Department Activities

[geographyrocks]

My department offers a lot of activities both academic and social.  There is something going on almost every week.  As a first year grad student, I have very little time to devote to these things.  However, socializing and being involved in the department is a big part of graduate school. 

 

With that said, how much do you participate in department activities?  What stuff do you participate in most? Did you participate more during your first year or did your participation increase over the years? 

 

I'm trying to reach that balance of not always saying yes but also participating in a decent amount of things.  I know this will be different for different departments and based on the individual.  I guess I'm just trying to figure out if I've been saying no to too many things such as the Alumni Day that is happening this weekend. 

 

As a side note, my adviser hasn't said anything, and I doubt he will as he doesn't attend most of this stuff.  I've also managed to win a grant to fund myself next summer and started work on the first chunk of my dissertation which will lead to a poster presentation and a publication before I start my 2nd year.  So academically I'm doing pretty good. 

[maelia8]

It's funny that you say you have little time as a first-year grad student to participate in department activities - I'm a first year too, and in my experience, it's mostly the first and second years who still have time before their oral exams to actually go to department events at all, and attendance is heavily skewed in that direction (I should mention that I'm in a 6-7 year program). I participate in department activities pretty often, including the graduate student association, working groups in my specialty field, and all-department events, especially those that involve food (because let's be honest, a free meal is nothing to scoff at when you're living on a graduate stipend).  

 

That being said, not everyone in my cohort is interested in attending everything, and there are 3 or 4 people that I really only see in class or at events with required attendance. I personally like going to talks as well - my department brings in a lot of good guest speakers, and even hearing upper-division grad students in my department present on their current projects is inspiring. 

 

TL;DR: I don't think anyone is going to judge you based on how often you go to department events, so it's really just up to you. If you're only going out of a feeling of obligation, not because you enjoy them, then I don't think you need to be going very often.

[geographyrocks]

I guess I should add that I'm in a 4 year PhD program straight from undergrad (not entering with a Masters).  I have to submit two separate dissertation abstracts by the beginning of April and have two proposals written by the end of Fall 2015.  I'm also applying for a ton of external funding.  I instruct one intro lab, and I'm a TA for a GIS course.  I'm taking 9 credit hours.

I'm not really sure how this compares time-wise with other first years. 

Also, the majority of students in my department are Masters.  I'm one of maybe 5 PhD students and the only one in the PhD program without a masters. 

While I generally would agree that a person shouldn't go to something they don't enjoy, networking is HUGE for future job placement as well as future collaborations.
I guess I'm just wandering what functions others attend and what they find most beneficial.  I've managed to attend one guest speaker lecture, but then I had to leave for class before actually talking to the speaker or asking any questions. 

[TakeruK]

Here was the breakdown in my time commitment for my first year (which was very busy):

 

27 credit-hours of courses (approx. 9 hours in-class time per week, rest is homework)

20 hours of RAship (we also have to defend two propositional projects at the end of our first year)

1 hour of weekly department seminar

1 hour of weekly department discussion group/journal club

1 hour of weekly department social hour

 

I'm counting all research related activity under the RA ship (e.g. group meetings etc.). This added up to about 50 hours per week and I think that's quite accurate for the average hours worked per week in my first year. In reality, I probably spent closer to 60 hours on some weeks and then fewer on others (e.g. during the time where there were no classes) but I mostly remember the long 60 hour weeks, and not the shorter 40-ish hour weeks!

 

There were also a lot of social events that are not school related/sponsored so I don't count them in this list (I'd count them as a use of my free time instead!).

 

In my opinion, as graduate students, it's basically our job to attend department seminars and talks and participate in journal clubs etc. So I count them as part of my # of hours worked per week.

 

However, in the weeks leading up to quals at the end of year 1, I did cut back on some seminars and social hours. But that was a temporary thing, I'm now back to participating in as many department activities as I can, and also spending time on campus-wide events/organizations too! 

[ProfLorax]

I think this question is dependent on your department culture and whether or not you are funded. As a funded PhD student, I figure that the departmental events (not all, but some) are part of my job. As a first year, I went to as many as I could and was interested in. In terms of culture, last year, our grad student org president emailed a scathing email to all first-years claiming that faculty and staff pay attention who show up and who don't. It was pretty apparent that we are expected to participate in departmental culture, and that first and second years (pre-ABD status) are doubly expected to attend department activities. Personally, it was helpful for me to be involved and active early on; now that I am physically unable (yay seven months pregnant!) to be on campus for long days, I am still recognized as an active participant in our community. 

