CHSPE doctoral student Alex Chin shares his experience of transferring as a PhD student with Inside Higher Education

Only 57 percent of doctoral students in the United States and Canada complete their PhD within 10 years, writes CSHPE doctoral student Alex Chin for Inside Higher Ed. Students leave their programs for many different reasons, notes Chin, but if one’s program is a poor fit, then he wants students to know that they have options.

Chin himself transferred from one institution to another as a doctoral student. He offers six tips for others seeking to do the same.

• Be able to explain clearly and succinctly why you are transferring in both written and verbal formats.
• Establish relationships with faculty at your current institution who will support you.
• Don’t make transferring the sole focus of your application.
• Maintain a balance between having ideas of what you want to study while also being open to learning new things.
• Remain diligent and respectful to people at your current institution.
• Remember that you have agency during this process.

“No matter how well prepared you are, transferring PhD programs can be anxiety-inducing,” writes Chin. “For what it is worth, I thought it better to try and find a program that fit my needs rather than graduate without being able to fulfill the goals that led me to pursue a PhD in the first place.”