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[soprano]

I am close to the end of the first year of grad school.  I've done well academically (4.0 GPA so far) and had a chance to do some graduate teaching assistanship work (grading papers mostly) and research.  I picked this program because it seemed that the school would allow me to do research and art; but there was political in-fighting and the more artistic departments and this one had a falling out.  They also made changes to the program so that a lot of the coursework that I took last semester no longer counts.  They said that they'd honor my classwork ... but well ... who knows?  My research stint did not go well; the lead hated whatever I did.  I was second guessing my intelligence and sanity for a while until I found out that she'd driven out the previous doctorate student in less than 2 months.  I've lasted for 4.  My advisor pretty much knew that the lead was difficult to work with, but didn't warn me, protect me, or even try to help in any way. (I think he just wanted someone who would take the position and me, being so new to all of this, took it - I was so naive.)  Thank God I can protect myself. 

So, the long and short of it is, this school is no longer a good fit for me -- I do not trust my advisor, there is only one other advisor in the department that I feel would consider, and there is no longer a focus on the type of art that I'd like to do (or any equipment with which to do it).  If I want to take classes at another department, I can do so, but would have to pay for the class twice as it would involve some sort of independent study - which teachers can choose to honor - or not.

So here is the dilemna.  I can leave with an MA (only 5 more classes) grit my teeth and get out next spring, or I can switch grad schools.  If I stay, I'd switch advisors.  If so, I'd do my thesis this summer and fall and defend in the spring.  Then I'd take my thesis project and use it to get into an MFA program that I really like next fall.

Or I could just leave and go elsewhere.  Coursework would go down the drain, and some of the reputable MFA programs have already stopped accepting applications.   I wasn't confident in my abilities originally and ended up really underselling myself, which is part of the reason I am here.  I went to a pretty decent undergraduate school (in the top 30) but this school is pretty poor - it is a 3rd tier school. 

So, can this be salvaged?  Is it possible to rebound and go to a better school?  Are there some other things that I can think about doing?  I mentioned the school ranking, but the most important thing to me is that I'll get a chance to really hone my craft while also learning how to apply the theory.  When I'm done, I'd love to be able to do some teaching as well as actually practice my art.
Any advice would be appreciated!


soprano

[nameishere]

What field are you in?  What do you hope to do after graduation--work in academia, perform/create, work outside of academia, etc.?

[katherineparr]

And - did you spend your own money this year, or were you funded by the dept.?

[soprano]

I am in the Media field, but am in a program that - on paper at least - supposedly allowed me to learn more about film and writing.  However, the "falling out" between departments made this much more difficult to achieve.  And they covered about 60% of my tuition this year. 

[soprano]

After graduation, I would initially like to work within my field as an artist and ultimately like to market my work.  I would like to also teach at the college level as well - at a teaching university (as opposed to a research one).

[euro_trash]

I would suggest that you grit your teeth and finish the MA.  If you only have a few classes left, now is not the time to think of starting over with a new MA program.  Start researching PhD programs poste-haste.

[katherineparr]

Well, if they paid for most of it, I think that lowers the cost of leaving.

However, my gut-level response echoes NEIK: stick it out. You'll have an MA, you can go on to an MFA or PhD as you prefer, and you will be wiser about how to evaluate programs.

That said, there's no harm in applying to some of the MFA's that have *not* yet closed. See what happens.

[soprano]

Thanks for the responses.  Sometimes it helps to have a bit of perspective.  Since I am so close to finishing I'm going to do that and use my creative thesis to prepare a portfolio so that I'll be a strong candidate for another school.  The value of this year has been that I now know what to look for and what not to look for in a school - what questions to ask - and so on.  I've also clarified my own goals and have a better sense of my own strengths and weaknesses.  So this has basically served as a practice year for me. 

Thanks again for all of the responses ... I appreciate you taking the time to weigh in on this situation.