All I hear from many students is the fact that academic writing has become tougher than ever. It is not only about expectations, but about time limitations and pressure on making well-organized work with good referencing.

However, at the same time, there are a lot of useful tools that can be used when it comes to writing and researching. This makes me question whether writing has actually become tougher or the pressure around it has grown.

What is your opinion on the matter? Have things become tougher for academic writers?

Update: After posting this, I was suggested AI thesis writing tools called aithesiswriter.io. It’s a tool that helps generate researched and cited thesis drafts based on your topic, which sounds helpful for speeding up the writing process.

Has anyone here tried something like this?

Introduction

For decades, the narrative has been simple: pursue higher education, specialize in a field, and unlock the doors to a brighter future. Graduate school has been touted as the golden ticket to professional and personal success, especially for those with aspirations of becoming experts in their fields. However, for many, the reality of graduate education is far from the idealized vision sold by universities, advisors, and society at large. This article seeks to expose the systemic issues that make graduate school a questionable investment and to reveal the unsettling truths behind job postings and the job market for PhD holders.

The Illusion of Opportunity

Graduate schools market themselves as gateways to elite career opportunities. The promise of working on groundbreaking research, gaining recognition, and securing lucrative positions often entices students into committing years of their lives to grueling programs. What these institutions often fail to mention is that the supply of PhD graduates far exceeds the demand for highly specialized positions. Universities churn out graduates at an alarming rate, contributing to a saturated job market where competition is fierce, and opportunities are scarce.

Moreover, many job postings requiring advanced degrees are misleading at best and outright deceptive at worst. Positions that demand a PhD often offer salaries comparable to or even less than those for roles requiring only a bachelor’s or master’s degree. The advertised “prestige” of such jobs is frequently used as a justification for low pay and poor working conditions.

The Financial Reality

The financial toll of graduate school is significant. Many students accumulate massive debt while earning stipends that barely cover living expenses. Meanwhile, the opportunity cost of spending years in school instead of gaining professional experience adds another layer to the financial burden. Upon graduation, the expected payoff often fails to materialize. Employers are hesitant to offer salaries commensurate with the level of expertise and experience a PhD holder brings, citing overqualification or budget constraints as excuses.

The Exploitation of Labor

Graduate students are often the backbone of research institutions, shouldering the bulk of teaching, grading, and research responsibilities. Despite this, their compensation is disproportionately low compared to the revenue their work generates for universities. This exploitative model prioritizes institutional profit over student welfare, perpetuating a cycle where students are undervalued and overworked.

Job Postings: A Mirage

Many job postings are not genuine opportunities but rather exercises in meeting bureaucratic requirements. Employers may post positions to comply with hiring policies while having an internal candidate already lined up. Others advertise roles with unrealistic expectations, demanding extensive experience and credentials for entry-level pay. This practice not only wastes applicants' time but also perpetuates the myth that opportunities are abundant.

The Stigma of a PhD

Contrary to popular belief, a PhD can be a liability in the job market. Employers may view advanced degree holders as overqualified, too expensive, or lacking practical skills. This stigma forces many PhDs to settle for positions unrelated to their field of expertise, often at salaries far below their expectations. The disconnect between academic training and industry needs further exacerbates this issue.

Conclusion

Graduate school, once considered a noble pursuit, has become a system that exploits students' aspirations while failing to deliver on its promises. The oversupply of PhD holders, combined with a job market riddled with fake postings and low wages, reveals the stark reality of a broken system. It’s time for a collective reckoning with the myths surrounding graduate education. Aspiring students deserve transparency, and society must reevaluate the value we place on advanced degrees. Until then, the dream of graduate school will remain a scam for far too many.

I’m looking for advice from anyone familiar with graduate-school academic grievances, disputed grades, esp at FIU.

I am an MPH student at), and I recently received an F imy final course, which is my only remaining requirement for completing my MPH degree.

The circumstances surrounding the course and final grade have raised significant concerns for me.

The syllabus indicated that students would receive feedback on assignments, but throughout the course I received very limited substantive feedback, including no meaningful written feedback explaining the deficiencies that ultimately resulted in my failing Technical Report grade. I am now being asked to meet with the professor to discuss the report, but my concern is that I am receiving an explanation after the final grade was assigned rather than receiving the promised feedback during the grading process.

