Kathiza Posted January 30, 2011 Posted January 30, 2011 Hi all! I feel like I'm repeating myself over and over again, but here I am, an international student hoping to start grad school in the US in autumn. I know that school is going to consume a lot of my time, but I hope there is still some free time even as a PhD student. So I was wondering: What sports do you do, to balance your life and get involved with other people? What are the possibilities for grad students? Can they join a team (for example volleyball, dancing, whatever...) - just for fun? I am totally NOT an athletic person, but I'd like to get some exercise and balance. I'd love to hear about your experiences. Do you do (team-) sports? Or what are your hobbies as a grad student?
starmaker Posted January 30, 2011 Posted January 30, 2011 Many universities have intramural and club sports programs, and, at least in the ones I've seen, grad students are allowed to join. In the case of intramural sports, a department or program may even have its own team for some sport.
Tufnel Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 To add to the above, you don't have to be excellent to play an intramural sport. You don't even need to be good. Most universities offer many different sports, so you can play flag football (American football without the tackling), soccer, softball, volleyball, ultimate frisbee, etc. The club sports teams are generally a little more competitive and require more commitment. I don't know anything about organized dancing teams or whatever but any decent city will have clubs and bars where you can dance. That's easy enough, find a friend that wants to go. Dance. Bars, and clubs to a lesser extent, are the cliche places to meet people in the states. The caliber of the people you meet varies significantly by the bar/club. I haven't started my PhD (will start this fall). Wherever I go, I will get plugged into the local music scene. I'll find some guys to play shows with, I'll do the occasional solo gig at a coffee shop or something, go to writer's nights, etc. But those are the things I always do, I will just be doing them in a new location and meeting people in the process. I also like to run so I'll probably join a running group somewhere (much more fun than running solo, in my opinion). My social circle has never consisted of similarly nerdy people. I've always been the bookish one. I like people with academic interests, I just get a lot of that during the day. Friends with a less academic persuasion help keep school in perspective.
rsldonk Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 I spend most of my breaks from school scuba diving. It helps that my father does it too and you need a buddy, so he pays for most of our smaller weekend trips.
timuralp Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 (edited) I play soccer, basketball, touch football, and go running on somewhat regular basis. We have a few people interested in basketball, so we play pick-up 1-2 times a week. Before I met those people, I would just go to the gym and play with anyone there. I don't like indoor soccer, but I play in the summer: either pick-up with whoever shows up or in a local league. Touch football with friends, but it's harder to organize. And I used to run every day, but recently have been slacking. I'll try to get back into it soon. Basically, doing sports is easy, as long as there is some desire to do them. I've found that finding pick-up games is pretty easy and most people are fine to play with. There is also a grad running club. About IM: each sport is usually played once a week for a month or two; it's a lot more fun with friends; it requires some money. Depending on what your interests, pick-up may be a better way to go. Also, if the department has some teams, it would work a lot better. Hope that helps! Edited January 31, 2011 by timuralp
communications13 Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 Most schools include a campus gym membership in tuition and fees and they often have great classes as well as your general gym equip. Most cities also have recreational leauges (I did Kickball, it was a blast) that are a GREAT way to meet people outside of the school and they usually are not a big time commitment. A lot of campus' also have clubs beyond intramural, I've known people involved with clubs about everything from rockclimbing to cycling to ultimate frisbee. At most major universities there is no shortage of things to get involved in, particularly sports wise. There are a couple of places you can look for info on these things when it gets closer to fall: facebook, you can find a group for anything, campus rec should be able to point you in the right direction, student affairs, your resident advisor will have tons of info, student gov. might have info too.
