Work Load/Free Time?

[zugunruhe]

Hi everyone, I'm a 2nd semester master's student. My first semester was rough because I'd been out of school for a few years and it was such an adjustment to get back into an academic environment. Other grad students in my department told me that the second semester would get easier... lies, I've already got as much work as I did in the middle of the 1st semester and this one has barely even started! I really don't think it's a time management issue. I make lists of what I need to do and try to give myself a certain amount to do each day so I can make things less overwhelming. I don't procrastinate- I used to be bad about that, but now I just know I can't afford to. Pretty much the only breaks I take are for meals and hygiene activities (gee, this is starting to sound like prison...), and I try to go out with friends at least once a week so I'm not a complete workaholic robot. (as an aside, my boyfriend is visiting me right now- we're in an LDR- and it sucks because I haven't been able to get ahead in my work enough to be able to set time aside to spend with him.)

The thing that bothers me is that other people in my department seem to have a lot more free time- I know a lot of them who go out during the week and almost every night of the weekends, while I can barely scrape together any time to go out once during the whole week (they are further along in the program than me,and I know some of them have less to do than me, but it still makes me feel pretty miserable knowing that I'm the only one slaving away so much). So I'm wondering, is it just me who's struggling so much to keep afloat? Or is that the norm for others on here, too?

[skylarking]

It really depends on how you work. I have friends in my program who read incredibly fast, so they're able to finish quite quickly. I, on the other hand, take a bit longer to read than most, and also obsessively take notes. I didn't find that things got easier for me in my MA until Spring quarter first year. I can only speak to my program, unfortunately, so I can't give much pointed advice. First quarter felt like being pushed out of a moving vehicle at full speed, second quarter more of a panicked run, and third quarter, a comfortable jog. Try not to feel maladjusted; some people just work differently. We tell people in my program that second quarter is where things get a little easier, but you won't feel adjusted really until third, and by second year you should be used to the workload and know how to work effectively. 

[TakeruK]

I think it's the first year that sucks, not just the first semester. But different programs have different paces. 

 

Also, I think sometimes it's a matter of how much of a perfectionist you are. I think one major skill I had to learn in the first few years of grad school is handing in work that was not my 100% effort. There is just not enough time to do research, teach, and complete all of your homework/assignments the best you can. You just have to prioritize! This is very dependent on what kind of program you are in though. I would imagine people in course based programs would want to spend more time on courses, but for research-based students, I would recommend doing the bare minimum on coursework. It was a very big switch for me to go from undergrad where I always worked on everything for classes until I knew I could do no better, to grad school, where we are encouraged/expected to basically just complete the assignment, no need to excel at them. So, I often handed in work that I knew I could have done better with another few hours or skimmed a reading instead of doing something in depth with notes etc. In my experience, grading in grad programs reflect this too--an "A" in undergrad usually meant you had to be at the top of the class, while an "A" in grad school usually means "completed all requirements". No marks are awarded for going above and beyond because it's not really expected (or even desired by the profs, who are paying you for research). But this is very dependent on the nature of the program!

 

Finally, I decided that having free time is important to me. I set a limit of how many hours I am willing to work and I work that many hours (about 40-50 hours/week). If something doesn't get done because I am out of time, then so be it. This was my attitude going into my past thesis defenses and qualifying exams. I knew how much I was willing to work to remain in the program and if that was not enough, then I think it would be better for everyone, especially me, if I didn't remain in grad school. So far, it has worked for me! Everyone else may have different priorities/goals though!

[Loric]

Something I learned too late my first go-round was to answer "No" to pretty much all requests for my free time from within academia. Not social things, but the "Oo, you can do XYZ, ell I'm working on a project and could really use.." sort of inquiries.

 

The answer is no.

 

Once I did that, my time began to free up. Quitting also freed my time, but i dont think you want to do anything that drastic.

[McKenna]

I also think it depends on what your degree plan timeline looks like.  Some semesters for me have 3 ball busting classes.  Others have only 1 bad one with 2 not so bad ones.  

I've also learned to say "no" to bunches of stuff.  Our department hosts a guest speaker every Friday.  There is a presentation at the auditorium and then a social afterwards, usually a local bbq & beer joint.  I pick and choose which ones to attend as they are not mandatory but a good way to meet people.  If the presentation is something I have no interest in and will not promote me towards my goals, then I skip it.

Lastly, everyone works differently.  I really like to sit on my bed with my work spread out around me, dog snuggled up against my feet.  But that might be distracting for some.  I have a friend who stays at the library til the wee hours because he works best as long as he is not home.  He gets distracted by music, video games, friends coming over.  On the other hand, I am easily distracted with people watching, so the library doesn't work for me.  Figure out your best style and use it to your advantage.

