or so to write it and as apps are due in December, that would mean I only have ~3 months of interacting with them. It probably doesn't matter but I'm CS.
Hi all, I’m a sophomore at Seoul National University (one of the best universities in South Korea), studying Electrical and Computer Engineering. I’m aiming for an MS at elite US grad schools (Stanford, Berkeley, CMU, UPenn, Michigan, Princeton, etc. — Stanford being my top choice), most likely in robotics, though the exact field is still tentative. My grades have plummeted recently.
Here are the numbers (4.3 scale):
- Cumulative: 3.25, 52 credits earned (130 required to graduate)
- Major GPA (ECE): 2.55 — my weakest point
- By semester:
2024/2 3.45
2025/1 3.78 (my best)
2025 summer 2.3 (2cr)
2025/2 2.56
2026/1 3.71 (but only 10 credits, all non-major)
I also have some extracurriculars, but they’re quite fragmented and lack proactiveness.
I worked hard for grades in my first two semesters, but got swept up in the AI hype around late 2025 — I founded a company with some seed investment but little traction, then took an internship in SF at a personal-AI company that only lasted a week. I was building generic AI wrappers, to be honest, chasing that “get rich young” hype without solid fundamentals.
I was really burned out afterward, so in 2026/1 I took very few credits (10, when we normally take 17–19), all from non-major classes (college of music and design — which I love, but unrelated).
I’m enlisting soon (2026 → early 2028), and when I come back I basically have to restart sophomore year, because I missed many major requirements like basic circuit theory. I plan to rebuild my fundamentals, and join project teams and a lab to get solid letters of rec from professors. I’ll try my best in junior year to raise my grades. SNU has a policy to retake some classes, which replaces the grades so I may for some — if it goes well, I’ll apply; if not, I’ll maybe get a job first and apply later, using the work experience as a boost.
My worry is that my low grades will disqualify me in the admission rounds. If they won’t, how should I spend my junior and senior years mending what I’m currently lacking?
Some extracurriculars (fragmented, and light on leadership):
- VP of SIGMA robotics club (2026/1), but mostly maintenance-level
- College of Engineering student council member (2025/2)
- Bronze prize at SNU’s Creative Design fair for a brain-wave smart alarm project
- Past ventures/projects: Proovit (a goal oriented social messaging app), a tutoring business, Krunchmallow, plus a few hackathons
- Jazz club member (since 2024/1)
I’d appreciate any realistic advice from you fellow applicants. Thank you for your time!
Hi everyone,
I am reading for an M.A. in psych and I took a course from the Electives list and then realised that my background is just not enough to pass the course. I learnt that I could not withdraw from the course, nor could I repeat the course with another from the same list of Electives. The only option for me to preclude my GPA from decreasing is to take the course.
I am just baffled by how strict the regulations are. Is this a conventional way to adjust course policy? Is it the same in your university as well?
I have noticed that grad school has changed my caffeine habits. I have only been drinking instant coffee, or using caffeinated gum. Nothing ever for the flavor, just for the energy.
One of my cohort mates gave me brewed coffee the other day, and it tasted so good..I can’t believe I’ve been depriving myself of simple pleasures like that.
I have a bachelor's degree, but it's a general degree, and besides, I wasn't doing well during those years, so I graduated with a poor academic record and only a passing GPA.
I hesitate a lot when trying to apply for a master's program because I feel ashamed to apply with this embarrassing record. I don't even want to ask for a recommendation.
So I was wondering if a higher diploma could compensate for that.
Research and academia have been a welcome friend the past 7 years, I went from being in the military to completing my undergrad and two master's degrees - proving a lot to myself and hopefully to others in my family. I am the first in my family to graduate high school, much less college and now that I'm here, patiently waiting to hear back on PhD applications, I am completely lost.
Like most older academics, I'm beginning to look around and think now what? I don't have a promising career, I don't have an established family, I've managed to travel a lot but I don't even know if I like science anymore. My background is in health policy/public health so obviously at this point in time it all feels a bit hopeless. I want to make a difference, I want to help, but will another publication even do anything?
I dunno - sometimes it feels like academia is one big circle jerk of who's the most accomplished (sorry if that's crude). I can't help wonder if I am wasting my life on something that might not even help the world - even when I remain optimistic about the future. How do I get this passion back? I used to love research and learning, recognizing patterns in the literature and coming up with more questions than answers. Or am I just another burnt out academic
Hi everyone. 24F here going for my MA at Johns Hopkins, in a program I am very honored (and was not expecting) to be part of.
I started my first semester at the end of May. Within the same week, I moved to a different state by myself for the first time, and my Grandma (who raised me) passed away. Needless to say, it’s been a chaotic time.
My Professors have been very understanding of my situation and the fact that I didn’t want to drop this semester. I’ve been in frequent contact with them. I am the youngest one in all of my classes. I have missed a couple sessions and although I don’t have any missing assignments, I have turned some in late.
Did anyone else go through anything similar? I’m trying my best, but how do I not fall into the young people = irresponsible stereotype? Any feedback is welcome. I know I’m just overthinking and need reassurance, but I want them to know I take this seriously.
