What's your schedule look like?

[Nikki]

I'm taking three classes this semester and TAing for three sections of undergrad history. I only have to attend one section, but I do the grading and hold office hours for all three sections.

Monday: TA from 10-11

Office Hours 11-12

Tuesday: Maritime History 9:30-10:45

Arch Theory 11-12:15

Ship Construction 12:30-1:45

Study Group 2-3:30

Wednesday: TA from 10-11

Office Hours 11-12

Thursday: Maritime History 9:30-10:45

Arch Theory 11-12:15

Ship Construction 12:30-1:45

Study Group 2-3:30

Friday: TA from 10-11

Office Hours 11-12

[Riotbeard]

Tuesday:

Long Civil Rights Movement 3:30-6:00

Wednesday:

Latin American Social History 1:00-3:30

Thursday:

Intro to historical Methods and Theory 3:30-6:15

No teaching this year!

[StrangeLight]

Monday

11:00-12:00 - undergraduate language class

Tuesday

10:00-11:00 - meeting with the professor whose class I TA

11:00-12:00 - lecture for the class I TA

Wednesday

11:00-12:00 - undergraduate language class

12:00-2:00 - office hours for TAing

6:00-8:30 - graduate seminar

Thursday

11:00-12:00 - lecture for the class I TA

6:00-8:30 - graduate seminar

Friday

11:00-12:00 - undergraduate language class

1:00-5:00 - I TA four discussion sections, 1 hour each, 20 students each

the gaps on wednesdays and thursdays are long and usually unproductive unless i hide in the basement of the library. the TAing drains me of my will to live. i spend friday mornings preparing for discussion session and then have the same conversation 4 times in a row without a break. i go home, make dinner, maybe clean my apartment, and fall asleep by 10 pm. the really time-consuming stuff is working on my masters thesis and writing grant proposals.

[eucalyptus]

I'm in my first semester, and am taking three classes (10 hours of class + 2 hour lab + 1 hour section). I'm being co-advised, so I also have two lab meetings (3 hours), two advisor meetings (1.5 hours), and three "recommended"-but-pretty-much-required seminars (4.5 hours). So that adds up to 22 scheduled hours per week. With reading and research it adds up to a lot, but it's handle-able. I'm just glad I'm not teaching!

[poco_puffs]

Finally have my official schedule hammered out, after a lot of meetings and orientations. This will be my first term at a PhD program in English Lit:

Monday:

10-12 Intro to Grad Studies Seminar

1-2 Class I TA for that I want to sit in on, even though I don't have to/not getting paid to

3-5 Tutoring

Tuesday

10-12 Tutoring

1-2 Tutoring

Wednesday

10-12 Intro to Grad Studies Seminar

1-2 TA Class session

Thursday

9-12 Medieval Lit Seminar

1-3 Tutoring

Friday

1-2 That TA class, which I might not attend on Fridays, because otherwise I have no reason to be on campus.

The deal with the TA thing is that the professor requested me mostly to help read and grade papers and perhaps final exams, and she's not expecting or requesting me to come to class sessions. I'm wondering if anyone else is in a similar situation: I'm sure I'll be pressed for time at different points during the term, but the subject matter of this class (19th century British novel) is right up my alley, so if she allows me to attend I'll not only get to observe some lecture styles and student involvement from a new perspective,especially in something that I can foresee myself teaching someday, but I can potentially get a free lit course without paying for it. I won't be able to sit in if a.) there's not enough physical room and b.) if she nixes the idea, but my field is pretty under-represented at this particular school and I want to scoop up every last drop of it that I can get. Does this strike anyone as problematic or dishonest, sitting in on the course and whatnot? I figure as long as I'm a silent observer that it won't be as if I'm robbing the students of their learning experience. Then again, part of me is very worried about doing something wrong or even just tacky so early in the game.

Anyway, there's got to be at least 4 hours a week of meeting with the prof, book reading, and paper reading/grading for that class I'm TAing for, plus I'd like to get some of my course reading done on campus. I foresee sticking around for an hour or two after tutoring most days, and possibly coming in on Fridays to make it a full 5-day week. My program certainly doesn't frontload the stress, and I'm thankful for that.

[Sparky]

My program certainly doesn't frontload the stress, and I'm thankful for that.

Ughhhh MINE DOES.

If I had to hand in my dissertation proposal tomorrow, it would be something like, "Why the Middle Ages Didn't Start Until at Least 718 C.E. So Medievalists Aren't Responsible for Studying Anything Before That."

You know Milton's line "The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven"? This place is like both happening simultaneously.

[poco_puffs]

Ughhhh MINE DOES.

If I had to hand in my dissertation proposal tomorrow, it would be something like, "Why the Middle Ages Didn't Start Until at Least 718 C.E. So Medievalists Aren't Responsible for Studying Anything Before That."

You know Milton's line "The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven"? This place is like both happening simultaneously.

If it's any consolation, I think you're a rockstar for doing the history thing. In the last few terms of my undergrad, I was torn between pursuing History or English Lit as my discipline of choice. English Lit won out for a few reasons, but one of the big ones is that History can truly be a difficult and perplexing monster to dig into. I *always* enjoyed my history classes, but looking at the graduate and professional work in the field almost made me wet my pants (in fearful awe, not joyful anticipation). In my opinion, you deserve credit for having the stones to commit to it in the first place. Stick with it! Find its weak points and tame the beast!

[tauren]

Monday:

Child Development: 1-215

Infant Development: 2:30-3:45

COntemporary Issues in Psych.: 4-5

Tuesday:

Stats: 10-11:15

Professional Issues in Dev. Psych: 11:30-12:30

Wednesday:

Child Development: 1-215

Infant Development: 2:30-3:45

Lab meeting ( alternating Wednesdays): 4-5

Thursday

Stats: 10-11:15

Developmental Reading Lunch Group (alternating thursdays): 11:30-12:30

I lucked out and am not required to teach due to my fellowship. I most likely will volunteer teach after my first year. In regards to comps, my program takes it the summer between 2nd and third year.

[juilletmercredi]

I'm a "full-time student" but that's because I've registered for a residence unit; I only have one class left (I'm a 3rd year doctoral student). I also TA a class:

Monday & Wednesday @ 1:10-2:25 (TA)

Monday & Wednesday @ 4:10-5:25 (and one recitation session from 5:30 to 6:30 on Wednesday)

I also have lab meetings, advisor meetings, departmental colloquia and other random things interspersed in there.

In my first and second years I was taking 4 courses a semester as well (with the exception of the last semester of my second year, in which I took just 3). My doctoral program required 60 credits of actual coursework and I had to take that many to be finished with my coursework in a timely fashion. Everyone else in my program was also taking 4 courses a semester. It's not easy and people from other departments will call you crazy because that's not the norm (I'm in an interdisciplinary program and the students from my secondary department's eyes would go wide when I told them I was taking 4 courses. They took 2 usually). And your research will not progress as quickly as people taking 2 courses. But whatever, I will be finished with my coursework at the end of this semester.

I will add the caveat that I did not TA any classes during my first two years due to my courseload. THAT would've been crazy.

Do people within or without your department think you are crazy? If the people who think you are "crazy" are all students within your department, including more advanced ones, then perhaps you need to reevaluate your courseload.