Summer before Graduate School

[Bioenchilada]

2 minutes ago, SarahBethSortino said:

To each their own, I'm just saying I knew quite a few people in my Masters program who wished they had taken the summer to prepare. People who took the summer off.

Most of my peers took the summer off and they  did just fine in their coursework and rotations, and I think all of them went either straight from undergrad or from a teching job. I didn't take the summer off, but I also didn't prepare for my classes in that time. Honestly, classes are made for you to be able to succeed without having to study months prior to the class starting. 

[Kaede]

56 minutes ago, SarahBethSortino said:

To each their own, I'm just saying I knew quite a few people in my Masters program who wished they had taken the summer to prepare. People who took the summer off.

I understand that and am happy for those people but your original post was patronizing. Let's just support the needs of each individual, whether they feel like they need to prepare for their courses or take time off. Neither is a "waste of itme."

[SysEvo]

2 hours ago, SarahBethSortino said:

To each their own, I'm just saying I knew quite a few people in my Masters program who wished they had taken the summer to prepare. People who took the summer off.

It's quite subject-dependent. Whereas liberal arts like history may require continuing reading and writing, for most science subjects slacking for few months is totally OK if you have had your courses solid. 

[Nomad1111]

2 hours ago, Kaede said:

I understand that and am happy for those people but your original post was patronizing. Let's just support the needs of each individual, whether they feel like they need to prepare for their courses or take time off. Neither is a "waste of itme."

Exactly  

[nrps]

5 hours ago, SarahBethSortino said:

To each their own, I'm just saying I knew quite a few people in my Masters program who wished they had taken the summer to prepare. People who took the summer off.

she need sum MILK

[Lycaon pictus]

I'm currently in the field in a tech job, so I'll be working all the way through! Also thinking of writing up a paper for a previous tech project from a few years ago. 

[cowgirlsdontcry]

It's been a stressful semester of writing thesis, teaching and taking a class.  I have to pack for moving, closing up my home, and then unpacking. Any reading I do will be fun, no-brain stuff, except I will reread Conrad & Jean Rhys for one of my classes. I wrote seminar papers on both of those books, so have already done two close readings. This will be a fun reading that refreshes my memory of them and reduces some of the new Ph.D. student jitters.

[fieldbióloga]

On 4/28/2017 at 9:17 PM, Lycaon pictus said:

I'm currently in the field in a tech job, so I'll be working all the way through! Also thinking of writing up a paper for a previous tech project from a few years ago. 

Same! Currently doing fieldwork and writing a paper. I'll likely have a couple weeks off before the semester though so will probably go home and visit family before starting the grad student life.

[Lycaon pictus]

On 5/9/2017 at 4:56 PM, dustonthedash said:

Same! Currently doing fieldwork and writing a paper. I'll likely have a couple weeks off before the semester though so will probably go home and visit family before starting the grad student life.

Also same. This field job is done Aug 1st and classes start Aug 30th, so I'll have a month to relax. Pretty much the best of both worlds.