I am currently a Masters student in a university. I don't need to name the university because this will later on put a shame on it. So I've been studying here for almost 8 months already. I am still waiting for a research grant to pursue my research. My supervisor informed me that there'll be no research grant to further my research so I need to use my money. That's insane because I'm self-sponsored.

Thus I decided to go to other universities to further my postgraduate studies. Thank God I finally got PhD offers from 2 universities-UKM and UPM. However, I am so confused which university to choose. Both of them have pros and cons.

So for UKM, the pros are:

1. I will work as an RA to the project I will do for PhD on June-August so I can earn some money and pay my first semester fee.

2. The supervisor was very nice.

However the con is I have to write a thesis in Malay and publish my research paper in English. That gave me goosebumps.

For UPM, the pros are:

1. The research I'll be conducting is very interesting but I don't like the supervisor. She seems very stringent.

Which one should I choose?

[quote=Critical_Fallacy,May 10 2013, 01:16 PM]
Occasionally, it happens. But I am wondering, What were you doing in that 8-month period while waiting for a research grant? Have you ever chased after your supervisor about the research grant?

I was doing and presenting my research proposal for the first 6 months. At the beginning of first semester, my supervisor said I would receive my research grant once I submitted my research proposal. But then, he informed me last month there would be no more research grant for this university and I need to find my own financial source to fund my studies aka using my own money. So I decided to quit and went to other universities because I didn't deserve to be treated this way.


" You like the research relationship. Naturally, you tend to be moving towards the positive relationship"
LOL I don't like drama and I should be careful to choose a good supervisor from now on. My former supervisor was using me to be promoted and got a good KPI.

"Stringent in what aspect? The quality of the research, or the need to micromanage your work? More importantly, how long have you known her and in what capacity? Similarly, you tend to be moving away from the negative impression (is that a fact?)."

yOU'RE right. I knew her for one day only and I start to be judgmental.

Thanks for your advice. I guess I am too young to go for grad school.

No I don't mean that I want to quit my postgraduate studies. I just think I need more time to think which university/ supervisor is better.
I've learned bittersweet experiences of graduate school while I was in my former university so I know this time I won't repeat those mistakes again.

By the way being in a Biological Science field is not easy. You should have a PhD to secure a good job and have only a bachelor degree is not enough.

Did you have experience working in UKM? How was it writing in Malay Language for your thesis? I have butterflies in my stomach now. My former supervisor used me to be promoted so I really need to choose a good supervisor from now on.

You're right. It's better for me to have a stringent supervisor who will always look at my works. But the thing is I am not sure whether this future supervisor really want to supervise me or just use me for her advantage. I guess I am still traumatized with what happened in the past.

OMG. I heard many supervisors in UM are nasty. My friends are suffering under some of the supervisors there. My seniors managed to finish her Masters in 4 years.

Nice guess but I am not going to tell the university I was in because it will embarrass them. Your Bayesian Network really works..

Thanks for your info. Your explanation will really help me to decide which university I want to go. I always had a hard time to write in Malay Language. That really worries me a lot. Did your receive your Masters from UMBI? How long did you do your Masters in UKM? Did your friends write their theses in 2 languages-English and Malay?

Thanks for your info. Your explanation will really help me to decide which university I want to go. I always had a hard time to write in Malay Language. That really worries me a lot. Did your receive your Masters from UMBI? How long did you do your Masters in UKM? Did your friends write their theses in 2 languages-English and Malay?

Did you publish your paper for Masters? Was that requirement for graduation?