rising_star Posted February 1, 2011 Posted February 1, 2011 What sports do you do, to balance your life and get involved with other people? What are the possibilities for grad students? Can they join a team (for example volleyball, dancing, whatever...) - just for fun? I am totally NOT an athletic person, but I'd like to get some exercise and balance. I'd love to hear about your experiences. Do you do (team-) sports? Or what are your hobbies as a grad student? I train capoeira, take yoga classes, and work out more generally. I'm really not that athletic so I don't participate in any formal sports. (Though, I am going to sign up for tennis lessons through the city Parks & Rec dept at some point.) My department has previously participated in intramural softball. A bunch of my friends play on ultimate frisbee teams around town too. You can join these things through the university, by hanging out at a local park, or through Meetup groups (www.meetup.com). I spend most of my breaks from school scuba diving. It helps that my father does it too and you need a buddy, so he pays for most of our smaller weekend trips. rsldonk, if you can't go and your dad needs a diving buddy, just let me know.
rsldonk Posted February 1, 2011 Posted February 1, 2011 rsldonk, if you can't go and your dad needs a diving buddy, just let me know. Are you cave certified?
rising_star Posted February 3, 2011 Posted February 3, 2011 Are you cave certified? Nope. You didn't specify the caves part. Plus, the water is probably too cold for a tropical weather diver like me.
Kathiza Posted February 3, 2011 Author Posted February 3, 2011 I'll have to find new hobbies once the results are in. I've been spending my days at GradCafe for the last week (since the day I discovered this website).
rsldonk Posted February 3, 2011 Posted February 3, 2011 Nope. You didn't specify the caves part. Plus, the water is probably too cold for a tropical weather diver like me. Yeah, you'll want a drysuit for the type of diving we typically do, at least for a weekend trip.
Medievalmaniac Posted February 4, 2011 Posted February 4, 2011 Hi all! I feel like I'm repeating myself over and over again, but here I am, an international student hoping to start grad school in the US in autumn. I know that school is going to consume a lot of my time, but I hope there is still some free time even as a PhD student. So I was wondering: What sports do you do, to balance your life and get involved with other people? What are the possibilities for grad students? Can they join a team (for example volleyball, dancing, whatever...) - just for fun? I am totally NOT an athletic person, but I'd like to get some exercise and balance. I'd love to hear about your experiences. Do you do (team-) sports? Or what are your hobbies as a grad student? I played rugby with my school's club team, and BOY, was that a good idea - totally got rid of all my hostility, anxiety, etc. etc. - left it on the field, and came back to work with a clear head (concussion notwithstanding!) But really - I do recommend having a sport. Rugby probably did keep me from going crazy, because even though I was mega-busy and had no free time to make friends and go out, I could count on my teammates for support.
Kathiza Posted February 4, 2011 Author Posted February 4, 2011 Do you have to try out for these teams? (I got the feeling that college sports is very competitive and as I mentioned above, I'm not an athletic person at all...) But rugby sounds good. I think I'll need some sport where there's "action". For me there's nothing more boring than yoga, pilates, swimming etc.
communications13 Posted February 4, 2011 Posted February 4, 2011 Do you have to try out for these teams? (I got the feeling that college sports is very competitive and as I mentioned above, I'm not an athletic person at all...) But rugby sounds good. I think I'll need some sport where there's "action". For me there's nothing more boring than yoga, pilates, swimming etc. Depends on the school and the sport, but you WILL be able to find activities that you do not have to try out for....if not at the university at the community level.
rsldonk Posted February 4, 2011 Posted February 4, 2011 (edited) Do you have to try out for these teams? (I got the feeling that college sports is very competitive and as I mentioned above, I'm not an athletic person at all...) But rugby sounds good. I think I'll need some sport where there's "action". For me there's nothing more boring than yoga, pilates, swimming etc. Most of the club sports, yes, you do have to try out or at least pay enough money to be on the team (club wrestling was $200 per semester and the university didn't really do much besides give us a place to practice). Most of your intramural sports, you may pay a small fee, like $5 or $10 or a flat fee for the team, but they are generally pretty informal. For most team sports, at my school, we had to have the team put together, submit a roster and then pay a fee for the team. Not sure how other schools do it, and not sure if they will put teams together for you or not if you just signed up without one. Edited February 4, 2011 by rsldonk
starmaker Posted February 7, 2011 Posted February 7, 2011 Do you have to try out for these teams? (I got the feeling that college sports is very competitive and as I mentioned above, I'm not an athletic person at all...) But rugby sounds good. I think I'll need some sport where there's "action". For me there's nothing more boring than yoga, pilates, swimming etc. This is going to be different depending on what school you attend. At my undergrad alma mater, you could walk on to probably over 90% of the club and varsity teams with no experience in the relevant sport - I was on the novice crew team my freshman year, despite not even having seen a crew shell before when I first arrived at the school - and intramural sports were grouped by skill level, with teams for people who were pretty good and teams for people who had no idea what they were doing. At other schools, there might be more tryouts. The varsity teams will probably be more competitive, in general, than the club teams, even at an NCAA Division III school (a smaller school with less competitive sports teams). It will also depend on the sport. For example, the rugby club might require tryouts while the jiu-jitsu club might take anyone who wants to join regardless of skill or aptitude. Most universities will have websites about their various sports programs. I suggest looking at what your prospective schools have to offer.
