How can I transfer to a different Ph.D. program after experience with a bad advisor? I just started my Ph.D. in fall 2015 in a very good, high-ranking school in the United States. However, my advisor and I were not able to work together and I did not like her way of advising, since she uses negative reinforcement. She was harsh, annoying, and trying to get into my personal life. I do not have a co-supervisor.

I started to think about changing school because of her and I applied to different schools but for some reasons I think she got in the middle, because the schools I applied to have raised many questions about why am I transferring! On one occasion, before I applied, I found an advisor and I told him my situation and he agreed to take me (not in writing, though), but then suddenly I received a rejection letter from the school.

I am not sure what to do, I like studying and I like working in research, but my advisor make me sick. She destroy my positive side and now she is in the middle between me and other schools. Hence, I told her that I am not working for her anymore. What should I do in this situation.
To be perfectly honest, if a student came to me wanting to transfer, with the complaints you have stated above, I would want to hear the other side of the story.

Yes, there are bad advisors out there, and sometimes personality clashes just happen.  This can be a reason for switching to a different advisor.  However, there are several things that would cause me to be concerned here.


You are giving up on the program very quickly.
You seem to be immediately going to the option of changing institutions, rather than the more common approach of changing advisors within the institution.  Why is this?  Does it mean people closer to the situation don't agree with your take on it?
You have lots of very bad things to say about your advisor, yet few specific complaints. What are the actual inappropriate things that your advisor did?  


Many of the complaints seem to be about style: "negative reinforcement", "harsh".  It can be quite hard to work with someone whose style doesn't match yours.  However, in all but the most extreme situations, this is something you should learn to work around, rather grounds for refusing to work with the person.
Many of the complaints are attacks, without any substance: "[she] makes me sick", "[she] destroyed my positive side".  
The one concrete complaint you have, that the advisor is "trying to get into my personal life", is potentially a serious breach of professionalism.  But again, without specifics, the merit of your complaint is hard to judge.  Has she crossed a line, or are you misreading an attempt to be friendly (e.g. chatting about non-work subjects)?

Your initial stance is to 100% blame her for the situation, but after further discussion in the comments you admitted that you were not fully prepared for the program.


I'm not saying that you are wrong.  Maybe you are right and the advisor is just terrible.  Terrible advisors do exist--but people who wrongly blame others for their situation also do exist.  Someone who doesn't know you is not just going to take your side of the story at face value.  They will also want to find out more about the situation.

The new institution contacting your current institution and current advisor would almost certainly be part of any transfer during a PhD program. This doesn't imply that your advisor wrongly inserted herself in the middle of the situation.  It is normal.  If there was a sudden switch from verbally agreeing to accept you, to your application being declined, this may well explain it.