Hey all, thanks so much for your responses!
First off, congratulations on your acceptance! Would you mind disclosing the program? I am not a current student, but I can tell you what I have heard from current students: The one common theme I hear from all first-years is the need to maintain balance between school work, research, and life outside of the graduate program. They all have told me that the most difficult part of the first year is learning when it's okay to skim articles for class, read just certain articles for class, etc. They do this so they can excel in other parts of their program (i.e. research productivity). They also say it is useful to have one activity that you do for leisure that you do not give up under any circumstances. For example, some play recreational sports at least once a week. Sorry I can't provide any more insight than that, but I hope it helped!
Hey, thanks a ton for your congrats! I'm not entirely comfortable naming the program. If you have a vested interest -- as in, are also a clinical applicant -- you can PM me! Otherwise, thanks, that is really useful advice.
B = Ph.D.
You should try and get more A's than B's (3.5 or higher), but don't stress about a 4.0. It's better to pursue other areas of training, as much of the learning occurs outside of the classroom.
I've heard that more than a few B's is an indication that you're in somewhat dangerous territory? But you're absolutely right, definitely noted. Research productivity is what I'm more concerned with, actually. The current students in the lab are insanely, intimidatingly accomplished...while that's super cool because I'll be able to learn a ton from them, I think it makes my relative youth stand out all the more. This hasn't been a problem socially before -- i'm definitely friends/friendly with many of the grad. students at my current lab, and I got along great with many of the grad students at my interview -- but in a professional context it is slightly worrying.
It sounds like you're a little apprehensive about what you're getting yourself into and you should be. It is a fairly grueling and exhausting process, but thousands of people have survived it, and you will too, particularly if it's what you really want to do. I think people's first years vary wildly so I'm not sure it's that helpful to ask for experiences. I'll tell you a tiny bit about my own though.
In my program we take 5 courses each semester first year, and do 10 hours of research in the fall and 15-20 hours in the spring. So figure 18-19 hours in class + 15 hours of research + 12-15 hours studying, maybe more studying right before mid-terms and finals or before papers were due. In my program about 45-50 hours of work each week was the norm. People could do more if they were on multiple research teams of course. Several people in my cohort came straight from undergrad. Three of them took 6 years to graduate and the other will finish just shy of 7 years. Of the three who came in with master's, two finished in 5 years, and I am in my 7th year, but only because I switched to part-time a few years ago. I think there are advantages and disadvantages to coming straight from undergrad, as with anything else.
I absolutely hated first year and if I could have seen the future before I got into my program, I would have passed on the doctorate. But I'm older and already have a career and have several other issues to consider.
I am sure you will do fine, but it is a scary experience in the beginning and it's okay to feel a little bit nervous about it. I get the sense that you almost wish you could take a year or two off, is that right?
As to your concern about having to move and social support, I know that the 22-year old in my program who moved 2,000 miles did have a hard time adjusting initially, but eventually she found a really great bunch of friends and met someone and is now married. You can always keep in touch with your friends and family via phone, Skype, Facebook. And if they're driving distance, you will definitely be able to see them occasionally too, right?
Thanks so much for this reply! I found it very helpful and somewhat calming, actually. Is there anything you would have done differently in your 1st year in order to cope better? There are similarities between your program and mine, because it seems like they really frontload classes in the first 1-2 years. But yeah, what you outlined is certainly more doable than 80 hours.
I'm not completely sure if there will be other undergrads in my cohort. At my interview, as far as I could tell, there was only one other ug...although I didn't meet all of the applicants.
Yeah, I really do have a slight wistful yearning feeling for some time off. I'm not sure if its trepidation about moving into the next stage of my life hastily and thus missing out on certain experiences or genuine fear that I am mentally/emotionally unprepared. Still, I'm fairly confident that I made the right decision in applying. More specifically, I suppose that I'm most apprehensive about hitting a wall or losing steam a few years in (which isn't unusual?), as I imagine it would be easier to deal with had I taken a break from school.
Finally, unfortunately where I'm going is a plane ride away -- and I'm currently in a fairly long term relationship which is contributing to my worries, but hey such is life.
