Working from Home as a First-Year?

[newpsyche]

Hi, all!

My schedule is odd in the sense that all meetings, classes, and TA work can--and so far, will--fall on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. This leaves me free on Mondays and Fridays. I love the idea of having an entire day without any distractions to get up at 8 a.m. and simply work--research, coursework, TA duties--and would really love for that to be at home.

Would that seem terrible, for a first-year to be working from home? What do you think? My office on campus is too small to hold my cohort, and I think I'd be a lot more productive here...but I don't want to stick out in any way...

What are your thoughts?

[fuzzylogician]

I don't see why it should be a problem. Of course, it depends somewhat on your department's culture. It's possible that you'll be expected to show up just to be seen around the department and it's also possible that you'll find out that you get more done if you collaborate with your classmates on assignments or share the readings; it's also possible that there will be activities like reading groups, lab meetings, colloquia or other events that aren't part of the class schedule that will occur on your off-days. If you skip all these activities it'd be a shame and that could be frowned upon. But just as a general rule, if you don't have anything at all on your schedule, I don't think there should be any problem with not being around every day.

[Dal PhDer]

I often work at home- even though I have space. Like you, I enjoy being able to get up early, and spend the day working in PJs without distractions.

As fuzzy said above, I might test the water out first. Your department might just want you to be there...it's silly, but a some professors go on the mantra "if I don't see them working, they are not working". Also, sometimes it's good to be there a lot, because you form social bonds, get noticed more by other faculty, and there's other events you get involved in.

I actually found that my first year was the busiest, and I always had a meeting, journal group, study date, etc. happening. So I was there more often than not...infact, my days with classes were my least busy.

In general though, I think everyone should work in an environment that is most productive to them. If you can be super productive at home, then there's no reason why you can't work there!

[BrokenRecord]

unc.tarheel, you'll be more than visible in the department those three days so I don't think working at home for the other two should be a problem. For me personally, I like to make a clear distinction between the comforts of home and work because I get easily distracted at home. But more power to you if you can do it, wish I could!

[bdexicon]

My understanding of my program is that the more exposure I have to professors, lecture series, and senior students, the better off I'll be. You should consider attending these even if you don't have courses those days.

[rising_star]

Make sure you aren't missing out on any colloquiums, brownbags, or other talks on the days you plan to be at home. I know that these have been really important in my grad programs and, while you think no one is keeping track, there's always one faculty member (at least) that is and will bring it up at an annual review or when any kind of departmental decision has to be made. As a first year, I made also made an effort to go to relevant/interesting talks in other departments. That said, I've basically always also worked from home, sometimes a couple of days a week and it hasn't been a problem, in large part because I go to all the extras so people see me and know that I'm involved.

[newpsyche]

Y'all are great! And so very right. I used my first "off" day to attend meetings and make myself visible elsewhere. I have no regrets--it was a great use of time, and it's also a great way to see what's going on outside your own lab. I recommend it, if you have the time to spare! If you don't, try to make time.

[ktel]

In my department it varies from research group to research group. I can probably count on one hand the number of times my supervisor has been in our office area since I've been here. We also share the room with another research group, and that prof pops in several times a day. All our work is completely computational so it can be done from anywhere with a computer. I have been going in less this summer, but typically try to do most of my work there because I'm more productive and it looks good.

[juilletmercredi]

I hate working in the office; I prefer to work from home and I am in fact more productive there. Being in my cubicle feels unnatural and uncomfortable and I can only do mundane tasks there, no actual writing. I have something of a reputation with other graduate students of "never being around," but I don't care. My adviser feels I am productive, and I do go to talks and lectures that are interesting to me. I also know most of the people in the department and they know me, so…there you go. It's not "never being around" in the sense that "you don't work," but more like "you're so busy/you bounce between two departments." I *am* making it a goal to go to more brown bags this year, but I also have more time to do so.

I never really worked from the lab even in my first year. People got to know me because I joined graduate student groups, went to lectures, and was around in the department for classes. It also depends on departmental culture. My primary department is the social sciences and it's very common for people to work from home or elsewhere - most of us don't even have space within the research room, since we have a space crunch. In my secondary department (psychology) most people work from the lab and are seen around the department a lot, but when I'm not there people just assume I am in my primary department doing work.

[newpsyche]

In case anyone stumbles across this thread and wants answers, I'll say that it depends entirely on the program. At my undergrad, grad students were expected to be there every single day, sometimes late into the night and sometimes on weekends. At my current program (PhD) professors and students are only on campus maybe four days a week, often three. No one knows whether you're there or not--offices are spread in several buildings, and as long as you get your work done, that's all that matters. For me, I would waste 45 minutes a day commuting, so I just stay home the two days a week I don't have classes or meetings.

[psychgurl]

I only have class Tues-Thurs as well (I'm a first year). I don't feel like it really matters in my department--in fact, most grad students don't have classes on Fridays from what I can tell. I have a very full schedule the days I'm on campus, and I'm keeping up with my classes and research. I think that's what counts most.

[crazygirl2012]

In my program, it depends more on the advisor than on the program as a whole. One of the full professors is only in the office 3 days a week, so his grad students don't really have to be there all day. (Some are anyway.) My advisor doesn't have tenure yet, which may be part of the reason he is there 9-5 M-F. The understanding is that his students will be too. I follow more of a 7-4 schedule (because I've weirdly turned into a morning person), which seems to be close enough. I prefer to work at home, but it helps that I have my own office at school. It's a pretty nice perk, especially for a first year!