I am in the midst of a human rights complaint against my comprehensive exam chair, based on her discriminatory and abusive behavior. She thought she felt entitled to her actions based on my performance on the first comprehensive exam, which I passed, but barely. A faculty member internal to the department failed me, and an external faculty member, an expert in my field, passed me with honors. My comprehensive exam chair gave me time off to "think" about whether I should move forward to the next exam.

My department is so uncivilized and wretched, it is beyond words and I do not have any support from my academic advisor. I have until the end of the weekend to decide whether I am going to continue on in this program (due to my rental situation). On one hand, I think I should move forward, being I have 2 years and plenty of money invested, and on the other hand, a part of me is telling me to run for the hills, as they will most likely fail me, regardless. At least I could move on to another institution, if I so desired, with an unblemished record.

I am angry, at a loss, and any feedback would be useful.

Hi PhDDiva,

Sorry to read of your situation. It does not sound like an encouraging place to be. How are you progressing with your decision?

Personally, I would determine what my options were to continue at another institution. If it were at all possible, I would also talk to some students and postdocs in a lab that may be possible to move to. Also, if you have any postgraduate student representative bodies, who are independent of the University, I would go see them, to 1) have everything documented, and 2) discuss what they would advise as the best actions would be for you to consider.

I'm not sure that my reply will help, but I do wish you all the best and every success with your next step.

sorry to hear about the way you've been treated. i was treated so badly during my phd at my university. but i persevered with them, they refused to pass me at the first viva and eventually passed me second time round.

my advice would be since you've done two years.. stay for the last if there is a chance you will finish within the required time (am assuming its three years). but from the sound of things, the department won't pass you easily. so if i were you, i would tell the current university that i will stay to buy time to look for a place to transfer. the effect will be that to them you are still with them. in the next month or so, concentrate on finding a place to move that will allow you to transfer your two years. don't take the decision to move before finding a place to go!

when you get accepted at the other place in writing, simply drop your supervisors an email saying you have quit. ofcourse you will try to write it as politely as possible but the point should come across.:)

I'm assuming you are in the US / Canada from your mention of comprehensive exams. I'm not really understanding what a human rights complaint might entail or why it's the exam chair you are complaining about rather than the person who failed you, so apologies if this is irrelevant. But I wondered if there was any chance of you exiting this programme with a masters based on the work you've done thus far? If you academic advisor is the person who would be your thesis supervisor, and s/he is not supporting your complaint, then it would seem like starting the research bit of the programme with this person in charge is not a good idea. I wondered if you exited with a masters, whether that might exempt you from some coursework in a new programme rather than starting over completely?
The other thing to think about would be the funding package you have versus what you might get elsewhere - I know it's unusual to self-fund a PhD in the US but wondered from your mention of investing money whether you were only partially funded? If so, it might also make sense to move if the funding might be better elsewhere.
Final thought: try to take a step back from your anger and frustration at your situation, and ask yourself whether you definitely want to do a PhD still. Is your department really so outstandingly awful (it might well be) or is it more that you are disallusioned with academia? If it's the latter walk away now and do something else. Don't feel that because you've started it, you've got to finish it (perhaps out of pride). There is nothing wrong in figuring out that another route would be better at the moment.

I have to admit I'm not clear on the handling of PhDs in the US, and I only know th ebasic structure. The wide variation in exam board results is bizarre to say the least. It does read as though some internal politics is invloved.

Could you transfer to a different University, thereby you current University is rid of the perceived 'problem' and using your external's glowing report as a selling point to enable the transfer?

I know people have transferred registration over here in the UK and wonder if that might be possible in the US.

Ian (Mackem_Beefy)