Excited, but scared and overwhelmed (need encouragement..!)

[Kate22192]

Hey, friends.

I apologize if this post isn't very substantial in content, but I'm looking for some reassurance/empathy/"I'm in the same boat" sorts of responses. I got into all schools I applied to, and made my choice for the school that is offering me a full GA position for the first year- 20 hours of work per week in exchange for full tuition remission (24 credits between fall and spring), and a tiny stipend. I'm excited and feel incredibly honored and humbled, but I'm also so, so scared. Has anyone else been offered a 20 hr/week GA position, and how do you feel? Has anyone on this board DONE a full year with a position like that? Any suggestions?

Thanks, all <3

[Speechster]

Im doing mine right now and while its time consuming, you just do it. Im not trying to be rude at all, but you just schedule it in and do everything else around it. Depending on who you work for, you might even have down time that you could use to study. If its giving you free tuition its worth the hard work. 

[Kate22192]

2 hours ago, Speechster said:

Im doing mine right now and while its time consuming, you just do it. Im not trying to be rude at all, but you just schedule it in and do everything else around it. Depending on who you work for, you might even have down time that you could use to study. If its giving you free tuition its worth the hard work. 

Hey! No, I didn't take that rudely at all. That has been my attitude so far as well....just, you do it. No choice. Make it work. I'm just feeling overwhelmed by it, haha. Looks like my supervisor will be the chair of the department so I'm not banking on any down time or something non-rigorous. I'm glad to hear someone who's making it work, though. 

[Spondee]

19 minutes ago, Kate22192 said:

Hey! No, I didn't take that rudely at all. That has been my attitude so far as well....just, you do it. No choice. Make it work. I'm just feeling overwhelmed by it, haha. Looks like my supervisor will be the chair of the department so I'm not banking on any down time or something non-rigorous. I'm glad to hear someone who's making it work, though. 

The chair of the department for us has the most lax GA position, because there's so much admin stuff only she can do. Lots of time to study. Maybe you'll get lucky. 

[Speechster]

It is overwhelming when you dont know what to expect! And i agree with the poster above, it should be lax because of the type of work the chair does. Good luck and enjoy grad school!

[Kate22192]

10 hours ago, Speechster said:

It is overwhelming when you dont know what to expect! And i agree with the poster above, it should be lax because of the type of work the chair does. Good luck and enjoy grad school!

That's encouraging! Let's hope so. 

[RRosy]

Is this for the fall? I am in the same boat! Excited, humbled and nervous. 

[_kita]

Yes. I did three years as a graduate assistant during full-time masters... kidding, I also worked per-diem on the side. I was lucky because my GAship was very low key. I was tutoring, doing presentations, providing administrative assistance (grade entry, answering phone calls, etc.) and class assistance for a Psychology Department. It sounds busy, but really it was about 2-3 hours worth of work each day, and then the rest of the time I was free to study. I had internet access, library access, and a full office worth of resources at my finger tips!

The graduate assistantship was a dream come true. I hope yours is as well. Good luck!

[poor_salieri]

In my grad school some of us received merit scholarships and others GA positions. Both provided financial support,  but the GA position provided something that a straight scholarship could not - the ability to connect with some of the professors and clinical staff.  When you're looking for a job in the end that's one of the more important things. So take a deep breath, try and schedule some you time every week - maybe on a Saturday or Sunday night for an hour, and then just do your best to make it work. You may surprise yourself with how fast and quickly the time goes.  It'll be tough, but maybe you'll make a mentor in the end. 

[cowgirlsdontcry]

I worked 20 hrs per week as a GA during my MA. Now as a first year PhD student, I'm working 20 hrs per week teaching two classes. However, my school likes for the PhD students to take only two classes per semester, which is good considering I teach two classes.