[zugunruhe]

Thank you everyone, this helps. I'm very much a perfectionist- even had a professor call me out on it last semester- so that kind of screws me over! I know theoretically that my research is the more important part of grad school compared to classes, but after so many years of grades being the bottom line it's difficult to shift my priorities, like TakeruK said. Also don't know of a good way to ask my advisor how much I'm allowed to slack on classes : ) 

[danieleWrites]

Perfectionism in grad school is one of the major ingredients for developing anxiety problems and losing sleep.

I've been teaching composition for several years and I've discovered something that really irritates the fire out of me. The majority (really, the only) students that will do extra credit are the students that carry a mid to high A in the class. So they spend time doing extra credit because those extra points can't hurt! Well, a 90% puts the exact same grade on the transcript as a 100%. Instead of tending to their emotional and social needs, they do homework that serves absolutely no purpose. Actually, this serves a negative purpose because it hurts them in the long run.

To say that research is more important than classes is the same as saying that water is more important than food. Sure, that's very true, but you can't succeed without both. Since graduate degree employment has become hyper-competitive in most fields, grades are still important.

Perhaps the problem is less about shifting your priorities from grades to research, but rather learning to do cost-investment analyses and prioritizing based on that. This is pretty much all about organization. You wouldn't write a thesis without pre-planning it (recipe for fail, there), you should approach the entire grad school experience without planning and flexibility.

I teach comp, so every I pre-plan my semesters when I create my syllabus. For example, I don't have final exams, and those I do have, I don't need to do much preparation for; what I do usually have are really long papers that are usually due during finals week. So, I don't want to spend the week before finals week commenting on a ton of student essays. My students write their long (giggle, five pages, long bwahahaha) papers in the week before finals week, and I write (draft) mine that same week. Of course, I've been developing the paper for a couple of months (I have more research and planning involved than they do), but I can focus on my actual writing without having to focus on theirs. This doesn't always work, but it usually does because that's the nature of my discipline. Hence the need for flexibility. My next pre-plan for my semester thing is to sit down with all of my course syllabi and calendar, and then do some general mapping of my time. I find that it's better to have my priorities in order before the assignments start flying than in the middle of the whole thing. I have been known to go to my professors the first week of class and get the assignment requirements of an essay due at mid-term. This kind of thing is particularly important for TAs because TAs have a wonderful/horrible mindset of putting their students first (your department well tell you this is wrong). Then, I return to my calendar every Sunday evening to plan out my week and schedule in "free time". No, honey, we can't go to a movie Thursday, I'm grading papers. No, students, I won't be checking and answering email at all on Friday evening and all day Saturday because I'm going to be away from the internet (and consequently going into DTs). I will also whip out the calendar and a project planning sheet whenever I get an assignment (it's literature, it's all essays). I maintain a project planning sheet for all of my assignments in order to keep track of my research and help me prioritize my time.

So, I have two recommendations. Don't ask your professors about slacking; instead, tell them they never taught you how to read your field's scholarship in comp class and ask for some tips to be more effective at reading what's been assigned. Find your most effective method of organizing your time. Make sure you prioritize time for yourself to enjoy your hobbies (reading assignments don't count as a hobby even if reading is one of your favorite activities; don't read "Thermal dependence of locomotory energetics and aerobic capacity of the Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum)"; read Eragon). Spend a bit of time doing a self-inventory of your, ah, studenting (do you think better in the am or pm? what's your learning routine? how do you read? write? and so on.) This is something I've done as a teacher for comp 1 classes, but a smart person can adapt these ideas for themselves: http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/structures-for-student-self-assessment/458 And finally, assess your perfectionism issue. If a prof called you on it, then it's likely an actual problem rather than our standard, cultural hyperbole. Your university's counseling center can help you with that, actually. But try here, too: http://www.counselingcenter.illinois.edu/self-help-brochures/academic-difficulties/perfectionism/

I live on the cusp of full-blown OCD. Learning to read efficiently was the single, most difficult thing I had to do. Don't read the preface? acknowledgements? index?! Actually skip over text?! Couple that with ADHD and reading was a nightmare, especially if I disliked what I was reading. Most perfectionists don't have problems skipping the copyright page, but they do have problems skimming.

[TakeruK]

To say that research is more important than classes is the same as saying that water is more important than food. Sure, that's very true, but you can't succeed without both. Since graduate degree employment has become hyper-competitive in most fields, grades are still important.

This might be very field-dependent. Postdocs in the physical sciences do not require transcripts to be submitted at all because no one really cares. For most of these students, the majority of the coursework was finished in years 1 and 2, which means at time of application, these grades are more than 3 years old. Grades are important in the sense that you should not have anything on your transcript that will be a red flag to any internal advancement requirements (qualifying exams, candidacy). They are also useful for fellowships you might apply for at the beginning of grad school. But by the time you are ready to finish, they don't matter anymore. Even postdoctoral fellowships do not require transcripts. Here is an example of a list of requirements of a prestigious fellowship in my field:  (from http://www.stsci.edu/institute/smo/fellowships/hubble/announcement-of-opportunity)

• A completed Hubble Fellowship Application form;
• A curriculum vitae
• A list of publications
• A summary of previous and current research (limited to three pages total, including references)
• A copy of the research proposal, described below (limited to 3 pages text plus 2 pages references/figures)

Perhaps the problem is less about shifting your priorities from grades to research, but rather learning to do cost-investment analyses and prioritizing based on that. This is pretty much all about organization. You wouldn't write a thesis without pre-planning it (recipe for fail, there), you should approach the entire grad school experience without planning and flexibility.