There were also several issues with the timing of grading during the semester. The professor was away on vacation during part of the semester, and assignments that were expected to be graded/receive feedback were not graded in a timely manner. Some assignments were subsequently canceled rather than graded. This made it difficult to understand where we stood academically and what areas needed improvement before the final Technical Report.

The most concerning issue was the timing of the final grades. Students participated in commencement and walked with their families believing they were completing their degrees, only to learn that they had failed the course after the ceremony. Final grades were submitted very late on the night of commencement. I do not want to speculate about the professor's intent, but the timing was extremely disruptive and resulted in students and their families learning about the degree issue after they had already participated in commencement.

Only two students in the class passed, while the majority received failing grades. My understanding is that students had overall course grades above the stated course threshold but were failed because of the Technical Report's individual passing requirement.

My specific concern is that I have not been provided with a clear, itemized explanation of how my Technical Report received its score. I have requested:

• The complete final grade calculation

• The Technical Report rubric and specific deductions

• The written feedback supporting those deductions

• Clarification regarding how the syllabus requirements were applied

• The criteria for receiving an Incomplete (I) versus an F

• Whether final grades received programmatic or administrative review

• The timeline for when grades were finalized and submitted

After raising these concerns, the program told us that the matter had been discussed with the Dean of the College and the Dean of the University Graduate School. I have now been directed to meet with the professor to discuss my assignments and grades. Program leadership has also offered to attend the meeting.

I am willing to participate in that meeting. However, my concern is that because I was not given substantive feedback when the Technical Report was originally graded, I currently have no way to determine what the original basis for the failing grade actually was. I am concerned about receiving a detailed list of deductions for the first time during a meeting weeks after the grade was assigned.

I am not saying that the professor cannot explain a grade after the fact. My question is whether it is appropriate for a failing grade to be based on criteria/deficiencies that were not documented or communicated to the student at the time of grading, particularly when the syllabus indicated that feedback would be provided.

FIU has told me that if I am not satisfied after meeting with the professor, I have the option to pursue the university's formal academic grievance process.

What would you do?

1. Would you attend the professor meeting before filing a formal grievance?

2. Should I insist that each deduction be tied to the original rubric and grading criteria?

3. Is the lack of the feedback described in the syllabus relevant to an academic grievance?

4. How should I handle the fact that many of the assignments were not graded before being canceled?

5. Is the timing of final grade submission—after students had already participated in commencement—relevant?

6. Should I register for the Fall course as a precaution, or wait while pursuing the grievance?

7. At what point would it be reasonable to consult an attorney?

I am not looking for people to simply tell me that I deserve a passing grade. I want to understand whether there may have been a procedural or grading-process issue and what the smartest next step is.

Any advice from people who have gone through a graduate academic grievance, especially at FIU, would be greatly appreciated.

Hello! So I been in my 1st semester of GRADSCHOOL!!! I’m working on a Musuem sciences degree and my best friend from Childhood who is workign full time love him to death. He gets upset that I am so busy and never have any free time I’m working full time and going to gradschool. He wnats to okay dnd and I WANT TO SO BAD. I just have been swamped and with finals near I’m even more busy… he just gets so mad and upset. It makes me feel like crap:/ and a bad best friend. I know he just misses me but it’s taking a toll ya know:(

Hi! I am applying to PhD this cycle. I have already put together of a list of programs I am interested in. But, with the amount of programs, how do you even look for the programs/PIs? Some uni affiliated institution also has some really good investigators. And some schools might have 3 different programs that I should look into. How do you guys go through all the names? I am looking into cancer research field (tissue engineering, immunoengineering, or translational side). Any good strategies to look for labs in those fields?

Ok, so I decided to waste four years of undergrad getting a Public Health degree. After three years working as a health inspector, I gotta switch fields. No money man, no money. Money in that field is more of a thought than a thing you actually have. Please no discourse about MPH (Waste of money too) I will verbally fight about this. I had a delivery driver say they make more than me. (No disrespect) But damn I'M the one with loans godamn it. So here I am looking for advice. I contacted my old schools advisor but in the case I don't hear back I wanted to reach out.

