How to get through grad school

[Pjeak]

Hi guys. I'm currently entering into my 4th week of grad school and I'm really struggling. I have 2 clients and 1 group and writing lesson plans, making PowerPoints, and writing SOAP notes for this takes a majority of my time. I have no time to do the readings for my classes and study for exams. I have an exam today that I'm probably going to fail because I did t have time to study for it. I feel very discouraged and honestly want to quit. To add to that I'm a teaching assistant and clinic assistant. 

Does anyone have any advice on how to do all these things with such a limited amount of time?

[_kita]

This strategy helped me survive a 20 hour a week GA ship; working 16 hours a week; full-time grad classes, and an additional part-time teaching job while I was a commuter from 90-120 minutes away from the school. So, not in SLP, this may help a bit.

1. Write out your self-care needs. It may feel weird to have this prioritized as number 1, but that’s the only way to stay healthy enough and focus long enough to make it through grad school. What are things you need to feel energized and healthy? Do you need interaction, sleep, working out, etc.? Make a plan that includes all the necessary items to keep you healthy. Mine included:

1. No less than 6 hours of sleep for any more than 2 days a week. I just don't function well and would crash for about 12 hours the following day.
2. Snacks. Lots of little snacks and nibbles throughout the day
3. a 'home' to come back to. I was willing to travel 90-120 minutes one way if I came home to my cuddle-y cats and loving boyfriend

These times were untouchable until right before finals.  Then, I was sown together solely by caffeine and luckily had a boyfriend who shoved under my face to remind me I had to eat. He was also nice enough to wait to watch any of our shows until finals ended.

 

2. Worker smarter, not harder. Consider what you can bundle. When you can choose research articles, choose smarter. Have articles that really cross over into multiple subjects. Overlap projects, roles, whatever you can. My plan looked similar to this:

1. My GA-ship and internships allowed me to research class articles and read during downtimes (such as if a client skipped out on me). That would give me maybe an additional 6 hours in a week

2. I would take notes at work of experiences, anecdotes, stories that reflected course material and discuss those notes in class discussion time

3. Most of my research papers had overlaying articles from other coursework. I wouldn’t copy the papers, but I would use one article to inform about 6 different papers, and back up those professional observations.

4. I started taking public transit more so I could read, watch class videos and write papers during the trips.

5. Writing client notes immediately after every session. I ended all sessions 10-15 minutes before the next one to carve out the notes quickly. They were more accurate and make me less overwhelmed at the end of the day. I still usually have 30 minutes after everything was done at the internships to go back and fill in any gaps, or add any observations I thought of as the day progressed.

One I wish I had, but couldn’t make work: more study groups and group notes. I’ve heard of people taking notes via google docs (in a group document), and that sounds like a fantastic idea to me.

3. Have a plan realize you won't keep that plan, but it was a nice idea. No, this isn't hyperbole. I know a ton of people who said they had a 'schedule' but they never kept to it. It included blocks of time to study, work-out, you name it. The only benefit of writing out the plan was seeing if I legitimately had enough time in the day, or if I had to just to step 4.

4. Be realistic. If you legitimately cannot keep your schedule as it is, something’s got to give. That might mean dropping hours somewhere, dropping to part-time classes, etc. This is when you schedule with an academic advisor to discuss how and where you should refocus your energy.

 

I hope this helped, at least some what!

 

[ImHis]

Your body knows when it has reached its limit. You should consider cutting down some GA-ship hours or clinic assistant. Focus on learning the material. You have the next 40 years to work.

[AlmostFinished]

It gets a little easier over time. Lesson plans and soap notes will start taking a lot less time to do. Other tips I have might depend on your cohort. You all made it and aren't competing with each other any more, but sometimes some people can't let go of that mindset. In my cohort, we would all have study groups and split up study guides and readings. We also helped each other with lesson plans and other clinical paperwork. We shared materials for therapy. Reach out to others in your cohort for support. Reward yourself regularly. Also count down to your breaks and graduation date. Unfortunately this program can feel like hell sometimes but you only have to make it through two years. 

[Hope.for.the.best]

On 9/14/2017 at 10:19 PM, Pjeak said:

Hi guys. I'm currently entering into my 4th week of grad school and I'm really struggling. I have 2 clients and 1 group and writing lesson plans, making PowerPoints, and writing SOAP notes for this takes a majority of my time. I have no time to do the readings for my classes and study for exams. I have an exam today that I'm probably going to fail because I did t have time to study for it. I feel very discouraged and honestly want to quit. To add to that I'm a teaching assistant and clinic assistant. 

Does anyone have any advice on how to do all these things with such a limited amount of time?

Everyone has given you some good advice above. In my opinion, you have a lot on your plates:

(1) 2 clients and 1 group

(2) Lesson plans

(3) PowerPoints

(4) SOAP notes 

(5) Reading for classes

(6) Exam revision 

(7) Teaching assistant

(8) Clinic assistant 

Are there anything that you can potentially cut down? Say you can cut down the hours spent on being a teaching and clinical assistant. After you figure out what are essential and what are optional, work out the time (roughly) you need to spend on each task. Then allocate your tasks in a schedule book to make weekly timetables. Aim at working for 5 whole days like a normal job and take a break over the weekend. Having an idea what you need to complete for each week helps you to manage your time well. While it is a good idea to stick to your timetable as much as possible, sometimes things happen and you can't follow what you plan 100%, e.g. falling sick, Internet is down etc. You need to be flexible in your timetables. For example, you plan to do some readings on Monday afternoon and make PowerPoints on Tuesday afternoon. But then the Internet is down on Monday, so perhaps you can make your PowerPoints on Monday and then do your readings on Tuesday. 

Don't forget to take good care of yourself. Grad school is like a marathon, and you will burn out soon if you work around the clock. It is important to develop strategies to sustain your productivity. Sleep well and eat well are the keys. I am reserved towards the idea of snacking throughout the day as it is more healthy to eat three nutritious meals. Snacks (e.g. potato chips, candies, biscuits, chocolate bars etc.) tend to be fatty, salty and sugary. My friend was snacking a lot in her first year of PhD and guess what? She ended up putting on a lot of weight. 

Hope this helps you. 

 

[_kita]

48 minutes ago, Hope.for.the.best said:

I am reserved towards the idea of snacking throughout the day as it is more healthy to eat three nutritious meals. Snacks (e.g. potato chips, candies, biscuits, chocolate bars etc.) tend to be fatty, salty and sugary.

Depends on the snacks. If you plan out snacks to be stuff like fruit, veggies, nuts, etc., that's usually healthier for you thank a lot of packed lunches and follows the 'grazing' suggestion while managing cravings better. If having a jar of nuts or dried fruit stopped me from stopping at a burger king on the road, I was much better off!