r/GradSchoolAdvice

I may get absolutely flamed for this, but I want to do better and be better in this next stage of my education. So please go easy on me.

A few months ago I finished my undergraduate degree. I graduated with honours but I have to admit after first year I never did the readings or I would use AI (usually Chat GPT) to give me summaries and notes. I’m huge undergraduate lectures, I could usually get away fine and do pretty well academically. I never missed a day of lectures/classes so I was comfortable enough with being lazy with the assigned readings.

When I had to do academic research I would look for articles or book chapters and then narrow down one part and only read that section required for my argument/evidence.

Yet in a few weeks, I will be starting a course-based masters program in Political Science. The classes sizes are quite small , like 3-15 people. I’m assuming also the classes will be more seminar based rather than lectures. Meaning I cannot fly under the radar anymore.

I struggle to read everything assigned from front to back and take notes. How do you go about the readings? I do manage my time when I’m taking 3-4 classes a semester and do other things. Some classes can assign up to 100 pages.

The good thing is my classes are once a week for about 3 hours. This gives me some decent time to prep between classes.

Second-year econ Master's student in India, trying to lock down a dissertation supervisor before my proposal is due in a couple of days, and I'm stuck.

My interest is banking/finance. I want something data-heavy, panel econometrics, stuff I can actually talk about confidently in job interviews later (I'm leaning toward the job market over a PhD).

There's a professor who's the person for banking + econometrics in my dept. Genuinely brilliant, no debate there. But the word from seniors is: hard to get time with him, and he wants things done his way without always explaining why. Looked up two of his former students' dissertations, though, and they're genuinely solid.

Then there's a prof I did a coursework project with once who was a good mentor. Her topic of interest is Labour and gender, and I am neutral towards this topic. She actually explains why you're doing something, helps you figure out what to do when a method doesn't work instead of just handing you the fix. The field is different, and she won't take on banking topics. So that door's shut.

The third option is approachable and smart too, but agriculture/environment econ, and I just don't have real interest there. Forcing it for 7-8 months feels like a bad idea.

So it's basically: topic fit + harder personality vs. finding someone else who's both, if that even exists in my department.

Anyone been through this? How much does advisor style actually matter for a Master's diss vs. just going with whoever's the expert? Trying to decide fast.

I am planning to apply to CS PhD programs and am considering which research areas to pursue. I want to identify areas that:

• lead to lucrative job opportunities in the short, medium, and long term;
• offer substantial entrepreneurial opportunities, preferably without requiring large amounts of upfront capital;
• are likely to remain active research areas for many years; and
• provide opportunities to make a significant impact.

I am researching publication, hiring, funding, and investment trends, but individual researchers may have insights that are not apparent from publicly available data. Which areas currently offer the strongest combination of income potential, entrepreneurial opportunity, research longevity, and impact?

Conversely, which areas may appear hot but are already producing diminishing marginal returns or becoming crowded? (LLMs?)

I understand that money should not be the sole reason to pursue a PhD or choose a research area. However, financial outcomes are a legitimate consideration. There is no particular virtue in becoming a starving scholar when it may be possible to do meaningful research and also become financially successful.

I also recognize that research direction often develops during the PhD rather than being fixed before admission. Still, I would like to make an informed choice about which areas to explore from the outset.

I am grateful for your feedback.

I'm a Canadian student (BBA background) planning to apply to research/thesis-based Master's programs in Education/Learning Sciences, with the goal of eventually pursuing a PhD.

A few things I'm trying to figure out:

• Is Canada or US school generally seen as a stronger stepping stone into a PhD, especially for someone switching fields into Education/Learning Sciences? Does it matter much where the Master's is from if I eventually want to do a PhD in the US or vice versa?
• From what I've read, Canadian thesis-based Master's programs are more likely to be funded (RA/TA-ships) compared to US programs, where funded terminal Master's are rarer. Is this accurate?
• How do you go about identifying and contacting potential supervisors and making sure their research aligned with your interests before applying?
• Has anyone here switched from a business/BBA-type background into Education/Learning Sciences research? How did you frame that transition in your SOP or make yourself a competitive applicant

Also curious about hoe competitive Canadian programs (e.g., OISE/UofT, UBC, McGill, etc.) are compared to US programs in this space, and whether it's worth applying broadly to both or focusing on one country.

