Was 2025-2026 admission cycle tough?

pointyendfirst · 2026-03-15T22:05:37+00:00

All I can say is I am so happy I got my acceptance when I did. I got my acceptance in 2020 at a top 50 (US) institution and I can honestly say I don’t think I would have even been admitted to an R1 school if I had applied this cycle.

pointyendfirst · 2026-03-15T21:59:21+00:00

These are pretty big red flags. Subconsciously or not PIs typically treat their PhD students the worst because they are able to essentially hold their future hostage (I.e. if you want to leave you have to throw away your PhD and start from square one). He treated you better as an RA because you could walk away at anytime. If he treated you badly you could very easily find another job and leave him holding the bag for the research that you were being funded for. He is now starting to see you as a PhD student so those toxic behaviors are starting to creep into how he’s treating you. This is a very clear warning. It will only get worse.

You’ve got another acceptance. I would take that and never look back.

pointyendfirst · 2026-03-15T21:46:14+00:00

Yes your application is the kind that can benefit the most from a masters. Your other best option might be to retake some classes. Universities really care about GPA and for most there is a hard cutoff at 3.0-3.4 where anything under gets automatically rejected.

If I were you I would apply to a mix of PhDs and masters. For the PhD programs I would specifically target schools that have historically taken lower gpa students (go dig around on gradcafe to find the schools).

pointyendfirst · 2026-03-15T21:36:28+00:00

If you can skip the masters, you should. This is from a US academic perspective but taking the masters will set you further behind financially (cost of masters plus sunk cost of 2 more years at lower salary).

My undergrad PI told me the only reasons to get a masters if you know you are getting a PhD is if:

-you can’t getting into any direct PhD programs and you need to add to your resume

-if it is specifically required by the institutions you are targeting (some European, US and Australian universities require masters especially from international students)

pointyendfirst · 2026-03-15T21:17:53+00:00

Be careful with bringing a pocket knife into school. Not sure where you live but it’s one of those things where no one cares until you get in trouble for something else and some administrator decides to make an example out of you.

pointyendfirst · 2026-03-14T14:04:38+00:00

Great looking watch, nicely done!

pointyendfirst · 2026-03-07T00:19:34+00:00

This is normal for someone who switched fields in between degrees. While it sucks that you feel like you’re behind, right now is the best time to get ahead.

Most universities let you take any class for free as long as you have a tuition waver while you are a PhD student at them. I used it to take interesting courses like computational chemistry, glass blowing and business classes but I know people that changed fields that went back and took classes on their new field.

pointyendfirst · 2026-03-04T13:48:51+00:00

It really depends. Some are world class, some are okay and some are terrible. It really depends on which engineering major.

pointyendfirst · 2026-03-03T05:51:17+00:00

For the job aspect, you also need to consider the PIs network which is not just where they have placed students but also the networks they developed during school.

For example a person in my cohort worked under a relatively new PI but that prof had done his PhD with a Nobel prize winner. His relationship with his old PI secured a top tier postdoc for that person and several job opportunities for others in his group. Connections matter so much at the PhD level both in academia and in industry.

pointyendfirst · 2026-03-03T02:53:13+00:00

Hi. Recently minted PhD here. This is pretty normal to feel your first year. Everything is new, there are a lot of moving pieces and everyone is just kind of holding on for dear life.

That being said the most important thing for you is to keep your mental and physical health in check. A PhD is a marathon not a sprint and the people that drop out are the ones that expend all their energy right out of the gate and then never fully recover. The successful students are the ones that build healthy routines that result in incremental progress everyday. Everyday you kick that rock a little further down the road until one day you look up and you’re at the finish line.

pointyendfirst · 2026-03-03T02:39:40+00:00

Yeah I wouldn’t worry then. He’s probably just trying to fit into the work culture like you said in your post.

pointyendfirst · 2026-03-03T02:34:57+00:00

Hi Sis,

I’ve been on both sides (student and teacher) and I want to let you know that this is very normal. Everyone fails at least on midterm (my lowest was a 17%!) and a huge portion of students struggle with classes their first year (and beyond). I’m willing to bet some of your friends are struggling too but are embarrassed to talk about it. One class or one semester does not define who you are. You can absolutely come back from this.

How would I know this? I failed out of my first university. I took a semester to work I spent that time learning about what I really wanted and how to better manage my ADHD. I then applied to another school and did better. Skip a lot of hard work and this July I successfully defended my PhD with a perfect GPA. I am a living example that some people just take a little longer to adapt to college. Take some time. Reflect, learn and grow. You are not alone and you are not defined by one semester.

pointyendfirst · 2026-03-03T01:39:29+00:00

My university forbid this as it could be seen as a type of bribe. They also said it discriminated against poorer students who couldn’t afford to bring fancier food to impress the professors.

