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moomber123 · 2009 June 28th, 03:14 PM

Hi,

I really sympathize with your situation and experience. While I am not in a position to judge, or fully appreciate the nature of the decision to quit back then, I can really understand and appreciate the kind of pressure a PhD program can put people through. It is indeed unfortunate that your first try ended in undesirable manner, especially knowing that you have such a good credentials entering the program.

There are two main issues here. 1.) In terms of gaining admissions to schools in UK or Canada, my opinion is that it is best to disclose a reasonable amount of details beforehand. True, some departments will just reject you outright, but others will be willing to give you a second chance. The risk of being less than forthcoming is that those departments willing to give you a chance still find out, and take that attitude as indication of more trouble down the line. Since you have sought treatment, I really think being honest with the experience is not going to be a deal breaker for all departments. But if you lie about it, or fail to disclose much of it, and get caught later on, they might think you still need more treatments.

Another potential issue is the circumstances of your leaving the program back then. It was not the case that you were asked to leave due to poor performance of psychological stress. You were picked up and deported. That put you in a completely different category. I don't believe US is actively sharing records with UK about immigration issues like yours, but perhaps Canada might be aware of your case due to the long, shared border. Many having immigration issues choose to "hide out" in Canada, and they clearly want to put an end to that. I am not suggesting your case is criminal in nature, I simply suggest you to be more careful about how the circumstances of your leaving US might still have a lasting impact.

2.) I am not one to discourage you to try again. I do agree with other poster that with a solid ABD, many career options are worthy and open to you, but if your heart is on academia, then you have all the rights to pursue it. Just be aware of the implications of your unfortunate situation 3 years ago. It is a rather small community, and even if you manage to finish your PhD elsewhere, when it comes to finding an academic placement, I am afraid your past will inevitably come back to haunt you. If admissions process is tough and due diligence is constantly exercised to make sure the right students are admitted, hiring decision will be even tougher, the extent of background check will be even deeper. More phone calls to personal contacts will be made. And after that, it comes the time for tenure, during which the process is REQUIRED to involve outside scholars, at which time, the likelihood of your history coming up is an almost certainty.

Simply put, you have battles to fight for every major milestone of an academic career. Again, I do not mean to say these things to discourage you. Rather, I applaud your courage and determination to resume the pursuit. But as someone who has experienced most of the prcesses I mentioned, I need you to be fully aware of the disadvantages your history puts you in. I hope you can manage to overcome all that.

2009 June 28th, 03:14 PM	#8 (permalink)
moomber123 Eager! Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 58	Hi, I really sympathize with your situation and experience. While I am not in a position to judge, or fully appreciate the nature of the decision to quit back then, I can really understand and appreciate the kind of pressure a PhD program can put people through. It is indeed unfortunate that your first try ended in undesirable manner, especially knowing that you have such a good credentials entering the program. There are two main issues here. 1.) In terms of gaining admissions to schools in UK or Canada, my opinion is that it is best to disclose a reasonable amount of details beforehand. True, some departments will just reject you outright, but others will be willing to give you a second chance. The risk of being less than forthcoming is that those departments willing to give you a chance still find out, and take that attitude as indication of more trouble down the line. Since you have sought treatment, I really think being honest with the experience is not going to be a deal breaker for all departments. But if you lie about it, or fail to disclose much of it, and get caught later on, they might think you still need more treatments. Another potential issue is the circumstances of your leaving the program back then. It was not the case that you were asked to leave due to poor performance of psychological stress. You were picked up and deported. That put you in a completely different category. I don't believe US is actively sharing records with UK about immigration issues like yours, but perhaps Canada might be aware of your case due to the long, shared border. Many having immigration issues choose to "hide out" in Canada, and they clearly want to put an end to that. I am not suggesting your case is criminal in nature, I simply suggest you to be more careful about how the circumstances of your leaving US might still have a lasting impact. 2.) I am not one to discourage you to try again. I do agree with other poster that with a solid ABD, many career options are worthy and open to you, but if your heart is on academia, then you have all the rights to pursue it. Just be aware of the implications of your unfortunate situation 3 years ago. It is a rather small community, and even if you manage to finish your PhD elsewhere, when it comes to finding an academic placement, I am afraid your past will inevitably come back to haunt you. If admissions process is tough and due diligence is constantly exercised to make sure the right students are admitted, hiring decision will be even tougher, the extent of background check will be even deeper. More phone calls to personal contacts will be made. And after that, it comes the time for tenure, during which the process is REQUIRED to involve outside scholars, at which time, the likelihood of your history coming up is an almost certainty. Simply put, you have battles to fight for every major milestone of an academic career. Again, I do not mean to say these things to discourage you. Rather, I applaud your courage and determination to resume the pursuit. But as someone who has experienced most of the prcesses I mentioned, I need you to be fully aware of the disadvantages your history puts you in. I hope you can manage to overcome all that.