Any advice, personal experiences, or program recommendations are hugely appreciated. Thank you!!!

Hi all. I'm a first-year PhD student in sociology in my home country (Europe). I'm pretty much set on quitting before re-enrollment at this point and have started job searching. This has been a really difficult time, so I'm here to hear how things have gone for others and to get any advice really. I also feel like I need to share my experience somewhere before leaving. Unfortunately, I haven't managed to build a supportive network of peers within academia for this kind of request, so I'm hoping it can happen here :) I also don't feel ready to share this with my friends and family outside academia.

Here's a bit of context (I'd rather not include any identifiable info, sorry for the vagueness of it all)... I've wanted to pursue a PhD and work in academia since basically my first semester of undergrad and properly engaging with sociological research. I started studying a bit later than usual as I worked in retail and in a charity and travelled for some time after leaving high school. No one in my family had studied or even graduated from high school so it just wasn't a given for me, and I felt very uncertain about it at the time, which was compounded by poor mental health. Studying sociology was truly emancipatory for me and I did end up doing very well throughout my BA. In turn, this made be feel better and like I had found my path.

I worked in the charity sector for about a year after my BA and was accepted into a very selective master's in social sciences (our equivalent of an Ivy institution). The environment was intellectually challenging, which I loved, but it was also soul-crushing on many levels. Professors instilled a toxic competition for future opportunities including PhDs within the cohort from the first semester of our 2-year program. Unsurprisingly, there was a significant proportion of nepo baby scholars and other privileged students within that program who knew how to navigate that, creating a rift within the cohort. Being about 3 years older than most helped me steer clear of the pettiest aspects of it, but I was also made to feel like I was behind on everything, including by graduate instructors (who had come out of that program, of course). One of them joked about being the same age as I was and towards the end of his PhD while supervising a group of us doing field research. It also took me 3 whole months to figure out that the only reason everyone kept asking me if I was an exchange student was that I was the only black person on that program and one of the few attending this institution 🥲 I was born in that country. I once had a professor tweet a quote of something I had said in class, mocking me on his very public profile, because I was expressing a methodological/ethical disagreement. I had admitted during the seminar that it was poorly phrased and reframed it on the spot. I didn't have Twitter and found out about the incident months later while others were discussing it at lunch. I could go on... I kept going anyway because I genuinely love research, was getting excellent results, and receiving positive feedback about my work from other professors who encouraged me to pursue a PhD and publish my master's thesis findings. And so here I am.

I stayed at that institution, which I guess was my first mistake, and I managed to get 3 years of funding, working with a supervisor I had a lot of respect and admiration for upon starting. Before I had even signed my contract, this person failed to complete her side of the admin duties regarding my enrollment and departure abroad for fieldwork, which meant that I almost lost said funding and contract. Instead of coming clean to admin services, she threw me under the bus with an email stating that I had not reached out to her about any of it. She accidentally ccd me in that email. I was able to produce evidence that I had met with her 3 months earlier and submitted all required paperwork, as well as asked repeatedly if anything else was needed on my part. The assistant director of that institution emailed me back saying that the situation would be resolved, but that one does not start a PhD by "betraying" and "accusing" their supervisor. This almost made me quit, which I expressed to my supervisor, who told me I was lucky enough to have gotten funding and should not blow it. I somehow decided the research project was worth it and hyped myself up again. I told her I was ready to move forward and was not holding any grudges. She did apologize for "the misunderstanding" and asked if I was still willing to work with her. The truth is, I no longer had the mental bandwidth to look for someone else, explain that whole story etc. I also feared retaliation on her part if I decided to swap supervisors, knowing she is fairly influential in my subfield.