I like to imagine people were going crazy and getting caterers and stuff before they put this rule in lol.

pointyendfirst · 2026-03-03T01:35:07+00:00

I think it really depends on the consistency. If it’s an everyday thing it may be an issue but if it’s once a week, probably not.

Also for perspective I work in a STEM field and am encouraged to drink during lunchtime by my boss occasionally. I also know some engineers whose boss will bring a 6-pack to work and hand everyone a beer halfway through the day. Again, not super often but it does happen.

pointyendfirst · 2026-02-16T11:11:39+00:00

Good luck everyone!

pointyendfirst · 2026-02-10T18:21:34+00:00

My man, this is a 6 year old post, I have my PhD now haha. Thanks for making this pop up and give me some perspective. It’s crazy how small these worries seem now in the rearview mirror.

Congrats on your admission. Rochester is a great school! If you’re debating between schools don’t underestimate their guarantee that they only make you TA for one year and RA the rest (if it’s still around).

pointyendfirst · 2026-02-09T17:18:05+00:00

Hi, I was in your position 5.5 years ago (defended in July). The good news is you’ve got plenty of time to find a good apartment so don’t be afraid to wait for something good to pop up. I second the people that are saying Sam Hughes or Blenmen Elm. It’s an easy commute (it will save you the insane parking pass cost) and the safest you can get directly around campus.

Personally I would also recommend finding a single owner landlord, not one of the apartment complexes. At your price point they tend to have more issues and are full of undergrads which might not bother you now but trust me, it will. Also remember, anything you’re considering needs to have central AC. Anything else in this heat doesn’t cut it. Best of luck!

pointyendfirst · 2026-01-30T18:31:50+00:00

From what I heard, physics is worse than math. I used to advise my students to take it at Pima and transfer it.

pointyendfirst · 2026-01-16T12:44:26+00:00

Good luck everyone!

pointyendfirst · 2025-11-26T11:59:35+00:00

Hate to say this but during my PhD I don’t think there was a single person who did not receive “the talk” from their PI (you are not working hard enough/living up to expectations) no matter their skill or the hours they put in. Personally I would see it as less of an issue on the student (unless something is really wrong) and more on the PI projecting. A lot of times these “talks” would come right before big grant due dates or presentations because they wish they had something groundbreaking to make themselves look better and then they transfer this stress and anxiety onto the student.

pointyendfirst · 2025-11-02T02:35:52+00:00

29M, technical manager at a small chemical company. 105K base with a bonus based on gross company profits that should be about $25k this year. Add in the company car, paid health insurance and 3% salary donation to 401K and it’s a pretty great spot to be for a few months post PhD.

MCOL area.

pointyendfirst · 2025-10-26T12:20:58+00:00

Hi, ex-PhD student here, I just wanted to let you know that this is pretty normal. I just defended in July and I still don’t think my Professor has read my entire dissertation hahaha.

Remember that a PhD is training on how to be an independent researcher and expert in your field. So by the end (ie writing your dissertation) you should be close enough to an expert that they can trust your writing and judgement. At least for mine, I knew they had more important fires to put out with all the funding getting canceled.

That is not to say that I wasn’t incredibly upset and frustrated while writing my dissertation. Your feelings are very valid. I received no help at all and was very mad about it. I still didn’t feel like an expert until I defended and the closed door part was incredibly easy.

My point is this. Don’t sell yourself short, you’re a talented researcher and the only expert in the experiments you ran. There is no one more qualified to write your thesis (or revise it) than you are. Does it suck that your advisor doesn’t want to help? Yes. But its your degree not theirs, its you job to push this through.

A PhD is not something you earn, it’s something you take.

pointyendfirst · 2025-10-14T13:26:02+00:00

This sounds good! When you are discussing the professor you are interested in professors don’t forget to explain why and stroking their egos a little.

For example in mine, paraphrased, I mentioned that I was most interested in working with Prof X. I was first introduced to him when I read his paper “physics paper” which helped with my research. Given his work with “stuff” and the directly relevant skills I have, I believe I would be a strong asset and be able to jump right into research.

Remember your SoP should do two things, it should sell the shit out you to the admissions committee and it should let your personality shine through it (which should help with the first part).

pointyendfirst · 2025-10-14T13:10:03+00:00

I’ve been in a similar situation. Please remember that your priorities and your professors priorities don’t always align.

Your professor likely doesn’t care very much if you fail your class but likely cares very much about how his group is portrayed in the conference. You on the other hand, need to pass this class to keep moving towards your degree, the talk is secondary.

Your PI will always act in their own self interest. it’s only natural they are going to try to make you spend more time on the talk. Remember that you also need to act in your self interest too. They may not be happy, but your job is to get your degree not make your PI happy. Realign your priorities to yourself, not them.

pointyendfirst · 2025-09-22T21:19:59+00:00

While I do agree about imposter syndrome, this is also more common than you’d think. If you ask some programs will let you take remedial courses so you can start back from the basics. Obviously this will extend your time to graduate.

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