Sarting grad school and need to finish earlier than expected

[Loulou_9387]

Hi everyone!

So I am new to this website and I am so glad I found it! I just started my first semester in a MA clinical psychology program and well there are some bumps I need to overcome and I need some advice. So FIRST the program is a 3 year rigorous program (thesis route) and due to life (long story) I have to finish in two years. Technically it is 2.5 years but because I started in the spring I could not take as many classes (prerequisites are in the fall!) so my first "real semester" will start this fall. anyway, in order for me to finish in two years (from next semester) I would have to take 15 hours next semester and 16 the one after that then it is 10.5 and 13 hours for the following year. The last year has a couple of courses plus thesis and internship. I am trying to choose the best route because I dont want to overdo it and fail and then be held back another year (the classes are structured and only offered either in the fall or spring). Ok, SECOND I live an hour away and it is already hard enough commuting (taking 9 hours now) so I am planning on getting a place close to campus (my hubs will have to stay where we are due to work so that will really suck). This will give me the time to be dedicated to the rigorous semester. THIRD I dont know if any of you have done this before in this program but I want to know if It is doable. If I get Bs will that affect me when applying to Phd programs? ( I am still not sure If I will continue on to do a Phd but I want to be prepared just in case. FOr those of you who have done this or know someone who has how was the learning aspect of it and how hard was it?Did you not have time for ANYTHING and from your experience what can I do to be better prepared? I dont want to be overworked and not learn as much you know? Also would I have enough time to work on the thesis? I need advice!! HEEELP pleaaase!! Thank you so much!

[Sigaba]

What coursework can you do during the summers?

How do the Powers That Be in your program feel about your intention to finish early? (Their saying "Yes" may not be the same thing as "We think that this is a good idea.")

FWIW, I had a class mate who set his mind on finishing his doctorate in two years. His committee strongly recommended that he take more time. He held his ground aggressively. By the time the dust settled, he got what he wanted but at the price of being PNG-ed. If you're given the choice between doing it your way and burning bridges or doing it their way, which path would you pick?

[Neist]

As someone who has worked fairly absurd school/work schedules over the years and as someone who just started his graduate program this last fall, I'd say that you should be very careful about going too fast. 

I'm sure 12-16 credit hours is potentially doable if you had no other obligations, but to me, it also sounds like a path towards a nervous breakdown. Also, over the last semester and a half, I've increasingly become aware of the necessity to network and build professional relationships while in graduate school. The faster you burn through school, the less likely that you'll be able to cultivate those relationships.

@Sigaba Two years?!?! That's insane!  

[Sigaba]

4 hours ago, Neist said:

 

@Sigaba Two years?!?! That's insane!  

I was in error. He did it in three years. He was not stable. He'd had a very hard life up to that point and he had a nuclear temper.

One tactic he used that I used in modified form was to take qualifying exams in as short a time frame as possible. IIRC, he did his on consecutive days. I did mine in roughly consecutive weeks. For me, the advantage was that there was less freakoutohmygodohmygodohmygod time between exams.

[Neist]

2 minutes ago, Sigaba said:

I was in error. He did it in three years. He was not stable. He'd had a very hard life up to that point and he had a nuclear temper.

One tactic he used that I used in modified form was to take qualifying exams in as short a time frame as possible. IIRC, he did his on consecutive days. I did mine in roughly consecutive weeks. For me, the advantage was that there was less freakoutohmygodohmygodohmygod time between exams.

 

That's still pretty rough. I'd imagine you'd have to have a pretty clear vision of your dissertation project and begin working on it near immediately to complete in that timetable. Heck, editing a dissertation alone might take months, even after it's written. And even if I were burning through writing, it'd probably still take me nearly a year to write the several hundred pages required.

[Sigaba]

7 minutes ago, Neist said:

That's still pretty rough. I'd imagine you'd have to have a pretty clear vision of your dissertation project and begin working on it near immediately to complete in that timetable. Heck, editing a dissertation alone might take months, even after it's written. And even if I were burning through writing, it'd probably still take me nearly a year to write the several hundred pages required.

His committee didn't think that he was spending enough time on it, thinking things through. By that time, he was off the rails more often than he was on track.

He would often say that he'd learned "nothing" from works that were considered must-reads as well as from cutting edge monographs. Things got to the point where his dissertation committee chair was tuning him out.