Should I withdrawl or drop out of school

[lovefash67]

So I am currently getting my masters online from Southern New Hampshire University.I currently only have one term left and I will be graudating but I'm feeling really stressed with work ,personal life,phd applications , not only that but my professor happens not to be a good one and when assigning work does really provide an explicit detail on what the assignment needs. The intructions for the assignment are lacking. I have spoke my advisor about my concerns and it is not being addressed.Pretty much I will be getting two bad grades due to this instructor. Also, I was late for one assignment and was in the process of turning it in which the professor agreed to after turning in the assignment the professor now refuses to grade it and has given me a zero. I want to apply to phd programs this fall 2017 but now I am wondering if I will be able to do that if I withdraw from the class or drop out of the program completly.I never really noticed how this program was a waste of time till now I dont know if this could hurt my chances of being accepted into a school or if faculty will just skip over it and ignore it since its an on-line school

Please I really need advice.

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[Wendi22]

Hey,

I'm sorry you are so stressed and having a hard time. This is a big question you are asking with not much background so it's hard to help. I will say that there are lots of threads about online programs and maybe even your specific program (not sure though so first advice is to check out some old threads ). Another piece of information on old threads is that what really matters with a masters degree with regards to it helping you get into a phd program is not necessarily the courses (you often have to redo those anyway) but the experience (research and internships) you obtained that will add to a vita.
Im not familiar with that program so idk what type of experience you are getting. But just consider that when asking yourself if a program is worth investment. As for how dropping out will impact phd programs perception ...I'm not sure to be honest.

I'm sorry this is happening because I'm guessing you've put some money into this program? I'm sure others will have more advice. Good luck


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[lovefash67]

Hey,

I'm sorry you are so stressed and having a hard time. This is a big question you are asking with not much background so it's hard to help. I will say that there are lots of threads about online programs and maybe even your specific program (not sure though so first advice is to check out some old threads ). Another piece of information on old threads is that what really matters with a masters degree with regards to it helping you get into a phd program is not necessarily the courses (you often have to redo those anyway) but the experience (research and internships) you obtained that will add to a vita.
Im not familiar with that program so idk what type of experience you are getting. But just consider that when asking yourself if a program is worth investment. As for how dropping out will impact phd programs perception ...I'm not sure to be honest.

I'm sorry this is happening because I'm guessing you've put some money into this program? I'm sure others will have more advice. Good luck


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Honestly, the masters program is just to help me gain more money in the psychology field. I had to get my own research experience.The program does not that provide that and it does not provide intership experience. I utilmately wanted to do this program not only for the moey but to also boost my undergrad gpa.The others terms I did really well but this term I am afraid that I'm going to get two C's so I am afraid I wont be accepted into any programs in the Fall 2017

 

[PsychScience]

So I am currently getting my masters online from Southern New Hampshire University.I currently only have one term left and I will be graudating but I'm feeling really stressed with work ,personal life,phd applications , not only that but my professor happens not to be a good one and when assigning work does really provide an explicit detail on what the assignment needs. The intructions for the assignment are lacking. I have spoke my advisor about my concerns and it is not being addressed.Pretty much I will be getting two bad grades due to this instructor. Also, I was late for one assignment and was in the process of turning it in which the professor agreed to after turning in the assignment the professor now refuses to grade it and has given me a zero. I want to apply to phd programs this fall 2017 but now I am wondering if I will be able to do that if I withdraw from the class or drop out of the program completly.I never really noticed how this program was a waste of time till now I dont know if this could hurt my chances of being accepted into a school or if faculty will just skip over it and ignore it since its an on-line school

Please I really need advice.

I can not imagine any well-respected program will just ignore one component of your educational history, even if the program was online. They will not do this. Doctoral programs are responsible for finding students that will ultimately be successful and do well, and to do that they will look at the entirety of your application.

Honestly, the masters program is just to help me gain more money in the psychology field. I had to get my own research experience.The program does not that provide that and it does not provide intership experience. I utilmately wanted to do this program not only for the moey but to also boost my undergrad gpa.The others terms I did really well but this term I am afraid that I'm going to get two C's so I am afraid I wont be accepted into any programs in the Fall 2017

If you were using the master's as evidence that you could be successful in graduate level course because of a low undergrad gpa, the "C's" will be particularly harmful. Withdrawing for the semester and repeating the course work would likely look better than applying with what will look like two failing grades on your most recent transcript. But I have to be honest, I'm not sure that withdrawing for a semester will look very good either. I'm also not sure that dropping out completely will look any better. You are definitely in a tough spot. Is there really no way you can turn those grades around?

