Should I stay or should I go? Student descriptions of the doctoral attrition process

Little is known about the process of doctoral student attrition. Relying on theories of socialization and integration, this paper examines the cases o f three students who left their doctoral programs. Their experiences show t hat academic integration plays a greater role in attrition than social inte gration. Furthermore, the academic integration process can be ruptured, par ticularly when a student-advisor relationship ends. The paper also question s the idea that degree completion equals success and that attrition equals failure.