Weekends?

[Horb]

(emphasis added)

 

Yes, this is exactly one strategy I (and many other people) employ to reduce the amount of time spent on coursework. In the sciences, there are less readings and more homework problem sets, so the equivalent there is to just do enough to get the majority of the points. I find that I can usually get to "B" level with only 3 hours/week spent on homework, but it might take another 6 hours/week to get to "A"...so depending on the course, I might stop at 3, or do a little more to get to that A- and stop. 

 

Another efficient strategy is to work together, when your school/course policies allow it. Instead of fully reading all of the assignments, split them between your colleagues and then meet up for a study session where each of you explain/summarize your assigned reading to others. But again, be careful to stay within the bounds of your school/course academic integrity policies. Usually, if readings are just assigned for learning, this is okay, but if the summaries are also your homework assignments, then this would very likely be not okay!

 

And finally, for me, I find procrastination to be a very effective tool to curb perfectionism. Sometimes I just really like the material and if I don't be careful, I could spend 10 hours on a problem set to get everything perfect. Or, I would keep thinking up new ways to improve my calculation and go back to the set. This is a poor use of my time though, so I often try to wait until the day before something is due before doing it. Some my colleagues are better disciplined and they schedule one single day to work on it, and then force themselves to never look at it again. I find that waiting until the last day is often a good idea, since sometimes the professor will extend the deadline, or you will learn something closer to the due date that makes the problem set a lot easier.

 

One of the main issues with splitting work, at least in my program, is that when we hit orals, all that time of not doing the reading catches up with you. I'd much rather get my work done now and not struggle with additional reading for orals. Plus, and again, this is all program and person specific, my program has a very strict grade requirement and our professors expect heavy participation, which I personally find hard to do if I haven't done the reading. I view doing all the reading as a long term investment that, again, for me is worth it. I also have a heavy course load currently, so perhaps when I only need to take two courses per semester, it will be more manageable. 

[bambi_86]

You may face a more challenging transition than you realize. Many, if not most, historians do not consider IR a "slightly different" field, despite the efforts of some historians, most notably J. L. Gaddis in the summer 1987 issue of International Security, to bridge the gap. (If you've not done so already, please take a look at ISBN-13 9780521132244 and/or consult the review in Foreign Affairs.) 

 

I recommend that you start off with the assumption that you will need to work as hard as you ever have. If the transition seems to be going smoothly maybe consider taking off an occasional weekend.

 

I didn't mean to suggest these fields are one and the same. But still, I think that IR and history do have a lot of interrelated features. To me, most of the useful aspects of IR do come either directly or indirectly from historical studies. This is why I decided to go for a PhD in history to begin with, and though I do have some lack of confidence stemming from my lack of an academic history background, I have to work on the assumption that the committee that admitted me wouldn't have done so if they didn't think I was sufficiently prepared. 

 

Apologies for this side note -- on the topic, I think that my main takeaway from this thread is that there's a difference between "hard work" and the sheer amount of hours you put in. Making sure that you have free time, it seems, will only make you more productive when you're actually doing the work you need to. At least that seems to be the most reasonable approach to start out with. 

[Guest]

I'm following this thread and want to thank everyone for their input! It will be helpful come fall. Right now as an undergrad I have to go to my part time job (retail) for 9 hours Saturday and 9 Sunday. It is physically and mentally exhausting, and makes me *hate* the weekends. I dread the days everyone enjoys. I'd do anything to even get one day per week of little/no work!

I'm also only in undergrad and I've always been the type who has done hardcore work/studying as well as well. I pretty much gone through most of my undergrad career studying everyday...way more than the average student. I've been somewhat less uptight this semester though. Hopefully grad school will be more flexible...especially since most of my classes  will be night (and hopefully not 5 times a week :2).  As of now, my undergrad schedule has me on campus from 11am-5pm...which kind of sucks.

 

I also dealt with the retail and school thing. Never again lol. 

Edited April 28, 2015 by Guest

[Horb]

I worked four days a week in undergrad (about 25 hours per week), did a bunch of clubs, volunteering, and some sports in addition to taking 5-7 classes per term. As a graduate student, I can say now that my undergrad schedule feels far more relaxed than my graduate student one, though I had far more commitments while in undergrad. So prepare yourself for a change, but also make sure to schedule "you" time and choose commitments that really matter to you. I currently volunteer a few hours a week and it gives me some time to not think about papers or heavy stuff. I just do mindless admin work.

