Its not your fault if you don't understand what a grad students life is like...... truthfully it changes daily and thats kind of what makes it fun.
Do not be mistaken: REAL WORK GET DONE!
So many of my family friends don't really get what I do all day, is it school work? Work work? Part time or Full time? Do I get summers off? Do I pay for school? How can we afford it?
Well here it is in a nutshell to dispell all myths and rumors (at least I will try):
1. Research Project- Ever evolving research that sometimes takes up ones entire life at times and at other times ebbs and flows. My research is based on growing vegetables in the field thus, it is dependant on the season. I also do lab work in the off season. So there is work to do year round! Most projects are like this with 1 or 2 parts of the year being the busiest!
2. Classes- Typically classes for a phd are taken in the first 2 years, not as many are taken each semester b/c there has to be time to do research and TA. I took all of my classes and then took my oral/written exams to prove competency. Now I just sit in on classes if I feel like it
3. TA- This is how I get paid, I am paid 9 mos. of the year to TA- basically help the faculty member, attend class, instruct lab periods, grade papers, give exams etc. supposed to be 20 hrs. but way more than that in reality
4. Schedule- It varies here and there but most of the time I work 9 hr days, come home and then do work after dinner almost every day and on the weekends
5. $$- I don't make a lot but that is the price I pay for being in school. I do get paid in the summer and work f/t then not on a TA but get a fellowship or paid by my advisor to do my work- its usually about the same pay as what I get in the school year.
6. Weekends- Spent doing work on the research, reading and checking email- bad its hard to unplug!
7. Finishing- Million dollar question! I hope this spring but it all depends on how the research goes and how fast I can synthesize my work into one document!
This is typically how it goes for me as a grad student. It changed when I was teaching full time. :)
8. Life after this- Get my Phd. and teach/research for the rest of my life :)
1 comment:
While you seem like you have a lot on your plate, we started a new column on our site featuring PhDs (other grad students).
It's an imagined dialogue between TAs and undergrads. What would you really like to say to your students if the institutional walls were smashed and truth came out!
If you don't want to write for it, we'd love to hear what you think!
Grad Student/Undergrad Student Exchanges
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