 

I definitely agree with the cost-investment analysis part. I would not recommend indiscriminate wholesale transfer of priority of effort from classwork to research. Put another way, keep in mind the law of diminishing returns. For example, I can spend 6-8 hours per week per course and I can get an A- grade. I could also spend 10-12 hours per week and get that A or A+. For most cases, it's not worth the extra 4-6 hours per week for a tiny letter grade increase. On the other hand, you can spend something like 3-4 hours per week and scrape by with a B-. Doing my cost-investment analysis, I think it's totally worth spending and extra 3-4 hours on the minimum to get the A-, but not the extra 7-10 above the minimum to get the A/A+. 

 

Finally, like danieleWrites suggested, definitely do not phrase it as "slacking" because you are not "slacking" (and obviously it's not a professional way to approach this topic). But if you want to know what your advisors' expectations of you are in terms of coursework, you should definitely ask. I would suggest that the entire PhD student body for your department get together and ask this to all of the department profs. Many departments have annual meetings with students to hear any concerns, answer any questions etc. If you think that expectations are unclear, then this is a good way to find out. 

 

At my school, this question was answered during orientation during a very useful session called "Advisor Expectations" where a panel of profs across the school answered prepared moderator questions as well as individual questions from new students. One moderator question was about the balance of courses vs research. The answer that most profs gave was something like if you have all As and A+s then you are spending too much time on coursework. But if you have too many B-'s then it's a sign that you should spend more time. Consequently, I aim for and my advisor suggests that we aim for grades around B+ or A-. These specific values are not very useful since each program grades differently, but it's to give you an idea of what kind of answer you might get if you ask the profs collectively. 

 

So, for the OP, ask around and see if the other students have a clear idea on what is expected. If not, this is a valid thing to bring up to the department and have them clarify. If they are expecting you to take 3 classes per semester and spend 15 hours per class and complete research, then perhaps the students are overestimating what is expected, or maybe the department does not realise what is being asked. Communication is important!

[zugunruhe]

Thank you again, I really appreciate the thoughtfulness of all your replies. The concept of cost-investment is alluring but terrifying- it's a tradeoff between making my life easier and the anguish of agonizing over what I should have/could have/would have done to get a better grade, give a better presentation, whatever. Anyway... I knew I had perfectionist tendencies, but I thought it was helping me by motivating me to have better organizational skills and work harder- now from hearing your experiences I can see that I had it backwards. danieleWrites, I am seeing a counselor and this will be a topic of discussion...

[danieleWrites]

I totally feel ya. The thing about perfectionism, the actual anxiety perfectionism, is that it's not at all about creating the best whatever one can create. It's about trying to exert control over the uncontrollable. We are taught from birth that doing well is rewarded, and that putting effort into something results in doing better, and that is rewarded. So, putting even more effort into should make things even better. The difference between the anxiety perfectionism and someone who puts in a bit more extra effort type of perfectionism is trying to control what can't be controlled. If I check the font, make sure the margins are perfect, have the exactly right word choice in each spot, make the kerning the most aesthetically and professionally pleasing (and on and on and on and on) then I will do better (and doing better will guarantee the outcome that I want). Because there is no real guarantee that making my work as perfect as possible before turning it in will make the professor give me an A, or the journal accept it for publication, or win that award, or get into the conference, or whatever, that means that I just have to work that much harder to make it that much more perfect so I can feel safe about the reactions I will get. But I can't ever feel safe by trying to be perfect because I can't control what other people will do. I can just do my best and then let it go.

So, yeah, cost-benefit analysis is seriously terrifying because it means that there's a point where it must stop. Letting go of making something better means acknowledging that I will not get that feeling of safety that comes from knowing my work is perfect because perfect doesn't happen, and even if it did, perfect doesn't give me control over other people. Looking myself in the eye (used a mirror) and telling myself that it was okay to fail (and meaning it, completely) gave me nightmares.

Therapy is so, yeah.

[MadtownJacket]

Something I learned too late my first go-round was to answer "No" to pretty much all requests for my free time from within academia. Not social things, but the "Oo, you can do XYZ, ell I'm working on a project and could really use.." sort of inquiries.

 

The answer is no.

 

Once I did that, my time began to free up. Quitting also freed my time, but i dont think you want to do anything that drastic.

 

I really want to reiterate this, because it's very true.  In addition, this also applies to the real world, which I learned the hard way.