It's been a year since this incident; my research is progressing normally, though I've had to review my original project and I'm not as passionate about its current form (I understand this is the normal process of things). I've managed to publish a paper and submit another one over the last year. I also taught a course in pol sci, which I truly enjoyed. However, I feel like something really broke in me over the last few months. My passion for research no longer outweighs my discomfort with academia as a working environment. I keep witnessing the same inequalities, dismissive and/or unethical behaviours, and simply unhappy, overworked individuals antagonizing their peers.

I'm also beginning to feel the effects of institutional dysfunctions. For example, I was contacted a week in advance for the course I taught because they apparently didn't have anyone, and told the syllabus was ready. Only to be sent, I kid you not, a one-page word doc with 12 bullet-point titles for each session and 6 completely outdated references that had no internal coherence. I spent the week crafting a syllabus, trying to get a hold of my student list and my classroom number. The convenor for the course had no idea and could not find time to meet me throughout the entire semester. I got an email 2 hours before the class, finally letting me know which room I had been assigned. I honestly feel I could withstand these conditions if there was any spirit to fight back against the current state of public universities and academia in general, but people are too busy fighting for scraps in the form of the 122nd funding application, struggling to stay afloat, and often blaming those who do try to fight back.

My supervisor is also pretty nonchalant about actually supervising, with most of our meetings consisting of life stories and anecdotes of her own research without truly engaging with the difficulties I'm bringing up and notes I'm submitting. Recently, as I was explaining some very worrying political developments which hinder my fieldwork and have life-threatening consequences for people I know, her first reaction was to nod and say something along the lines of "write this down as it will make for very interesting future projects". I understand that we are moved by intellectual curiosity but this felt incredibly tone-deaf and extractive. Along with other weird interactions, it makes me fear that I'm her token diversity student studying something "unusual" and I've realised I may be read as such by other members of our lab. Jason Arday's trajectory does loom here and I'm finding myself once again questioning whether I actually belong in academia at all.

My mental and physical health are dwindling, and I'm also increasingly frustrated with something I had refused to confront up until now: the huge opportunity and material cost that staying in academia entails at this point. I'm almost 30 and realistically won't graduate with my PhD before I'm 33-34. By then, I don't think I'll want to stay in academia, and even if I were to, the prospects are grim; I might not have any shot at a somewhat stable position before my 40s. I'm currently paid a bit above minimum wage, with student debt (manageable, about 200 euros/month) to pay off and having to help support my mother, whose pension is ridiculous. I only have funding for the first 3 years of my PhD and have to hope I secure a temporary teaching position for a year or so after that. Or I'll have to use up unemployment benefits while I write my thesis, which I might need in case I don't find a job immediately after graduating, which I probably won't. I know people currently in this position, and its depressing as hell.

I know a PhD is experience in a way, but if we're honest, it's not treated as such by recruiters. I feel like pivoting back to the non profit/policy sector at least temporarily now is achievable, having some experience and a master's, but if I wait for 5 years, I expect it will be significantly harder. What are your experiences with this? And what do you think my prospects are now? I'm still considering other paths and retraining options.

I know the grass is not necessarily a whole lot greener as I've worked before, but I at least expect to relieve the constant mental exhaustion and feeling of not achieving enough. I know I had hobbies and cultivated other interests while I was working outside academia. All that being said, I'm struggling with the persistent feeling of failure that comes with this decision and would appreciate any advice or inspiration on how to deal with it ? I politically disagree with the idea that universities have a monopoly on knowledge production, and they don't, but I'm still paralysed by the fear of losing that access to intellectual stimulation and knowledge, even if I'm involved in initiatives outside the university. I'm also just sad that I can't finish this PhD as it had really become something important to me.

Thank you if you have made it all the way down here, I appreciate it.

