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miggity99 · 06-16-2004, 05:46 AM

First off, some background info. I just recently graduated with a degree in chemical engineering. I'm starting grad school in the fall at the same school I graduated from because I started working on a project for a professor and I want to finish it as a PhD project (my school has a direct PhD program which allows you to bypass a masters and go straight to a PhD). Now I had less than stellar grades through my college career mainly because I didn't care most of the time. I ended with a 3.0 which isn't too bad. I didn't realize I wanted to go to grad school until I started doing the research I'm doing now, but by then my GPA wouldn't move much no matter what grades I made.

Ok, on to the good stuff. The professor I work for will be my major professor in the fall when I officialy start grad school. She said that she needed another PhD student. I expressed my concerns that my grades weren't good enough to get into the PhD program and I told her I had made a D and an F in a class. She told me not to worry about it and she would take care of everything because she's on the graduate committee that decides if you get into the PhD program here.

So I submitted my application without a care in the world thinking I'm a shoe in and my professor would take care of everything. I was very wrong.

A few days ago my professor sent me an EMAIL telling me that I wasn't getting into the PhD program. The reasons were a D and an F in recent semsters. She told me that the other members of the graduate committee didn't find this acceptable AND SHE AGREED!!! Now she told me she faced a delima because she neede another PhD student and couldn't afford to pay a PhD student and a masters student (I'm to become a masters student now). She got the department to pay for my funding for the first year, but after that it's up in the air.

I feel betrayed. She told me one thing and did the complete opposite. My question to everybody is what would you do if you were in my situation? I've considered working for a different professor, applying to a different grad school, and just sending out my resume and trying to find a job. How would you handle this situation?

06-16-2004, 05:46 AM	#1 (permalink)
miggity99 Tilted Location: Starkvegas	What would you do? First off, some background info. I just recently graduated with a degree in chemical engineering. I'm starting grad school in the fall at the same school I graduated from because I started working on a project for a professor and I want to finish it as a PhD project (my school has a direct PhD program which allows you to bypass a masters and go straight to a PhD). Now I had less than stellar grades through my college career mainly because I didn't care most of the time. I ended with a 3.0 which isn't too bad. I didn't realize I wanted to go to grad school until I started doing the research I'm doing now, but by then my GPA wouldn't move much no matter what grades I made. Ok, on to the good stuff. The professor I work for will be my major professor in the fall when I officialy start grad school. She said that she needed another PhD student. I expressed my concerns that my grades weren't good enough to get into the PhD program and I told her I had made a D and an F in a class. She told me not to worry about it and she would take care of everything because she's on the graduate committee that decides if you get into the PhD program here. So I submitted my application without a care in the world thinking I'm a shoe in and my professor would take care of everything. I was very wrong. A few days ago my professor sent me an EMAIL telling me that I wasn't getting into the PhD program. The reasons were a D and an F in recent semsters. She told me that the other members of the graduate committee didn't find this acceptable AND SHE AGREED!!! Now she told me she faced a delima because she neede another PhD student and couldn't afford to pay a PhD student and a masters student (I'm to become a masters student now). She got the department to pay for my funding for the first year, but after that it's up in the air. I feel betrayed. She told me one thing and did the complete opposite. My question to everybody is what would you do if you were in my situation? I've considered working for a different professor, applying to a different grad school, and just sending out my resume and trying to find a job. How would you handle this situation?