dherres Posted February 7, 2011 Posted February 7, 2011 I've gotten involved in community theater while in grad school. I used to perform on stage (mostly musical theater) in high school and college, but it had been about 7 years since I had last done a show. I'm absolutely loving it.
Ludwig von Dracula Posted February 7, 2011 Posted February 7, 2011 I'm absolutely not into sports or really any kind of physical activity, but I've really enjoyed board games--of course, this often works better with people you already know a little bit, but I'm sure that many schools will have some kind of club. I've introduced "Settlers of Catan" and its various expansions to a number of friends, and some of them have gotten totally obsessed with it. A year ago, we played it quite religiously every Saturday evening for months. "Carcassonne" is another good one. Heck, I even miss my "Magic" cards sometimes. Another thing I've really enjoyed this year is playing music. I'm in a few choirs at school, which is nothing new for me, but I've also been playing in a Middle Eastern ensemble. This group is pretty cool because there are a lot of members in the group who don't actually read music. Many of them are international students or immigrants from Middle Eastern/North African/Central Asian countries, and a lot of people just come there to drum or to try to stumble across words in Arabic. Even though there are some ethnomusicologist nerds in the bunch, like me, for most people it's just something they do for fun--which it really is. Pretty informal, and most people aren't in it for any kind of credit. Personally, I think making music is a great way to relax and get to know people, but I'm a bit biased.
Eigen Posted February 7, 2011 Posted February 7, 2011 Our department does a good many city-league and school sponsored club sports- we have a basketball team, soccer team, flag football team, softball team, and volleyball team. As to experience level... Each team has people that have played for years, and people that had never played at all. They are all of the "get a group together, pay a fee" type, so no trying out. Some schools won't let graduate students play on intramural teams, it just depends on the rules and regs- and if there are enough graduate and professional students to complain if they aren't allowed to play.
eklavya Posted February 7, 2011 Posted February 7, 2011 personally, i prefer to play racquetball and soccer. i run as well. but tell you what - after running a mile, all that comes to my mind 'oh man, i am dying'. and then i feel like killing myself because i still have 2+ miles to go. as on screen sports, i follow football (both college and nfl).
Eigen Posted February 7, 2011 Posted February 7, 2011 Oh yeah, we have a lot of runners to. Lots of marathons/half marathons here, about 10-15 people in our department run them together pretty regularly.
neuropsych76 Posted February 8, 2011 Posted February 8, 2011 I hope I have time to do some physical activity in grad school. I would like to keep playing ultimate frisbee
rsldonk Posted February 8, 2011 Posted February 8, 2011 I hope I have time to do some physical activity in grad school. I would like to keep playing ultimate frisbee We make time for what we want. I don't know how competitive you want to be, but there were always pick up games of ultimate frisbee going on in the afternoon. They competed for space on the play fields with the pick up games of cricket.
rsldonk Posted February 8, 2011 Posted February 8, 2011 I hope I have time to do some physical activity in grad school. I would like to keep playing ultimate frisbee We make time for what we want. I don't know how competitive you want to be, but there were always pick up games of ultimate frisbee going on in the afternoon. They competed for space on the play fields with the pick up games of cricket.
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now