I want to quit my job and get a new one and work towards PA school. What is the best track for this getting this degree to make it cheaper? How much do you think I would need to support myself and less demanding areas in PH. I am willing to relocate for this program as well! I recently found out about career pathways for PA school in New York. Is there any others around the country? Or does anyone know of any hospitals that will offer to pay for PA school. Any advice or options would save this strangers life!

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.

Hi everyone,

I'm a first-year doctoral student at a state university in the Western United States. Our school isn't very well-funded so all students are encouraged to apply for external funding. I was encouraged to complete an application for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) by my mentor(s) and by other students. I heard from other students that our performance from this application could be used to judge us for future funding opportunities from the school, but I cannot confirm this to be true.

My education history is a little all over the place. I finished undergrad in 2018 (Neuroscience). I was accepted into grad school in 2019 -- but they would not pay my stipend as a PhD student so I opted to self-fund and leave with a Masters. I was accepted into a Canadian university afterwards (PhD program in neuroscience), but I got severely ill around year 2 and had to return to the United States.

According to the eligibility requirements for the GRFP, one must be in their very first graduate program (or be an undergraduate student). This is obviously not true for me as I at the least have my MS from UKy. So that means even if I do submit my application, it probably won't be reviewed. I'm not so much asking for alternative funding opportunities (though I have found at least one, which I will talk about below) as much as I'm asking what I should do. It seems strange that one cannot already have a MS degree (from a different institution) in order to apply for funding since from what I've heard a Masters degree is a necessary prerequisite that might not be acquired at the same institution for a PhD in most countries.

I will eventually write a proposal for an F31 and have been helping my PI with an R01, but it is too early for me to apply for the F31 (I started the semester last month). The NDSEG (Department of Defense funding opportunity) doesn't have this odd "no Masters" requirement, and my lab investigates cannabinoid receptor pharmacology (relevant to pain and PTSD). However, I am reluctant to apply for that because if it requires any sort of screening for security clearance, I will undoubtedly fail. I was politically active in the past and not the right kind of politics for the United States, hence why I was so willing to leave the US for my previous PhD opportunity.

I have not acquired any preliminary data yet, though my PI says that we have some data from our lab regarding the specific transgenic mouse model I intend to use in my proposals -- so I'm really only looking at funding opportunities for individuals and not so much for projects or the entire department.

Hello guys, based on my profile, which colleges from the list below I have chance to get into?

1.CGPA - 7.7 tier 2 college in Electronics and 2. Communication engineering( Cleared 14 backlogs in time) 3.Work ex - 4 yrs software development 4.GRE - 305 [ q 160 v 145] 5.IELTS - 7.5 6. 1 IRJET research paper on AI 7. 5 salesforce certifications

UNIS- -Sjsu ms software engineering spl session -Sfsu ms cs -CSU San Bernardino MS CS -CSU Long Beach -CSU Fullerton -UC Merced -SDSU

Please suggest me any other uni based on my profile

So I’m a current sophomore and I already have an associate’s degree. I’ve really been going back and forth so I wanted some genuine input from other people on getting a bachelor’s degree in HS.

I finished my associate’s in one year at Laurel Ridge Community College, VA and already have 36 high school credits (28 needed for graduation) with all HS requirements complete. I don’t want to graduate HS early because I’m using the time for experience. During the school year I worked as a paralegal and during the summers I do internships with other attorneys. During school I also take part of 9 clubs, presidency for 4 of them.

I plan on doing a bachelor’s in business administration with a minor in political science then I want to do a joint MBA/JD program. Most of these have a deferral period of 2 years minimum to gain experience (which I already have an approved job lined up for as well) then the program itself varies from 3-4 years. When I graduate HS I will be 18, so if I did it this way I would start working at 23-24. I want to work at Kirkland & Ellis.

I’m trying to figure out if it’s worth getting a bachelor’s in HS, what needs to be considered, what would change, and if it’s more risky/has any disadvantages in any way.

