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Hi All, Requesting views, experiences, opinions on below dilemma: I'm currently in my first year (and first semester) at a top-30 PhD program in the US, but now needing to relocate to Europe for (entirely) personal, and unavoidable reasons. Most EU schools have a cap on the number of letters I can submit and I have to optimize on which letters I choose: do I choose a letter from my current university, so that the admissions committee do not think that I am quitting because of any bad experiences or due to failing my exams here? (Such a letter will reduce information asymmetry but it will not be as strong as my other letters because it will be built off of just 2 months of interaction with my professor, and grade A-, on his subject. OR Do I submit letters from my old professors who know me better, and can write a relatively more detailed letter. Also, I know those letters are not bad because they got me into this T-30 program in the first place!. The drawback with this strategy is that reviewers will not have any faculty's validation/assessment about my performance at current phd program. They will have my transcript though, and my SOP, where I shall clearly state my reasons for moving. Thanks a lot !

Rule: In general, use the author's or speaker's full name the first time you need to mention her or him. After that, use her or his last name. First, let's look at an example. Imagine you're reading an essay written by Zadie Smith about public libraries. You'll need to refer to her throughout your writing. (Note: The instructions state that Smith is a female; you should be sure to refer to her appropriately when you write.) I have read essays with several different methods of referring to Smith. The first, and best, is simply to say "Smith." For example, "In her essay, Smith argues that public libraries are important centers of culture." This is the correct way--using Smith's last name (also referred to as the surname or family name). Examples Best: "Smith claims that libraries exist for altruistic reasons." This is correct--here we use Smith's last name. Avoid: "Zadie claims that libraries exist for altruistic reasons." This is not standard. To my ears, when I hear this (or read it, as it were), I feel like the author is a friend of the writer. This mistake isn't terribly common, but I do see it, so if you're using this format, you should know it's not considered standard for formal essays. Avoid: "Zadie Smith claims that libraries exist for altruistic reasons." I also see this form from time to time--using the writer's full name. We generally don't do this in formal writing mostly because it's just too time-consuming to write out the full name. I'm working on a series of articles related to really common mistakes, and this is one of the first in the series.

There is this popular blog on disadvantages of grad school: 100 Reasons NOT to Go to Graduate School However, its focus is on the humanities and social sciences. My question is how relevant and realistic are these reasons with respect to PhD in Economics and PhD in Business? Are most problems the same or is it a completely different story?