[Vene]

I have popped in the lab for a few minor (<half an hour) tasks on a handful of weekends. I also will regularly use the time for doing some light studying/writing for my courses (maybe a couple hours, especially if an exam is near), but I generally don't get much academic stuff done on the weekend. And I like it that way. Weekends are a time for me to relax. Then, when I go in on Monday, I will be refreshed and can focus.

[VulpesZerda]

I'm also only in undergrad and I've always been the type who has done hardcore work/studying as well as well. I pretty much gone through most of my undergrad career studying everyday...way more than the average student. I've been somewhat less uptight this semester though. Hopefully grad school will be more flexible...especially since most of my classes will be night (and hopefully not 5 times a week :2). As of now, my undergrad schedule has me on campus from 11am-5pm...which kind of sucks.

I also dealt with the retail and school thing. Never again lol.

I worked four days a week in undergrad (about 25 hours per week), did a bunch of clubs, volunteering, and some sports in addition to taking 5-7 classes per term. As a graduate student, I can say now that my undergrad schedule feels far more relaxed than my graduate student one, though I had far more commitments while in undergrad. So prepare yourself for a change, but also make sure to schedule "you" time and choose commitments that really matter to you. I currently volunteer a few hours a week and it gives me some time to not think about papers or heavy stuff. I just do mindless admin work.

I'm just looking forward to having all of my work/responsibilities actually relating to my interests and goals. Working in retail is the last thing I need to get rid of. It's simply a way for me to make money, meanwhile my coworkers are lifers who don't understand me. And sure, teaching may not be my favorite, and I'll have research and classes, etc., but at least it will all be for the same final goal of the PhD! Also, taking 12 electives in undergrad nearly killed me. I tried to pick interesting ones but I eventually ran out of choices..

Ps, OneLove21, my schedule has me on campus 9:30am to 10pm two days a week. That's because of my work-study job on weeknights. To say I'm sick of this semester is an understatement!

Edited April 29, 2015 by VulpesZerda

[scarvesandcardigans]

I'm just looking forward to having all of my work/responsibilities actually relating to my interests and goals. Working in retail is the last thing I need to get rid of. It's simply a way for me to make money, meanwhile my coworkers are lifers who don't understand me. And sure, teaching may not be my favorite, and I'll have research and classes, etc., but at least it will all be for the same final goal of the PhD! Also, taking 12 electives in undergrad nearly killed me. I tried to pick interesting ones but I eventually ran out of choices..

Ps, OneLove21, my schedule has me on campus 9:30am to 10pm two days a week. That's because of my work-study job on weeknights. To say I'm sick of this semester is an understatement!

 

Agreed about the work/responsibilities relating to goals. That will be a big relief as far as stress, as far as I'm concerned. I worked retail and food service during undergrad, and it was always difficult to deal with mentally, when it was the last thing that I wanted to do. I worked as a tutor for 2 years teaching courses in my field of study for about 20-25 hours a week and it was SO MUCH BETTER! It actually felt rewarding and fulfilling. Because of that schedule and a grad class plus three other core classes, I was on campus from 8-8 some days, sometimes even past midnight. I'm really hoping for actual "down time" sometime during grad school. Even like an hour a day will suffice!

[dr. t]

I just want to reiterate what others have said about finding your own schedule. For example, my wife would subsist on peanut butter and cheddar cheese if I didn't cook, so I like getting home by 7 to cook dinner. I have also found that I prefer to work some amount every day, rather than attempt to get going again after taking the weekend off. I find myself working ~6 hours every weekday and ~4 hours on the weekend days. Being able to set your own schedule means you can do just that!

[Horb]

Yeah, retail is tough. I did it for 6 years and dealing with people who berate you hourly is dreadful, especially when you cannot saying anything to defend yourself and management will not either. So if you need to work extra, look for related jobs. I've found universities have way more opportunities for grad students than undergrads, as positions are not as related to financial aid packages.