Hi! I (24 F) have recently been looking into applying for PhD programs and was kind of wondering if anyone had any recommendations or advice. I have my Bachelor's from Roger's State University with a 3.8 GPA and a Master's (non-thesis, but with a creative component) in Environmental Science, Professional Science Management from Oklahoma State University with a 4.0. I initially thought I just wanting to work in industry as I have been working as a consultant the past two years, but I recently starting working as an adjunct as well and really am looking towards a PhD.

I know that since I did not do a thesis I may be limited in what schools are willing to accept me, but I really want to try and see what options there are. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! (Also quick side note, I am pretty open to moving to most locations).

Title, but more context below: One of the pieces of advice I got in undergrad was to go up to the professor at the end of the first lecture, shake their hand, and introduce myself. For the most part, this advice was very helpful during undergrad - it helped me to have a face in the crowd, forced me to be accountable and pay attention now that the professor "knew" me lol, and made going to office hours more comfortable.

I'm wondering, however, if this still makes sense in an online graduate class. Since most of the classes so far have those introductory discussion board posts, would emailing an intro be redundant? Would it make more sense to drop into virtual office hours?

There is one professor where we do have something in common that she mentioned in her about me that I'd like to mention. But is it needed for every single one?

The DrPH program has significant strengths, including accomplished and committed students, access to distinguished faculty and university leadership, an interdisciplinary orientation, and considerable potential to prepare the next generation of public health leaders. At the same time, feedback gathered through listening sessions, cohort discussions, informal conversations, and observations over the past several years highlights several recurring concerns that deserve attention.

Curriculum Relevance and Flexibility

The curriculum would benefit from greater flexibility, modernization, and clearer coherence across the program. Students currently have no meaningful opportunity to take electives, limiting their ability to tailor their doctoral education to their professional interests, career goals, or areas of scholarly inquiry. This is particularly limiting in a practice-oriented doctoral program serving experienced professionals with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise.

Students would also benefit from greater attention to contemporary public health leadership topics, including health equity, strategic communications, systems change, implementation, emerging technologies, and other issues shaping current public health practice.

Artificial Intelligence

There is currently no dedicated course or clear program-level curricular approach to artificial intelligence, despite its rapidly expanding role in public health research, practice, communications, policy, leadership, and health systems. Expectations regarding AI use can also vary among faculty, leaving students uncertain about what constitutes appropriate and responsible use.

The program has an opportunity to move beyond viewing AI primarily through an academic-integrity lens and prepare doctoral students to understand its capabilities, limitations, ethical implications, biases, and responsible application. AI literacy is increasingly becoming an important competency for public health leaders.

Consistency Across Course Sections

There is significant concern about inconsistency across sections of the same course. Students can have materially different experiences depending on the instructor or section, including differences in assignments, workload, grading practices, expectations, interpretation of requirements, and instructional approach.

Faculty should retain appropriate academic autonomy, but students taking the same required course should receive a reasonably consistent educational experience. Greater alignment around learning objectives, core assignments, grading standards, rubrics, and workload would improve fairness and confidence in the program.

Course Administration and Expectations

Students should be able to rely on published syllabi, assignment instructions, rubrics, grading criteria, and course requirements. These expectations should be established clearly and early, applied consistently, and changed only when necessary and with transparent communication.

When expectations are unclear, conflicting, introduced late, or applied differently from how they are described in the course materials, students spend unnecessary time trying to determine what is expected rather than focusing on learning. Greater consistency in course administration would strengthen both academic rigor and student trust.

Class Size and Educational Quality

Class size has become an increasing concern, with some sections enrolling as many as 22 students. In a synchronous, practice-oriented doctoral program, larger class sizes can significantly reduce opportunities for substantive discussion, individualized faculty engagement, relationship-building, and meaningful participation.

This issue is particularly important in an online program because synchronous courses are among the primary opportunities for students to interact directly with faculty and peers. Class-size decisions should therefore be driven not only by enrollment and financial considerations but also by pedagogy and the educational experience the program intends to provide.

