throwaway1213

Hi all, I'm a 1st year Computer Science PhD student and I'm wondering about the general pace I'm expected to make on my research. I'm currently taking 3 classes (not insanely hard, but a consistent amount of work) and TA'ing 2 classes (split 10hrs each, but the actual amount varies week by week). Between working on homework, grading, holding office hours and grad life in general, I've noticed that I'm left with little time for doing research. My question is: is this normal? Am I not managing my time well enough? Should I cut down on things like seeing friends on weekends? I'm fortunate enough to already have an advisor but I want to make a good impression, but at the same time not stretch myself too thin.

Any advice would be appreciated on this as I'm in panic mode right now. I was accepted to a grad program (signed contract and everything ready to go for Fall 2016) but might have failed a class I need for graduation. What are my options? Would my grad offer be rescinded? Would it not matter as long as I have a transcript saying I graduated before the start of my grad program? This would mean I would need to retake the class this summer. I am grateful for any help.

Thanks for the reply. Assuming both my GRE and GPA are above the university-wide cutoff and my GPA is above the department-specific cutoff, the GRE would be the only thing holding me back as per the department-specific cutoff. I'm really hoping I'm not screwed.

Wanted some advice regarding my GRE. My favorite program's dept. website lists a minimum for the V&Q sections, and while I am above the V threshold by 4, I am below the Q by just 1 point. Background: I have an <3.0 cum GPA but a ~3.2 GPA for my last 2 years of study + some solid research + REU experience, a couple publications, and what I believe will be several strong letters from well-known faculty in my field. I don't want to take it again as I've already taken it twice so far, but I wanted to see some opinions as I'm really fearing being denied admission at my favorite school. In other words, how harsh are schools generally with "minimum" GRE scores? I haven't contacted anyone in the department as I don't want to come across as desperate, but I'm open to suggestions.