hey! i just wanted to know how many hours you set to study per day and how many hours of class you have per week
classes
- Thread starter bebe77
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12 hours of class per week for the first year. 6-9 hours of class for 2nd and 3rd years (not counting supervision groups, thesis credits, and things like that).
Most people finish the bulk of their coursework by third year, but continue taking courses intermittently.
Can't really give an accurate estimate of how much time I spend "studying". Are you referring to studying in the traditional sense of sitting down and reviewing what has been covered in class, or just any time spent on coursework (e.g. homeworks, writing papers, reading articles, etc.)?
If the former, it is extremely minimal - there's just too much stuff beyond coursework that needs to get done for me to focus my efforts on reviewing things we covered in course.
Overall I'd say around 33% of my "work time" was spent on things solely for classes, with the remaining 30-40 hours going mostly to lab. Hopefully I can start to whittle that down this semester.
Most people finish the bulk of their coursework by third year, but continue taking courses intermittently.
Can't really give an accurate estimate of how much time I spend "studying". Are you referring to studying in the traditional sense of sitting down and reviewing what has been covered in class, or just any time spent on coursework (e.g. homeworks, writing papers, reading articles, etc.)?
If the former, it is extremely minimal - there's just too much stuff beyond coursework that needs to get done for me to focus my efforts on reviewing things we covered in course.
Overall I'd say around 33% of my "work time" was spent on things solely for classes, with the remaining 30-40 hours going mostly to lab. Hopefully I can start to whittle that down this semester.
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13-14 hours in class first year, 9 this year and probably subsequent years.
As for homework... I'd guess that, in total, my time spent "studying" (reading for class, doing a response paper, stats homework, whatever) varies from 1-4 hours per week, not counting towards the end of the year when I have to write a paper (that usually consumes a total of around 20-ish hours per paper over a weekend).
As for homework... I'd guess that, in total, my time spent "studying" (reading for class, doing a response paper, stats homework, whatever) varies from 1-4 hours per week, not counting towards the end of the year when I have to write a paper (that usually consumes a total of around 20-ish hours per paper over a weekend).
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18 hours of class 1st year, 2 full days on campus in lab, study pretty much every night and weekend--2-4 hours a night on weekdays, usually 5-10 hours a day on weekends. i have a 4 hr commute on public transit so i can luckily get a lot of reading in then. good times! i mean, it's grueling, but i still like it more than less intensive jobs i've had.
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Bwa??😕
Please tell me that you're counting your own research/clinical readings in that number. I pull 70-80 hour weeks typically, but I never spend more than 20-ish hours a week doing class stuff, including being in one.
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An expression of confusion, if I am reading this correctly.
I actually spent close to the hours that psybee described on classes during my first year. Assigned readings were extremely time consuming (and yes, I was skimming as well as picking and choosing, but the sheer volume was still pretty shocking). Combining readings with papers and stats assignments, I was spending close to psybee's numbers during my first year. The balance shifted a lot in subsequent years.
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sadly i am not. i know--it is insane. i'm learning a lot--we take epidemiology, disease processes, behav. med, lots of physio, etc. but yes, it's almost 20 hrs just being in class. and still have research, trying to get clin expereince (because we apply for outside externships now, as in right after 1st sem., 1st year) and we are expected, truly expected, to be out in 5 years (which most people are-a heartening and surprising fact) so yeah, i don't get out much.
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Wow, I don't envy you. I'm really happy with the amount of coursework we have here. Its reasonable, we benefit from it, but it leaves plenty of time to focus on research.
Out of curiosity, what is the typical weekly "reading load" you two have for your courses? Is it mostly articles or do they have you reading book chapters as well?
Out of curiosity, what is the typical weekly "reading load" you two have for your courses? Is it mostly articles or do they have you reading book chapters as well?
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you know, it depends. in assessment, interviewing, and stats, physio, it's more chapters from texts, with some articles here or there in addition. in other classes it's a lot--3-6 articles and often a chapter or two in addition. in these classes esp we divvied up the syllabus and had folks do outlines. not possible otherwse. i've also heard that some folks start wiki's for classes and everyone posts outlines,notes, there, and that may be an option for next semester, since it'll be just as bad only now we'll start working in the clinic. reading SND and hearing tips like sharing the readings really helped!
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I'm in a MA program and usually take 12-14 hours per semester. I do not have a certain amount of time that I set aside to study. I study until I know it. That is, if I have a test the following morning and it's midnight and I don't feel like I know it, I stay up until I do. This was difficult to do last semester as I began a 300-hour practicum while taking 14 hours on top of being a GA. In the future (i.e., a PhD program) I may have to change my strategy to give up perfection for more SLEEP!😴
D
deleted190534
To the OP: You have to understand that this varies greatly from person to person, even when they are in the same cohort, with the same course requirements. Most of us skim articles & book chapters, unless we know that a reading in particular is something that we're going to keep coming back to; those are the ones we really take the time to digest. Stats homework & exams were time consuming, but most of us did it & were done (choosing not to go over & over our answers). However, we did have at least one cohort member who spent an extraordinary amount of hours every week reading, rereading, memorizing, redoing answers, etc. A word of advice though: That really took a toll on that particular person, & they were ready to crack by midterms. So, be reasonable in your studying habits, & don't go overboard. If you are supposed to write a 15 page paper, don't write a 40 page paper. If the instructor says you need to know x theory from a paper, know x theory in & out....& NOT the whole paper.