The program should consider establishing class-size parameters appropriate for discussion-, leadership-, and practice-intensive doctoral courses.

Connection and Belonging

Connection and belonging remain significant challenges for many students in the online program. Students can struggle to develop meaningful relationships with peers, faculty, program leadership, and the broader university community. This concern has surfaced repeatedly in student conversations and listening sessions.

Connection should not depend primarily on individual students or cohorts creating it themselves. The program should intentionally build community through cross-cohort engagement, mentoring, greater faculty interaction, small-group experiences, structured opportunities for relationship-building, and recurring in-person experiences.

The inaugural Winter Symposium demonstrated the value of bringing students across cohorts together and providing greater access to faculty, program leadership, and university resources. Opportunities like this are especially important in an online doctoral program and should become a sustained part of the student experience.

Communication and Transparency

Communication and transparency remain recurring concerns. Students sometimes experience uncertainty regarding program expectations, decisions, changes, timelines, and the rationale behind important decisions.

When clear information is unavailable, informal communication inevitably fills the gap, creating confusion and eroding trust. Program leadership should communicate significant decisions early, explain the reasoning behind them when possible, and provide consistent information across cohorts.

Students do not necessarily expect every decision to reflect their preferences. They do reasonably expect to understand what is happening, why decisions are being made, and how those decisions may affect their doctoral experience.

Student Voice and Listening

One of the cohorts recently conducted listening sessions with DrPH program leadership and demonstrated the importance of creating structured opportunities for students to provide candid feedback. These opportunities should continue and become part of an ongoing approach to program improvement.

Effective listening requires more than collecting feedback. Students should have opportunities to speak openly, quieter voices should be intentionally included, and leadership should close the feedback loop by communicating what was heard, what actions will be taken, what cannot be changed, and why.

Students should also have meaningful representation in discussions about curriculum, AI, student experience, and other decisions that directly affect their education.

Learning Climate

The program should continue strengthening a culture in which students can ask difficult questions, disagree respectfully, raise concerns, and challenge ideas without worrying that doing so will negatively affect their relationships or academic experience.

A doctoral program should model the leadership practices it seeks to develop in its students, including openness to feedback, transparency, respectful disagreement, fairness, accountability, curiosity, and continuous learning.

Program Coherence and the Student Experience

Taken together, these concerns point to a broader issue: the DrPH student experience needs greater intentionality, consistency, and coherence.

Students should not have substantially different doctoral experiences because of the section in which they enroll, the instructor they happen to receive, whether they independently find ways to build community, or whether they know whom to ask when information is unclear.

Greater curricular flexibility, meaningful elective opportunities, contemporary preparation around AI, consistency across sections, appropriate class sizes, stronger communication, intentional community-building, and meaningful student partnership would significantly strengthen the program.

The DrPH program has substantial strengths and enormous potential. Addressing these issues would help ensure that its structure and student experience fully reflect the rigor, leadership orientation, innovation, and sense of community expected of a leading practice-oriented doctoral program in public health.

Hello! I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in May and decided to take a gap year between undergrad and grad school. So I can work and save some money up before going back to school. I’m starting the process to email my old professors if they would like to write recommendations letters. And starting to go through comments on an academic paper I want to use for my application. I’m also planning on emailing the chair or a faculty member of the program to ask more questions about the program/get my name out there. This was advice given to me by my cousin who got a Masters in what I’m going to pursue.

My plan is to go to grad school in Fall ‘27. I just wanted to see if there was any advice before I start this process of getting ready to apply to grad school. I can be about grad school itself, financial aid, application process, ect.

