Is the normal for a grad class to be this demanding?

[Luke_Duke]

I have a previous master's degree, so I used to writing 20-25 page papers, but I've always had at least a semester to prioritize.  Then, I decided to go back for a second master's in Education.  This is the first time I've ever had a class where I'd have to write a 20 paper within two weeks.  To say I've been overwhelmed has been an understatement.  Has anybody had a similar experience? 

[dr. t]

Sounds fairly typical. I think it's stupid and useless, but it's still typical.

[AP]

I never suffered from this demand in my seminars, but I know of professors who requested 10+ pages papers a week. I'm sorry you are overwhelmed!

[Sigaba]

On 12/1/2016 at 9:26 PM, Luke_Duke said:

This is the first time I've ever had a class where I'd have to write a 20 paper within two weeks.  

Were the assignments listed on the syllabus or did the professor assign the first paper and then the second with no forewarning?

[MarineBluePsy]

I have not had this experience and it sounds awful.  What kind of papers are these exactly?  If they're more like essays sharing your experiences or cases then that might be easier to generate a lengthy paper on in little time.  But if these are research papers where you have to learn a new topic from scratch and then produce a lengthy paper then that has to be grueling.  If it is the latter the only suggestion I would have is if you have any flexibility in the topics then try to choose topics that build on each other so there is some overlap in sources and content to save a little time.

[Need Coffee in an IV]

I think it depends on the field really. I haven't come across this in my program but its only my first semester.  I think a good speed would be two pages a day so you will have the 20 pages after 10 days and then you have 4 days left to fix it up/make it look pretty.

[Bleep_Bloop]

On 12/2/2016 at 0:26 AM, Luke_Duke said:

I have a previous master's degree, so I used to writing 20-25 page papers, but I've always had at least a semester to prioritize.  Then, I decided to go back for a second master's in Education.  This is the first time I've ever had a class where I'd have to write a 20 paper within two weeks.  To say I've been overwhelmed has been an understatement.  Has anybody had a similar experience? 

At my university (in a literature program) 3 final papers of 25-30 pages is typical of the average course load. In the fall semester we have 3 weeks. However, the spring semester is much more challenging because the calendar only allows 10 days. You either start early or you very literally don't do anything else during those 10 days. I dedicate my mid-term breaks (the week-long thanksgiving break in the fall or the spring break) to the research process of the paper. Between that time and the end of the semester I do more research, sketch an outline, meet with the professor for feedback. This part is quite hard to balance with regular course assignments and teaching responsibilities. Then during the time we're allotted at the end of the semesters I sit down and crank out 5-10 pages a day, followed by 2 days of revisions. 

It's really hard to balance writing papers with the rest of your coursework and teaching, which is why time management is so important. I dedicate nights to my regular responsibilities (reading books and papers for seminar, preparing presentations, planning lessons, etc) and then weekends to working on the final paper projects. It's overwhelming but it breaks you down and forces you to make your research and writing process extremely efficient. 

[t_ruth]

On 12/3/2016 at 1:19 AM, Sigaba said:

Were the assignments listed on the syllabus or did the professor assign the first paper and then the second with no forewarning?

Second this question. It's not really in two weeks if you've had the entire semester to plan for it.