How did your first semester go? Anyone else really happy with how things went?

[MastersHoping]

So now we're well into 2017, and first semester/quarter is over, and some of us may even be in our second terms already.

For those who are first-years (I am in the first year of my Ph.D program in political science), how did it go? Is Ph.D (or master's) what you expected? Are you happy with how things are going?

As for me, I'm pleasantly surprised how much I like it. It hasn't been too stressful, coursework has been fairly interesting, made some decent friends, and had a lot of fun. Just got my grades back (B+ and A-), and couldn't be happier. For first year, we don't have to T.A. in my program. Can't believe we're literally being paid to go to school! 

[ejpril88]

It's so nice to see a positive experience. I just applied to 7 grad schools and I am currently waiting for responses, being really worried that PhD is going to be too hard for me. I am not a native speaker, I moved to US from Serbia 9 months ago. I graduated Journalism at Faculty of Political Science in Serbia and then got my MA in Communication at the same University. Now I applied for Communication PhD.

What do you mean you are being paid to go to school? I suppose you have a full tuition waiver, but are you saying that you are already getting your "salary" even if you still aren't TA?

[.letmeinplz//]

5 minutes ago, ejpril88 said:

What do you mean you are being paid to go to school? I suppose you have a full tuition waiver, but are you saying that you are already getting your "salary" even if you still aren't TA?

Some schools give first years a fellowship depending on their profile. There are also stipends which I think are different than TA/RA but I think usually you are appointed TA/RA to get your pay.

 

[Neist]

48 minutes ago, .letmeinplz// said:

Some schools give first years a fellowship depending on their profile. There are also stipends which I think are different than TA/RA, but I think usually you are appointed TA/RA to get your pay.

 

Just to add to this, some of the really well-funded programs don't require TAs to teach every semester or year. My program isn't like that, but.  

I've really enjoyed my first semester. Made good grades. Liked my classes, more or less. The upcoming semester will be a lighter load (only two courses), but I'm planning on doing independent research. I didn't really have time to do any research in the fall; classes kept me incredibly busy!

[Need Coffee in an IV]

My first semester went great. Its what I expected, but looking forward to graduating. I don't really like the state of Texas. There was some drama but hopefully that won't be the case going forward. I need to learn skeletal systems quickly though. I haven't made the progress I wanted. 

[ejpril88]

52 minutes ago, Need Coffee in an IV said:

My first semester went great. Its what I expected, but looking forward to graduating. I don't really like the state of Texas. There was some drama but hopefully that won't be the case going forward. I need to learn skeletal systems quickly though. I haven't made the progress I wanted. 

What kind of drama, if you don't mind?

[Need Coffee in an IV]

12 minutes ago, ejpril88 said:

What kind of drama, if you don't mind?

Oh I don't mind! I've talked about it on another thread so I'll keep it brief. The TA for one of my courses and I didn't exactly mesh. The TA seem to make life a lot more difficult for me in general when it came to a semester project. She also found out I wasn't going to her party and cornered me after our final to demand an explanation. I told her we didn't seem to click and I thought it was more polite/logical to skip out. She then proceeded to tell everyone at the party that I called her a bitch. Overall, it felt very high school and I'm happy to put it behind me!

[ejpril88]

OMG I can't believe those things still happen in grad school! Can you send me the link to your post? I'm curious now

[Need Coffee in an IV]

1 hour ago, ejpril88 said:

OMG I can't believe those things still happen in grad school! Can you send me the link to your post? I'm curious now

I don't want to derail this thread, sorry!

[MastersHoping]

13 hours ago, ejpril88 said:

It's so nice to see a positive experience. I just applied to 7 grad schools and I am currently waiting for responses, being really worried that PhD is going to be too hard for me. I am not a native speaker, I moved to US from Serbia 9 months ago. I graduated Journalism at Faculty of Political Science in Serbia and then got my MA in Communication at the same University. Now I applied for Communication PhD.

