Absolutely defeated: master’s taking an additional semester

[u/Big-Confusion1574]

Hi everyone. Idk, any stories of similar things happening right now would be awesome.
I’ve been planning for the past year and a half to completely master this fall. I have been legitimately working myself to the fucking bone to get it done and I’m done too is the thing. I’m on the last step of my thesis and it’s truly a matter of writing it all down which I’ve done already. My professor/chair just called me and said I can only do my proposal and defense that this semester and I have to continue enrollment next semester because there’s not enough time to defend a PROPOSAL, take in feedback, and defend my thesis. I have been telling him this semesters end was my timeline and working on it so that I could make it to that. I’m at the END.
I bought my grad regalia, paid the application fee, etc. I haven’t even had an academic advisor this entire time either because she doesn’t know anything about any of the processes and when I ask her questions she doesn’t know/takes so long to respond.
No one in my family has done this and so I have no frame of reference. I am at my max loan withdrawal so I can take another 12k out and I can’t go any further. I don’t know what to do. I have been working two jobs this entire time and barely hanging on.
i was wanting to apply for a PhD but I just don’t think I want to do higher education anymore.
This university sucks and is literally robbing me, this city sucks, my department sucks. I hate that I went to this illegitimate school.

[u/bramante1834]

If you haven't even defended a proposal, you aren't even close to done.

This seems like a case of you not talking to your advisor.

[u/LeChatDeLaNuit]

I took an extra year and a summer. Life happens.

If you're really that close, it sucks, but take out private loans. See if you can do part time status or get an exemption to only take 1 credit hour.

[u/maxpig3839]

Proposal is a long way from defense my dude.

[u/devanclara]

Call me dumb if you want, but for my masters we could just enroll for 1 credit to be considered a student. Why do you need $12k?

[u/Thin-Test-3638 → u/devanclara]

Probably a part-time enrollment requirement which is usually like 6 credit hours

[u/devanclara → u/Thin-Test-3638]

Usually part rune enrollment is only required for financial aid but they've run out of that.  

[u/see_directions]

Sorry you're going through this. I have two of my colleagues who added one extra semester to their master's, but it was their decision as they needed to do more on their research. Their advisor and committee agreed to add that extra semester.

[u/ToastedOctopus]

Sorry that you're going through this. What's most important right now is meeting with your advisor getting a firm timeline down in writing. I wouldn't keep pressing forward without knowing exactly what the advisor expects for you to finish and when.

Imo many research master's/Ph.D programs need more structure and firm milestones/requirements to show that a student is on-track. In coursework-based degrees, it's obvious if a student is falling behind, but grad school requirements are often vague and up to the professor's discretion. There are also unfortunately professors who game this system to make the decisions best for their lab rather than best for the student; I've seen 4th-year Ph.D. students with no publications pushed to defend to free up funding and excellent productive students with 5+ good publications kept around for a 6th, sometimes 7th year.

[u/j_natron]

This seems like a failure of the program supervision. My MA program requires a proposal defense a full year in advance of the graduation term unless there are other circumstances. They also assign advisors upon entry into the program based on your general interests, and then you can switch once you specifically identify someone who matches your research focus.

[u/IAmMyselfAlone]

I was set on finishing in 2 year and had bought all the regalia but due to some life stuff (came out to homophobic parents half way through MA track) I had to take an extra semester to finish my thesis. I ended up defending in the summer and my thesis is so bad and I hate it so much. I got it done only a few months later than planned and walked in the winter. I honestly wish I stayed in the closet a little longer or allowed myself more time. I had a GA position for the first two years but would have lost it for the third and I couldn’t afford more loans either. Luckily for me the summer was half priced and I only had to take a credit or two. My defense chair then proceeded to black ball me in his letters of reck to PhD programs so I can relate on holding off on those lol. If it is possible to finish it then do that because either way you’ll be paying back the debt but it’ll be easier to pay back with a higher paying hob which is typically easier to get with an MA than a BA.

[u/Khanof502]

It took me almost 6 years to get my masters. I’ve had roadblocks like my wife having traumatic miscarriage and us losing our baby, then I almost died with my collapsed lung, and had more stuff happen that really slowed everything down, and yeah I’m deep in student loans but education is extremely important and I believe in my degree. Grad school isn’t meant to be easy. You’re literally trying to get your masters a degree which in some way says you’ve mastered something in your field. Hang in there, sometimes delays have a positive outcome that saves you. See a therapist, talk to your advisor, and be persistent. 

[u/paybabyanna]

My partner is literally unenrolled now and has been working on his thesis for over two years now. He lost his job, I had to leave mine, we got into huge debt and both dealing with major mental health struggles. His advisor has been extremely unhelpful and neglectful. He is just now getting back in the rhythm of writing and developing better executive skills. Things happen, dont shoot yourself in the foot. Keep going and finish strong.

[u/LanceCripple1]

Unfortunately, this is just piss poor planning in communication. The regalia isn’t changing overnight so congratulations on buying it a semester early.

The fact that you applied for graduation and have not even done your proposal yet just means you were not communicating efficiently with your advisors. You have two months left for presenting a proposal, defending it and then editing it into your final dissertation. Then you need to defend the actual dissertation and hope that it passes without revisions let alone passes at all

everybody in my cohorts and those that I know all defended their dissertations at the beginning of the semesters so that way they had time to plan for edits, etc. So yes it just sounds like there was a lack of communication and planning it sucks but wait until you get to a Phd program where you’re not stressing about a semester but now you’re 12 or even three years behind your original timeline. .

[u/AggressiveStrain1976]

Chill out, if you're getting an additional sem, don't worry a out it