In most programs, grad students are required to do other "jobs" for their grad assistantships (stipends), & those may or may not be time consuming. My position was/is RA, so I am fully responsible for the lab/research. That consumed the vast majority of my time in the 1st semester, & honestly, made coursework kind of a blur. (I still did fine though.) Some people TA an undergrad class or two, & the demands from the instructors vary. Other people are clinic assistants. Plus, you have to remember that at the same time, you attend practicum (observational), are expected to help in your lab (even if you're not the RA), & must not neglect your own research (working toward publications, presentations, &/or thesis). I don't say all of that to scare you; I say it because these things are often viewed as far more important & time consuming than coursework. Your department (whereever you end up) will have a policy on coursework performance (how well you must do), & your advisor will likely have some advice for you too. (My advisor believes that if you get an A in every class, every semester, you may not be spending enough time on research & personal development.)
Of course, another caveat is the type of program (on the scientist-practitioner spectrum) you attend. The philosophy of the program will guide the norms & expectations of the program, which will dictate where they expect you to place your emphasis.
I think the greatest piece of advice that I could give to a first year is to be calm & not worry about how well others may or may not be doing or about how smart others may or may not be. People sometimes get so caught up in worrying that they're not good enough or a "fraud," that they forget that they got in...despite the low rate of acceptance. If you there, you're good enough to stop fretting about whether or not you're good enough to be there. (There are a few exceptions though of people who are just plain slackers, but likely, you'd already know that about yourself before you got there! 😛) I think that worrying about how you measure up is part of what drives some people to go overboard & work themselves silly. (APA's grad student magazine published an article about that a few months back...about first years feeling like a "fraud" who will be discovered at any moment.)
Anyway....good luck!!!
In most programs, grad students are required to do other "jobs" for their grad assistantships (stipends), & those may or may not be time consuming. My position was/is RA, so I am fully responsible for the lab/research. That consumed the vast majority of my time in the 1st semester, & honestly, made coursework kind of a blur. (I still did fine though.) Some people TA an undergrad class or two, & the demands from the instructors vary. Other people are clinic assistants. Plus, you have to remember that at the same time, you attend practicum (observational), are expected to help in your lab (even if you're not the RA), & must not neglect your own research (working toward publications, presentations, &/or thesis). I don't say all of that to scare you; I say it because these things are often viewed as far more important & time consuming than coursework. Your department (whereever you end up) will have a policy on coursework performance (how well you must do), & your advisor will likely have some advice for you too. (My advisor believes that if you get an A in every class, every semester, you may not be spending enough time on research & personal development.)
Of course, another caveat is the type of program (on the scientist-practitioner spectrum) you attend. The philosophy of the program will guide the norms & expectations of the program, which will dictate where they expect you to place your emphasis.
I think the greatest piece of advice that I could give to a first year is to be calm & not worry about how well others may or may not be doing or about how smart others may or may not be. People sometimes get so caught up in worrying that they're not good enough or a "fraud," that they forget that they got in...despite the low rate of acceptance. If you there, you're good enough to stop fretting about whether or not you're good enough to be there. (There are a few exceptions though of people who are just plain slackers, but likely, you'd already know that about yourself before you got there! 😛) I think that worrying about how you measure up is part of what drives some people to go overboard & work themselves silly. (APA's grad student magazine published an article about that a few months back...about first years feeling like a "fraud" who will be discovered at any moment.)
Anyway....good luck!!!
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Good post Psyched77! I think it's important to trust yourself about how much studying you need to do well FOR YOU. Everyone is different, and when you're finally out practicing, being able to prioritize, multitask, and set boundaries becomes so important to remaining productive and sane!😀
best of luck!😎
best of luck!😎
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I completely agree, and I also think that Psyched77's post is right on. I'm in a top-ranked general MA program right now, and they do emphasize a bit more on coursework here. They throw a lot at you--3 classes per semester in the first year, 10-12 hours per week TA job, and then your research on top of that (the latter which is heavily stressed). It was common for me to pull a full 9am-5pm day in my office and do another 3-5 hours of work at home in the evening. But the thing is, you learn to manage the time you have. A person in the class above mine put it this way--the grad program throws 110% of work at you, knowing that it is impossible for you to complete it all to your satisfaction. But you have to pick and choose your priorities. For me, I realized that a B or B+, as much as I don't like it, will not kill me. My research was (and still is) much more important to me, and is what really matters.
That being said, I do want to echo something else said above. Focus on yourself and your own progress through grad school. Your research and your training is all that matters--it doesn't matter if you are at the top of our class or not. This statement is particularly true for my general master's program, where there are personality researchers in the same class as cognitive researchers. Although you have the similar classwork and workload, you will each have a unique path, a different thesis, and different research projects. Your path through grad school is yours alone--and you have to make the most of that opportunity. Learn to prioritize, and focus on your own performance and improving your own work.
Good luck!!