Hi everyone. I'm planning to apply for master's scholarships next year, but I'm a bit worried that my GPA (3.46) might be too low. I'm looking at programs like Erasmus, DAAD, and other scholarships in Europe. The thing is, almost everyone I talk to seems to have a GPA above 3.5, and it honestly makes me feel like I'm already behind. I also start overthinking the competition,like, there must be so many candidates with better profiles, more achievements, and more experience. Every time I think about it, I get really anxious and start doubting myself. Does anyone have advice or similar experiences? How do you deal with this kind of pressure?

my qualifications: I am currently in final year of my bachelors degree in EE in a 2nd gen IIT, cgpa 8+ (gpa 3.2+), 10/10 grade in Real Analysis, 9/10 in Linear Algebra, Complex Analysis and Probability & statistics

I am planning to do a PhD in applied math from a possibly top 20 US university. I will be writing my GRE Mathematics Subject test this november to boost my profile as much as I can. I also interned at a MnC as SWE intern this summer. Extracurriculars I have as of now are I play football for my college team, play guitar on my own.

Apart from these what all exams and foundations I have to build to maximize my chances of getting accepted? I have heard about IELTS, TOEFL, SAT, etc admission exams. Also I have heard that you need to do "cold mail" stuff to profs of the university you want to study in.

Considering these can someone who has already gone for PhD write a streamlined workflow of all the things I need to do before officially applying.

I’m a Chinese undergraduate student going into my third year, and I’m currently quite anxious about graduate school admissions.
After my first two years of university, my cumulative GPA is 2.98/4.0, while my GPA in core/major courses may be around 2.5/4.0. I’m majoring in chemistry.
I do have some research experience, though. I’m currently working in an organic chemistry lab and may continue there until I graduate. I also recently finished more than a year of research experience in a biochemistry lab. My research experience is still relatively basic, and I don’t think I have done anything particularly advanced or impressive yet. I also have one fourth-author publication from my organic chemistry research.
I’m hoping to apply for **chemical biology/biochemistry or relevant programs (which I'm really interested in )**to research-based Master’s programs in Canada and PhD programs in the US because I’m not financially well-off and would need a funded position/stipend in order to attend.
My main question is: if my GPA doesn’t improve very much by the time I actually apply, do I still have a realistic chance of getting admitted to a funded program?
For example, if I graduate with a cumulative GPA somewhere around 3.0/4.0, while my major/core-course GPA remains relatively low, but by then I have several years of research experience, strong recommendation letters, and potentially more research output, would that still be enough to make me a competitive applicant somewhere?
I understand that I probably won’t be competitive for highly selective programs, and I’m not expecting anyone to tell me that my GPA “doesn’t matter.” I’m more interested in knowing whether there are realistic options for someone with this profile, particularly among Canadian research Master’s programs or lower-ranked/mid-ranked US PhD programs with funding.
If anyone has been in a similar situation, I’d really appreciate some honest advice. Should I still pursue this path even if my GPA ultimately remains around 3.0, or would my GPA make funded graduate school essentially unrealistic?
I may just have only one year before I apply, so I want to understand what my realistic options are rather than just assume that my current GPA means I have no chance.(pls I'm not planning to take GRE)
Thank you!

I am in the field of biological sciences and want to pursue research in microbial ecology. I will start trying for a PhD position this year. But I don't have any paper, have terrible cgpa nor do I have any reference/recommendations.

Thing is during Master's based on cgpa for Master's thesis I was forced to take a project I had no interest in and I'm terrible at building rapport so no potential recommendation from there.

Then I gained additional experience in the work I'm interested in but I was stationed at my Co-PI's lab for the entire duration for wet lab who doesn't like me or my work much probably because he can sense I'm not interested in his lab or immunology just that I'm trying to get it done for the sake of my project and because I have been away from my PI for a year we have no bonding, nor he knows what I'm upto so no luck to gain recommendation there as well - from both of them.

I'm at a complete loss so as to what to do with my life. I don't want to give up. Should I ask to volunteer at labs which work in my field of interest, but even then I'll gain 1 reference at most, what about the rest I need 3-4?? Does anyone have any good idea or I'll appreciate any help - even motivation, I'll be 28 yo in a few months so the clock is also ticking on me, I'll also have to think about money.

