Hi everyone, I was just accepted to one of my top choice clinical Ph.D. programs. I am committed to psychology 100% but I also have other important interests as well. Mainly, I am very active in triathlon and keeping up with training and participating in races every now and then is very important to me. For those of you in grad school, do you have time to exercise? or even to persue other hobbies and interests? I don't know if its just dramatic - but I seem to get the impression that everyone in grad school eats lives and breathes psychology. I know it will consume most of my time and I want it to since I am interested in it, but I like to have other things outside of it that I enjoy. Do you think the ability to persue other interests is just a matter of balancing your time? Or do you think its extremely hard to do anything besides work for your phd? Thanks!
Free time during your clinical phd?
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The program I'm attending gave the impression during interviews that they actually like for you to pursue outside interests.
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I think it's challenging to squeeze other interests in, but also well worth it and quite possible. Speaking for myself, my "other interest" is my three children and husband. Feels like training for a triathlon sometimes~
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!You'll be busy. That's really all there is to it. Is there time to do important things? Of course. How you define important things is really up to you. If exercise is important to you then yes, there absolutely is a way to make that work.
In my experiences, the work is basically endless. Getting what I absolutely "need" to done in order to get by is easy - probably no worse than a full time job. However, if I wanted to do the bare minimum I'd have definitely picked a different career path Its getting what I want to done that's impossible. There's always one more paper to write up, one more data set that has been collecting dust, why submit one poster when you can submit 25, a newly discovered set of articles that's not directly related to your work but might make an interesting new direction, the list goes on. Psychology is such a broad and deep field, there's really no way to be competent in everything, let alone an expert in everything. So it really depends on what you want to learn and what you'll need to be competent in for your career.
Different people have different limits and different goals. You will be very, very busy, but its absolutely possible to have a work life balance. It might mean not being the "superstar" of the program, but it depends what your goals are and whether that is important to you.
In my experiences, the work is basically endless. Getting what I absolutely "need" to done in order to get by is easy - probably no worse than a full time job. However, if I wanted to do the bare minimum I'd have definitely picked a different career path
Its getting what I want to done that's impossible. There's always one more paper to write up, one more data set that has been collecting dust, why submit one poster when you can submit 25, a newly discovered set of articles that's not directly related to your work but might make an interesting new direction, the list goes on. Psychology is such a broad and deep field, there's really no way to be competent in everything, let alone an expert in everything. So it really depends on what you want to learn and what you'll need to be competent in for your career. Different people have different limits and different goals. You will be very, very busy, but its absolutely possible to have a work life balance. It might mean not being the "superstar" of the program, but it depends what your goals are and whether that is important to you.
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You work as hard as you want to work. In my experience most of the people who get really frazzled and unbalanced are the people who stress out over getting 4/5 on a 1-page thought paper worth 1% of the final grade. A lot of people also like to think they're leading extraordinarily difficult lives.
I have a straight 4.0 so far, buncha clinical hours, APAGS committee stuff, got some awards and pubs under my belt. I work out 5 times a week, go to yoga, play video games, date, try out new restaurants. It's DEFINITELY possible to have balance.
I have a straight 4.0 so far, buncha clinical hours, APAGS committee stuff, got some awards and pubs under my belt. I work out 5 times a week, go to yoga, play video games, date, try out new restaurants. It's DEFINITELY possible to have balance.
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I'm a runner (well, I was a runner before I started my program...
). You can pursue your training, if youre dedicated to it...which it sounds like you are. If I jump into a race, it's in the summer. It's just less complicated than when I'm not in school. I've run one reoccurring race at the beginning of May for the past 6 years and I'm dedicated to keeping up that tradition, even if my time sucks compared to years before. Have fun!
I think it's challenging to squeeze other interests in, but also well worth it and quite possible. Speaking for myself, my "other interest" is my three children and husband. Feels like training for a triathlon sometimes~
You are a triathlete...implicitly stated!
Hey JockNerd, that's too funny. I know the same people.
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I think it's absolutely necessary to still have a social life! Even if you only get to go out once a week/once every two weeks and get to eat out once a week: It's important stuff.
I'm not a bare minimum person at all - but I need at least a day a week (maybe now that Im headed to a doctoral program that will go down to 3/4 or 1/2 a day) where I can sleep in...watch sports, a lifetime movie (or two haha), and go out at night. I realize Im going to have weeks with very little sleep and tons of stress...of course. But if its happening all the time then the red flags need to go up.