What do you mean you are being paid to go to school? I suppose you have a full tuition waiver, but are you saying that you are already getting your "salary" even if you still aren't TA?

Wow awesome, good luck!

For me, my positive experience isn't "OMG wow I'm having the time of my life!" but a general contentment with how things are going and satisfaction with my program, school, city, etc. My grades were just about what I was hoping for/expecting. A B+ isn't actually that good for a grad program, but hey the minimum passing grade is a B and I cleared that, plus there's always next semester for improvement. 

And yes, we get a guaranteed stipend of 5 years starting the first year, without T.A. To make things even better, a few years ago my university decided to admit fewer grad students but give them each more of a stipend. Starting from next year, we have to T.A. once a year I think.

Edited January 13, 2017 by MastersHoping

[MastersHoping]

6 hours ago, ejpril88 said:

OMG I can't believe those things still happen in grad school! Can you send me the link to your post? I'm curious now

Believe it! It'll happen not only in grad school, but also for the rest of your life. At school, at work, at a company, etc. Any time you have to deal with groups of people, eventually, there will be drama. There was drama among teachers in my high school, etc.

One way I've been able to avoid drama in my program is to consider my classmates as colleagues (since I consider the Ph.D to be my "job"). Although it's only been one semester so far and I have yet to T.A., it's been drama-free. Things may change when I become a T.A. however...

[Neist]

On 1/12/2017 at 10:43 PM, MastersHoping said:

Things may change when I become a T.A. however...

 

I think being a TA is one least hazardous areas for me. If anything, everyone except undergraduates have potential for drama.  

That said, nothing really bothers me. I have really thick skin and am incredibly independent. I have no issue living in my own world doing research for a few years.

[MastersHoping]

4 hours ago, Neist said:

I think being a TA is one least hazardous areas for me. If anything, everyone except undergraduates have potential for drama.  

That said, nothing really bothers me. I have really thick skin and am incredibly independent. I have no issue living in my own world doing research for a few years.

Hahaha. I'm actually quite relieved to hear that! 

 

[savay]

I also had a positive first quarter! I took a lighter course load and also didn't have to TA, so I managed to stay on top of my work. And I started to feel at home in a new city by the end of the quarter and lucked out with a great department. Felt a bit at sea in the middle of the quarter -- missing friends, familiar places, and my previously ridiculously-busy schedule; and started to arbitrarily stress about not being productive enough, etc. etc. But, it passed over time. My professors and advisor seem really happy with my work, and I have to say it feels really good to be in a place where I fit. I was out of school for three years working in a nondescript office job and while I did alright, it really wasn't for me and didn't exactly boost my self-confidence. I'm in a two-year MA program, so I have been thinking about what exactly I want to do post-everything. I'm getting the sense that if I decide to continue on for my PhD, I may want to join a program/university with a greater emphasis on theory (the University I'm currently at got rid of their graduate theory certificate a few years ago), but I have concerns about leaving my very welcoming department. Trying not to overwhelm myself with having to make that decision right away. Anyway, so far so good, I guess. Though, that didn't prevent me from feeling super nervous for the beginning of this quarter -- oh well.

@MastersHoping I began the quarter thinking of my fellow grad students as colleagues and as my degree program as a job -- and I think in a lot of ways it did help. My department is pretty small though, and by the end of the quarter I think we all sort of view one another as relatives -- so far, it doesn't seem like it's created a lot of drama, but I certainly could see how it might.

[breadwinner]

I also had a super enjoyable first semester. I didn't have to teach for my salary last semester, but I do now. At first it seemed overwhelming but I'm settling into it and enjoying it more now. I love coming up with my own research ideas and trying out stuff with fancy lab equipment. I also love having some undergraduate assistants to do my bidding. One of my labmates, who is doing very similar things, is, however, extremely stressed all the time and seems to be in his office from early morning until very late at night. Sometimes he makes me paranoid that I'm not "working hard enough" but then again my professors seem decently pleased with my progress and I'm keeping up with my classes well.