Hi, I’m post-grad (USA, graduated 2023 dual bachelors degree) and I’ve been mostly just doing odd jobs the last couple years due to family and health issues. I’m looking to go further with my education, however, one thing that’s made me dread it this entire time is that I just don’t have letters of recommendation.

To further compound the problem, I was never close with any of my professors in university and I don’t have a reliable way to contact any of them anyways anymore. Furthermore, I want to further my STEM degree but unfortunately the last few years the work I’ve done has been mostly related to other stuff so there’s not much there that I can use for letters either.

My current plan is to take some courses at a local school as a non-matriculated student and eventually ask my professors there for letters ultimately.

Would this work? Or am I just sort of screwed regardless?

I would love to go to grad school and get a masters in finance, but I don’t know how I can justify paying more on top of the 50k I already owe. Should I consider getting a separate degree in finance at college for a lower price or what?

Help lol.

hello! ive come to the realization that grad school is something that i really want to do, however i did not properly set myself up for it at all. In undergrad i was dealing with a lot of mental health problems and undiagnosed issues which affected my performance in school. i figured that grad school would never be feasible with where my grades were so i thought it would be pointless to even try to get an internship or work in a faculty member’s lab or anything like that, and so i just wanted to get undergrad over with and get out.

i graduated with an environmental science degree with a 2.3 gpa and no relevant experience both during and post-grad, and i can only think of 1-2 former instructors that could write a good letter of recommendation for me. I would want to do a masters program for ichthyology or a closely related field. what can i do to make this happen realistically?

i had the thought of perhaps getting a second bachelors in something like ecology, evolutionary, and organismal biology, which would put me closer to the field i want to enter, cover any potential pre reqs i might be missing, and show that i can put in good work and take academics seriously, and give me opportunities to connect with more instructors that could write letters of recommendation. would this be my best option? or are there other avenues out there that would work better? i also plan to take the GREs at some point.

if you have any advice i would really appreciate it! im very lost right now and dont know if getting a masters is a realistic goal or if i shouldnt even waste my breath

I am an international student that hit a financial roadblock. I’m not able to afford the last semester of my undergraduate biology degree so I have decided to go all in and graduate a semester early. My schedule is absolutely packed with classes, work, and a thesis.

My research was initially very important to me because I had plans to do research work/go to grad school. But with 24 hours on my class schedule, I’m not sure it is worth it.

I have research experience on my resume with a literature review in progress, a 2 month long plant transformation as well as a summer yeast transformation independent study. I’ve heard how important research experience is in finding a job in biology. My question is whether or not this alone is sufficient to finding a job, any job, in biology or getting accepted into grad school.

Any advice would be so appreciated.

I’m about to start grad school and an internship, which I’m doing on top of a full-time job. My classes and internship are both hybrid, and I’ll only need to go in person 2-3 times a week. My ft job is fully in person.
My schedule works in theory, but I’m worried I’ve way overcommitted. Does anyone have any tips for managing a packed schedule while still having time to eat dinner and do laundry and stuff? I’d take anything

Long story short, I am a 23 year old majoring in math, hoping to graduate this fall. I thought majoring in math would be the easiest way to keep my options open and potentially transition into a career in finance/accounting. However, my in-major GPA is 2.5, and is probably only going to decrease after this semester. My overall GPA at the moment is 3.1, thanks to a minor I added in strategic communication. I have been shotgunning job applications while I still have above a 3.0, but I am unsure of whether I'll land one. My original plan was to find an entry level job and apply for a master's in accounting next year, but I am now wondering if I should aim for a master's in quantitative finance or business (and focus on scoring high on the GRE) instead after reading that master's in accounting is basically useless. Or should I take the CPA exam after taking some courses at community college? What would be my best option in terms of viability, career prospects, and salary?