<p>Hi folks. I recently got in a PhD program at UCSD with full funding, starting this Fall 2010. I seriously plan on going to another institution (higher tie) when I get some pubs in hands or when I have gotten the master's degree from UCSD. Has someone done this before? Please give me some advice! I know I'll be wasting a few years but I think it's worthy.</p>
<p>Looking at your past posts, it seemed you got full funding- I dont think your plan is a good idea</p>
<p>Yes I got full funding. Why do you think it isn’t a good idea? Is it considered unethical or something?</p>
<p>yeah its a bit unethical- moreover where will u get ur recommendations from?</p>
<p>Also it would take you longer to finish your PhD. I dont think prestige is enough reason to transfer- search online and you would see previous threads advising people not to plan to change schools for a PhD- I would give you a looking but I am preparing my taxes, which are unfortunately due today US time</p>
<p>It’s definitely unethical because even if you plan to stop after getting the masters (2 years) you have already used tens of thousands of dollars of someone else’s grant money.</p>
<p>Yeah, this is a terrible idea. If you’re not happy with UCSD, don’t go in the fall. Transferring to another PhD program without extremely good reasons (like your advisor dies, you have some life-changing event that understandably takes you in a completely different direction, etc.) just probably won’t happen. </p>
<p>Where are you going to get letters of rec? What are you going to tell your department at UCSD when they ask why you’re dropping out? What are you going to tell the places you apply to? If you want to get an academic job, you need to think about the kind of reputation you’re making and what the academic history on your CV says about you.</p>
<p>I’m guessing you haven’t thought this through very well. Even if you do successfully transfer, you’ll lose 2-3 years by having to restart at the new place, when you could just graduate from UCSD and spend that time at a postdoc position. So again, if you don’t want a PhD from UCSD, don’t go in the fall. You’ll be shooting yourself in the foot professionally and wasting your own time and other peoples’ time and money.</p>
<p>Thanks guys. You’ve made very valid points that I haven’t thought through. It’s not that I don’t like going to UCSD but I was kinda hoping I could get a little more prestige. But it’s really not worth the difficulties, not to mention the ethics and indeed the bad reputation that can last my whole life. I think I’m gonna stuck with UCSD, publishing really good pubs and then taking a postdoc position in a higher tie institution.</p>
<p>LOL, u make UCSD look like very terrible options.</p>
<p>Well they did go down in the ranking by USNews 2010 in my field (ME). I know at grad school it isn’t all about ranking but still. It’s gotta reflect something</p>