Having outside interests is huge
Jon
I'm not a bare minimum person at all - but I need at least a day a week (maybe now that Im headed to a doctoral program that will go down to 3/4 or 1/2 a day) where I can sleep in...watch sports, a lifetime movie (or two haha), and go out at night. I realize Im going to have weeks with very little sleep and tons of stress...of course. But if its happening all the time then the red flags need to go up.
Having outside interests is huge
Jon
If you have 4 free minutes, watch this video--it'll make you smile!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UE3CNu_rtY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UE3CNu_rtY
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I stress self-care to my clients and cohort...so I would be amiss if I didn't practice what I preach. I think it is crucial, if we are going to be effective psychologists/counselor, to have down time and take care of our own personal needs in life. What is that common saying if you are on an aircraft...put the oxgen mask over yourself first and then, and only then, put it on someone else? Same parallel ... if we are going to assist others in the lives, we need make sure we have taken care of our own life first!
I love spending time with my family, friends, and my mastiff, puppy, Titus. I make sure to talk to loved ones everyday, even if it is just an email or text. I make sure to do something fun with Titus all of the time, even if it is just a quick walk around the block. Also, let's not forget the ever relaxing bubble bath or glass of wine! These things center me, relax me, calm me down...and ultimately less stress = better counselor to my clients, better student to my professors, better Stephanie to my loved ones!!
I love spending time with my family, friends, and my mastiff, puppy, Titus. I make sure to talk to loved ones everyday, even if it is just an email or text. I make sure to do something fun with Titus all of the time, even if it is just a quick walk around the block. Also, let's not forget the ever relaxing bubble bath or glass of wine! These things center me, relax me, calm me down...and ultimately less stress = better counselor to my clients, better student to my professors, better Stephanie to my loved ones!!
I will just begin this experience myself next year so I can only speak from what I have discovered in talking with others. However, I must admit that I am an older returning student and I made it a priority to network with grad students who are successful so that I could learn from them. They have each found their own way to balance their happy-life requirements with their career aspirations. I believe it is totally possible. It is your life after all- you can make it as completely devoted to psychology or as just-getting-by to psychology as you like. You will have to be very careful in how you define your own balance. Each person will do this differently. I must admit though that every runner I have ever known has found work/running balance an easy task- I think it must be because of the so famous "runners high"! Good luck to you!
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What i have heard, which is something similar to what Ollie said (i think), is that the load is similar to a full time job. So school is like 40-50 hours per week, between lecture and studying.
I am cool with that. I think that is how much time i spend on school every week right now. Really it is either get a full time job after undergrad and work 40-50 hours a week or go to grad school and work 40-50 hours per week. Either way, there is not time for time for lounging.
I am cool with that. I think that is how much time i spend on school every week right now. Really it is either get a full time job after undergrad and work 40-50 hours a week or go to grad school and work 40-50 hours per week. Either way, there is not time for time for lounging.
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I am currently finishing my 3rd year in a Ph.D. clinical program. I have treated it like a full-time job since day one (i.e., 40 hours per week, no weekends, no working after 5pm). I go to the gym in the morning, get to school around 8am, and leave by 5pm (usually earlier; I'm more like a government employee, ha). I'm married and have three kids, so I wasn't about to spend all my time at school. You'd be surprised how much you can actually get done if you treat it like a real job and work while your there (this helps to prevent procrastination too... at least for me).
So how has it worked out? In two weeks I will have completed my final coursework, I have a 4.0, I have 5 publications (with 3 more under review and 3 being written), I proposed my thesis in my first semester, and my dissertation proposal was done by the end of my second year (allowing me to apply for a large NIH fellowship). If you treat school like a job, stay on task, and give yourself something outside of school (for me it was family time), then you're more successful in school and have a better overall time during a pretty rough part of your life.
Good luck!
So how has it worked out? In two weeks I will have completed my final coursework, I have a 4.0, I have 5 publications (with 3 more under review and 3 being written), I proposed my thesis in my first semester, and my dissertation proposal was done by the end of my second year (allowing me to apply for a large NIH fellowship). If you treat school like a job, stay on task, and give yourself something outside of school (for me it was family time), then you're more successful in school and have a better overall time during a pretty rough part of your life.
Good luck!
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ADDICTED,
Love this post and the advice therein. Although, I gotta say, I'm a government employee and I have to push hard to get it all done in 8 hours.
Love this post and the advice therein. Although, I gotta say, I'm a government employee and I have to push hard to get it all done in 8 hours.