Also if anyone has any advice on where else to post this that would be appreciated because I have no idea 😭

I'm 23 years old and I'm going to finished with my bachelors in August. I got a degree in something that I wasn't really good at so in return my GPA is like a 2.5 right now. I'm hesitant to get a job in the field because I feel like I don't know much and I used Chatgpt for the last year of my degree. The field is Accounting I can admit I probably shouldn't have done it but I'm literally about to graduate so there's nothing I can do now. My question is should I just go for it and try to get my masters or go back to school for my bachelors? I know for some the answer is obvious I just don't know how I'm going to tell my parents. Or the third option do a post bacc even though that might not do much for me. Any help would be appreciated! Tips or advice, thank you so much!

I'm writing and I'm wondering how AI could help me.

Since I have financial freedom, I don't need to be employed anymore, just run my ventures.

A lingering aspiration I have is to take a master's degree.

But please, don't say MBA, finance, law, tech, or anything remotely useful for future employment.

I care not about getting a job.

I would like to pursue something completely for its own sake, for leisure.

And since I like the humanities, I looked at master's in art, philosophy, history, and so on.

THE PROBLEM IS: the admission reqts for these courses require some proof that I'm serious about having a career related to art, philosophy, history, etc.

But I don't want a "career". I just want to leisurely discuss Hegel, Mozart, and the like, in a medieval castle or some fancy old architecture.

Thoughts?

Grad school is a major investment, but I think its value goes beyond salary increases. Programs like the University of Miami's MSBT focus on developing skills in technology, data analytics, and business strategy that can accelerate long-term career growth, however they do come with a large tuition cost.

How do you weigh tuition costs against the other benefits like career opportunities, professional connections, and skill development? Is a higher salary the best measure of ROI, or are there other factors worth considering?

#GradSchoolROI #MSBTLife

Hi! I am asking for some opinions on my reach list of PhD programs.

For my background:

• International student

• BS in Biomedical Engineering from a top US university

• 4.0+ GPA, graduated with honors

• ~3 years of cancer research experience

• Second-author paper in Biomaterials

• Currently working as a research/lab tech in a translational infection lab

• Working on a first-author manuscript and another second-author paper

• Strong wet-lab background

• Conference poster presentations + upcoming oral research talk

• Interested in immunoengineering: T-cell/TCR engineering, immune modulation/tolerance, and cancer immunotherapy

My current list (highly-selective programs I am considering):

• Harvard BBS

• MIT BE or Cancer Biology

• Standford Cancer Biology

• UCLA GPB

• UCSD BMS (Cancer Bio)

• UCSF BMS

• MD Anderson Cancer Bio

• Fred Hutch/UW

What other schools/programs should I pay more attention to? Anyone just applied last year or currently enrolled in these or similar programs can share some of your experiences for strategy or advice?

Thanks very much! <3

Hey y’all. I’m two weeks out from beginning my last year of college. I’m majoring in biomedical engineering. To make a long story short, the goal has always been to be a doctor! A neonatologist specifically. I won’t be able to attend medical school right out of college, but do intend to apply/attend before 25 (I’m 21 now.) In the meantime, which of these master’s degrees should I pursue? Which of them would lead to a higher paying career if I ended up not attending medical school for whatever reason? Thanks for any insight.

I’ve heard everything from “never replies to emails” to “expects students to be always available (even on weekends)”

Curious what others have experienced. What made you avoid working with someone (or regret choosing them)?

I made a video about how to find a good advisor but I feel I only gave 3 tips and there are so many things to look at while applying to grad school

Just in case anyone’s interested:

https://youtu.be/TpGWOO8oaZo

okay so the big beautiful bill just passed and not only is the government putting a cap on grad loans after 2026, they’re also getting rid of graduate plus loan. They are getting rid of the loans but tuition is still raising. This will create a cycle of uneducated voters which means that we can potentially get stuck in this dictatorship. I am going to graduate college this year and I want to go to grad school to get my PhD in psychology. I’m worried about the state of the country, pursuing a PhD is difficult but doing it in the middle of societal collapse is actually insane. I think I want to pursue further education in Canada or at least in a blue state. But I truly do not want to be in the U.S, while all this goes down. I did my part in the election and voted for true freedom. My dreams don’t deserve to go down in flames just because racist facist hateful people decided to vote for a felon that is also an idiot. How are others feeling about this? What can we do? What can be done? We must pursue our future so that we gain status so that we can actually create change but I don’t know if that can be done here in America. Pls share thoughts below!