TLDR: I'm heavily considering mastering out of my program, but the thought of leaving is terrifying, especially with the job market being what it is. I just want to know if post-mastering-out success stories can be possible, so tell me about yours?
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The longer version: I'm a STEM (biology) research grad student at an R1 university in the US. I originally applied to the PhD thinking that I really wanted to get into managing/project directing research in industry, and all the jobs that seemed interesting required at least a PhD. I went back to school for a post-bacc to fill in my course requirements, busted my ass to get into a lab during the tail end of COVID to get research experience, enjoyed my undergrad research experience enough to look into PhD programs, and made it into an R1 PhD program.
My lab right now has a lot going for it: I genuinely love my research topic, I've come up with a really interesting hypothesis that already has really promising results (It's my 2nd year in the lab, going into my 3rd year of the program) and the potential to be impactful, we don't generally worry about having to TA or losing funding (I'm well aware of how rare and awesome this is), my labmates are always so helpful and kind and not competitive or toxic, and the worst thing I could say about my PI is he's extremely hands off and just expects me to figure everything out on my own with no help, which is far from a horror story as far as PIs go. Like...on paper it should be basically perfect.
Except, I barely feel like I'm alive anymore. I moved 700+ miles away for this program, to a city I thought I could tolerate, but it turns out I am genuinely so miserable living here. On paper it should be fine, but it just feels like it has all the downsides of both a large city and a small isolated town and none of the benefits of either. The weather is genuinely miserable, and I haven't found anyone I really have much common with, let alone local friends I can become close with, not for lack of trying. It doesn't help that I don't have energy to do anything other than drag myself to the lab every day and then numb out watching Youtube videos and doomscrolling when I get home.
I'm already heavily medicated for depression/anxiety/ADHD and even with all that I still can only achieve the most base level of functioning. The most I can do on the weekends is drag myself out of the house to go grocery shopping or pick up prescriptions at the pharmacy, as in, that's a big deal for me that I celebrate, meanwhile my labmates are going hiking and having movie nights and going on roadtrips or going out to concerts and I can only dream of having the energy to do any of that without putting myself out of commission for the next week to recover from it.
It's not even that I'm working overtime at the lab, I am just genuinely so exhausted and depressed I am definitely only doing about 4-6 hours of active work a day at best, and forget coming in on the weekends. It's gotten to the point that I don't even want to think about my research topic and any time my PI or anyone brings up the idea of learning new protocols or skills or trying brand new types of experiments, my brain just slams on the brakes and can't handle learning anything new. I know it's probably just burnout but knowing that doesn't help me trying to fix it.
My first thought was to take a mental health leave of absence, but my cultures/lab animals (invertebrates) would all die if I'm not there to take care of them so I'd be set back months if not over a year if I did come back. My PI also doesn't really believe in mental health (he's a very "if you're passionate about your work you don't need to take breaks" kind) and he's already gently pressuring me to wrap up my current project for publication (which seems *very* optimistic at best) so I don't think he'd be amenable to me taking a leave of absence anyway. My entire being is screaming at me that this program is wrong for me but idk if I'm just being shortsighted (the ADHD) and that this is just burnout talking, not a gut feeling I should trust.
I'm terrified of giving up an opportunity that I know a lot of people would dream of and that has the promise of getting me to a better place in life, where I can move back to my home city and find a job where I can make enough to afford my own apartment and have the energy on the weekends to go make local friends and occasionally travel and do fun things again.
The job market being what it is right now it feels terrifying to even consider mastering out and trying to job search right now, that's the main thing that's stopping me. If I knew there were tolerable jobs waiting for me on the other side I would have left months ago. The idea of pivoting from STEM research into science communication or even technical writing seems so genuinely more exciting to me. I think I'd just rather be part of translating research/communicating it for layfolk to understand rather than generating new research myself in the wet lab.
Am I crazy for even considering it? Is there light at the end of the mastering out tunnel? I just want to know there's something good that's possible to come out of this. I've been considering mastering out since about a month after my PhD started and going into year 3 now I've been toughing it out for years at this point and I just don't know what to do. Thank you for reading this.
Rising third year, but wanted to get some ideas/feedback. I know a lot of this can change in the next year or two, but thanks
Interested in masters in pathology currently(looking at McGill mainly).
Have triple citizenship(Canada/US/Portugal) as well
GPA: 3.7/4.0
BS in Biochem(BMB)
Biosensor research for 3 semesters
2 summers of pathology research
Rural health research
Resident assistant if it matters
Currently have one pub in biosensing. 1 pending for pathology. 1 pub for rural health
1 presentation in rural health
Would I be competitive for higher ranked programs?
Hello. I think I've been dealing with burnout in the final stages of writing my thesis, and if I can't claw my way out I serious won't finish in time. I was pushing myself super hard Jan-Mar this year when I got the worst sickness of my life over spring break (wasn't strep, covid, or flu tested for all of them). I haven't been able to get into the same workflow since despite having all the time in the world over summer. Anything I do just feels like a slog/pulling teeth. I'm not sure if I should've spent time back in April taking a proper break to clear the burnout instead of trying to get back into it. How do you all prevent burnout before it starts? And if you find yourself in it, how do you pull yourself out, or is it just keep going no matter how bad it gets?
Thank you in advance for any advice!