 

[lovefash67]

I can not imagine any well-respected program will just ignore one component of your educational history, even if the program was online. They will not do this. Doctoral programs are responsible for finding students that will ultimately be successful and do well, and to do that they will look at the entirety of your application.



If you were using the master's as evidence that you could be successful in graduate level course because of a low undergrad gpa, the "C's" will be particularly harmful. Withdrawing for the semester and repeating the course work would likely look better than applying with what will look like two failing grades on your most recent transcript. But I have to be honest, I'm not sure that withdrawing for a semester will look very good either. I'm also not sure that dropping out completely will look any better. You are definitely in a tough spot. Is there really no way you can turn those grades around?

This week, will be the last week of classes. So, there's nothing that I can do.I have spoke to my advisor several times through out the term and it is like he is not doing anything. Should I just forget about applying to phd programs in December and wait till next year?

 

[PsychScience]

This week, will be the last week of classes. So, there's nothing that I can do.I have spoke to my advisor several times through out the term and it is like he is not doing anything. Should I just forget about applying to phd programs in December and wait till next year?

This situation sounds really overwhelming, and so it might be helpful to take a few steps back.

1) It's good that you talked to your advisor and expressed your concerns, but there is not much any advisor could do in this situation. Unfortunately, at the end of the day the student is the party responsible for the grade and doing the work necessary to earn that grade, even when it feels like the instructor has not done their best, it is still the student's responsibility.

2) Instead of waiting for your advisor to do something about your current classwork, it might be worth talking to your advisor about the best path forward. Someone who knows your background well is likely to give you the best guidance on how to move forward. Whether or not its a good idea to apply to clinical psych PhD programs in the fall of this next year depends on so many other things including, but not limited to, how much research experience you have, what your other stats look like (GRE, uGPA, final grad GPA), the strength of your rec letters, the list of programs you are applying to and your fit with those programs. These are things that are probably best discussed with a trusted mentor.

If you find that your advisor is still unhelpful in discussing this, perhaps you have someone else in the academic area you can consult with? Another professor in your current program, previous undergrad mentor, or the person you do research for? Regardless, I think it would be much more helpful to talk through your options with someone who knows your credentials and background and can give you an honest assessment of (a) how to handle the current dilemma (drop or withdraw or take the fail) or (b) if it might be a good time to hit pause on applications for next fall.

You could also post the relevant info WAMC and get feedback from others here. But even still, the best info is likely to come from someone who both knows you as an applicant and also knows the application process.

To at least a little bit answer your question whether or not to apply in the fall I will say this, the graduate school application process is expensive and rough. It's an especially competitive and difficult process if you are shooting for funded PhD programs. You should plan to apply when you have the best application together for applying, because you really don't want to have to go through the application process more than once.

 

[lovefash67]

This situation sounds really overwhelming, and so it might be helpful to take a few steps back.

1) It's good that you talked to your advisor and expressed your concerns, but there is not much any advisor could do in this situation. Unfortunately, at the end of the day the student is the party responsible for the grade and doing the work necessary to earn that grade, even when it feels like the instructor has not done their best, it is still the student's responsibility.

2) Instead of waiting for your advisor to do something about your current classwork, it might be worth talking to your advisor about the best path forward. Someone who knows your background well is likely to give you the best guidance on how to move forward. Whether or not its a good idea to apply to clinical psych PhD programs in the fall of this next year depends on so many other things including, but not limited to, how much research experience you have, what your other stats look like (GRE, uGPA, final grad GPA), the strength of your rec letters, the list of programs you are applying to and your fit with those programs. These are things that are probably best discussed with a trusted mentor.

If you find that your advisor is still unhelpful in discussing this, perhaps you have someone else in the academic area you can consult with? Another professor in your current program, previous undergrad mentor, or the person you do research for? Regardless, I think it would be much more helpful to talk through your options with someone who knows your credentials and background and can give you an honest assessment of (a) how to handle the current dilemma (drop or withdraw or take the fail) or (b) if it might be a good time to hit pause on applications for next fall.

You could also post the relevant info WAMC and get feedback from others here. But even still, the best info is likely to come from someone who both knows you as an applicant and also knows the application process.

To at least a little bit answer your question whether or not to apply in the fall I will say this, the graduate school application process is expensive and rough. It's an especially competitive and difficult process if you are shooting for funded PhD programs. You should plan to apply when you have the best application together for applying, because you really don't want to have to go through the application process more than once.

So, I finally got a hold of my advisor he said that I can retake the class if I get a C and the grade that I get when I retake the class will be my final grade so it does not affect my gpa but it will be on my transcript. I think I will still go through and apply this December and try my luck.

 

[Harry3990]

It might help to list your stats in the WAMC thread if you're wanting feedback about your chances. If you haven't already done so.