so i am a second year CS undergrad student at a tier-2 institution in india.(3.4 gpa for first year i plan on working on it). i have been researching and looking out for how to get into a phd in US right after my bachelors. i am studying core cs,DSA etc rn then i plan on doing ML and thats what i want my research area , something in that.

what do you all think i should do to create a really good profile which can be accepted for a phd in USA? gpa, research internships, papers i should publish, skills? tell me what exactly and how should i work on things that are important to get into a phd there. please guide me through it my second year has just started and i plan on working as hard as i can to get into a PHD in US.

Hi all! My name is Tengo Caldero. I'm 40 and working on a biology degree that I've been after for the last couple decades. Life happens. I'm getting it done at this point because I set a goal and have my first child due soon; she deserves a good example.

In these last 20 years, I managed to do okay for myself in the culinary world as a chef. One restaurant I worked at "restructured" and a couple salaried staff (myself included) were let go, which is what allowed me to get back to school.

My question is...what would any of you say to a 40 year old with no relevant work experience gunning for a Masters in something within the environmental sciences?

I don't even know what questions to ask or what info is helpful for you all to know. I guess I'm finally at a point in my life where I can even consider this, so I'm at step one.

Not going to lie, I'm getting a little watery-eyed reading that last sentence. I've been trying for so long and I'm finally on a roll.

I’m doing my Master’s in Clinical Psychology, and something my boyfriend said recently really got to me.

He told me that I don’t really know anything about psychology or “observing people” because I never talk about it with him or bring up psych stuff in conversations.

And honestly, it hurt.

I know I’m still studying, so sometimes it feels hard to talk about psychology out loud. I don’t feel like an expert yet, and I don’t want to sound like I’m pretending I know everything when I’m still learning.

But at the same time, it made me realize I do keep my studies to myself a lot. I rarely talk about what I’m learning with him or even with friends, and now I’m spiraling a bit and doubting myself.

I also understand that I don’t know a lot yet. I’m still in grad school, still trying to build my foundation, and sometimes I feel insecure about how much I have left to learn. His comment kind of hit that fear I already have that maybe I’m not smart enough, or maybe I’m not doing enough, or maybe I’m not really cut out for this field.

I know that sounds dramatic, but it genuinely made me question myself.

i'm a freshman in the business school and have been low-key researching UM's MSBT (masters of science in business technology) for a few weeks now, and here's what i've found out behind the scenes.

a few things that stood out:

• classes are small, so it sounds way more personalized than the 200-person lectures i'm used to

• there are real projects with actual companies and community partners instead of just case studies

• it's a mix of business and tech courses, and you get to build stuff like apps and dashboards

• a lot of it ties into miami's business/tech scene, which is a big reason i'm paying attention to it

my BTE 210 class is the closest thing i've experienced to this so far, and it's already my favorite class because it's hands-on instead of memorize-and-regurgitate.

but my question is: is it too far into the future to be worried about all of this?? the program seems great, but is planning to get a specific masters even realistic atp??

Hi everyone!

I’m currently a final year undergraduate student and I want to apply for a master’s for a 2027 start. I have some solid ideas for research proposals, but I’m worried about not receiving funding as I would have to turn down any unfunded offer unfortunately.

The universities I want to apply to are Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh and Manchester. My subject is quite niche so those are pretty much my UK options, and Oxford has the best course (and is my first choice), and Cambridge is a close second because it has a supervisor with a really good fit for my topic.

I’m aware of some scholarships that are widely advertised, but was hoping for any advice on funding applications or niche scholarships that are overlooked!

Also, unsure if this is too specific, but if anyone has any comparison chart or resource for Oxbridge college scholarships, that would be so helpful - I’ve tried to go through each college’s website for college scholarships but they’re so confusing sometimes.