 

So, ask around! See what your departmental culture is. And at the end of the day, your wellness and your research are your top priorities, no matter what the departmental culture dictates.

[music]

It's funny that you say you have little time as a first-year grad student to participate in department activities - I'm a first year too, and in my experience, it's mostly the first and second years who still have time before their oral exams to actually go to department events at all, and attendance is heavily skewed in that direction (I should mention that I'm in a 6-7 year program). 

Quite possibly because in your course (as in mine), students aren't necessarily living on campus, or even in the same country, once they've passed their exams, and might be off doing fieldwork for a good chunk of the later years. It may well simply be the case that students who are still in coursework are simply on campus a lot of the time, so stopping by a departmental event for free food more than makes sense.

[The Wayfarer]

Luckily the relationship between all of the PhD students in my department is very open so those of us who were first years were told that when we get an email about an event it is expected that we will show up regardless of whether or not it is stated in the email that we should attend.

 

On the social side...there's a standing happy hour every Thursday for our program. Some weeks only two people go, some weeks none, some weeks a lot more but it is just a constant thing for those of us who know we need to decompress.

[Munashi]

As a funded PhD student, I figure that the departmental events (not all, but some) are part of my job. 

 

This is sort of how I view it.  I attend as many events as I'm able to.  Echoing others, it seems less common to see more advanced students at these types of things so it does seem more "expected" of first years.

I'll also note that in addition to seeing it as a "duty", it's also an opportunity to develop connections - both with peers and professors - on more of a personal level.  To me, it's worth the time investment.  I feel you on being busy, but I figure we'll only have less time as we advance so we may as well make the most of the time we have now (if possible).

[Monochrome Spring]

I'm also a first year in a relatively small department. I don't go to all of the department activities, such as the happy hour after seminar. But I do go to things like the department picnic, which included bringing family and friends for a larger gathering. I think it's fine to pick and choose which events you want to go to, especially if you are pressed for time in a shorter PhD program. I would make sure to attend maybe 1-2 each month (not including things like mandatory seminars), but don't feel obligated to attend all of them. Also, my advisor will let us know if there is an especially important event coming up that will make the department look good if more people go, so I make a point to make those.

 

A side note: I think a lot of this, especially as a first year, depends on how busy you are. A student taking a lighter course load and without teaching obligations may be expected to attend more events, since there should be less time conflicts. If you have a heavier work load, you are more likely to have time conflicts during those events (for example, I can't make any department seminars because of a statistics course). However often you decide to attend, think about how it makes you look to the department. Unfortunately, a lot of grad school is politics, and you want everyone on your side.

[rising_star]

You should go to as many as you can and also talk to more advanced students (3rd-5th years) to see what the expectations regarding attendance are. In my grad program, attendance at the departmental colloquia wasn't technically mandatory. However, there were faculty that kept track of who was in attendance, including which of their advisees. I was told that at annual review whether one was engaged in the department's intellectual life (by attending these colloquia and not just grading a pile of papers in the back while you're there) was considered and could be a tiebreaker if it came down to deciding who would get the last funding slot. So, definitely make sure you're at those kinds of events unless you have a conflict. My department also had a grad student association that it was good to attend, if only to get updates on things like departmental funding, internal funding opportunities, and to get to know your fellow students better.

 

As for the social, you can be more selective. Some people NEVER went to our department's weekly happy hour while others always did. Some went and drank Shirley Temples or club soda (both students and faculty). I did go but rarely talked shop while there, which made it a nice way to get to know people. If there are department-wide social events, like picnics or potlucks, you should make an effort to attend those.

 

I know it's hard to balance because, on the one hand, your work should come first. But, making connections (networking) is going to be key to getting through your program successfully. You need to get to know your fellow students so you have resources to turn to for things like discussing the readings, getting help with the homework, practicing a conference talk, getting someone to look over a draft before you send it to your advisor, etc. These social events are a good way to start making those connections.

[Eigen]

Attend as many as you can. We've had several whole cohorts that didn't come to a lot of things, and have had a really hard time shaking the label of "anti-social". 

 

A lot of the general grad school/career advice you'll get will probably be given in social situations, as well. It's usually when we're unwinding around a keg of beer at a BBQ, or at happy hour at one of the local bars that we're most likely to give frank & pointed advice about research, PIs, cumes, etc.