Current Grad Students: Visiting Home

[islandgirl1]

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If you are attending school away from home, generally, how often are you able to go home to visit/on vacation?
At the end of the term? During breaks? Over summer?
It would also help to know how far away you are from your family. The other side of town doesn't count!

 

[JockNerd]

3000 *** away.

I went home for 3 weeks at Christmas, and I'm going back for about 3 weeks during summer break. I'm in my first year though; once pracs start I'll likely be less able to get away for that long.

 

[blindchaos]

I'm on the west coast and my family is in the midwest. Generally I get home maybe twice a year. In 2007, I was home for Thanksgiving (very briefly), Christmas (2 weeks), and went back to my alma mater for one weekend. The year before I was just home for Christmas and that's it. I generally don't go home at end of term except for winter term/Christmas. My program is year round so end of term break is about a week long. If my program had more of the traditional undergrad schedule (fall term and spring term, off in the summers), I would travel a bit more often and stay for longer periods of time (instead of 2 days for Thanksgiving)

 

[psy86]

I'm 1800 miles away. I'm generally home for ~ 10 days over the holidays and ~ 10 days in the summer. Luxurious! DA is pretty laid back about time off. Sort of a work hard, rest hard mentality.

 

[KillerDiller]

I'm about 2800 miles away from my family. I typically go back over Christmas break and that's it. Some people in my program also fly home for Thanksgiving and the summer, but making that flight is expensive for me (thus ruling out going back for both Christmas and Thanksgiving) and I prefer to try to get a job and/or work full time on my research during the summers.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

~2,000mi and usually twice a year. (X-mas for a week and once during the summer).

Thankfully I am in a place where my friends come and visit....as taking a long weekend off down here is much easier (on my schedule and wallet), then traveling.

As for T-giving (as KD mentioned)...some people go home for that, though it was always tough for me, as some profs liked to have their exams early in Dec, so my time was better spent studying. We'd usually get together as orphaned grad students and have t'giving, which was always a lot of fun.

 

[Ollie123]

2k+

I took a week at Christmas and I'll likely take a week over the summer. I flew home for 2 days for Thanksgiving but I probably won't do that next year - too expensive. I could have taken longer at Christmas (some people here did) but there was some stuff here I wanted to get done.

You aren't tied to the location every week of the year, but its not like undergrad where you can totally disappear when school isn't in session. You are generally expected to be there the bulk of the summer, and even if you do leave for all of winter break you are expected to be doing work then.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

2k+

I took a week at Christmas and I'll likely take a week over the summer. I flew home for 2 days for Thanksgiving but I probably won't do that next year - too expensive. I could have taken longer at Christmas (some people here did) but there was some stuff here I wanted to get done.

You aren't tied to the location every week of the year, but its not like undergrad where you can totally disappear when school isn't in session. You are generally expected to be there the bulk of the summer, and even if you do leave for all of winter break you are expected to be doing work then.

Though if you are doing a rotation at a site (especially hospitals) they can be pickier about taking off extended time, even if you have coverage.

 

[RayneeDeigh]

3 days over Thanksgiving, 2.5 weeks over the holidays, 5 days for reading week, and I set up my own practicum at home for the summer for 4 months so I'll be doing that. I was away for five days last week for a conference as well.

I live 8 hours (by car) away from my family but an hour by plane so it's fairly easy to just hop a plane and come back a few days later.

 

[PsyDr]

first year: it depends. generally you have some free time. breaks are actually breaks. vacation is actually vacation. unless you do research, and then you are your PI's bitch. in that case, pray for a nice one.

then comes practicuum. here it does not matter if your program is on vacation, between semesters,or it is christmas day. you are expected to be there. BUT

the type of practicuum largely dictates how much time off you get. hospitals= almost no time off (think working on christmas eve), schools= tons of time off, community mental health's time off = variable, as are private practices'.


on internship you will basically never have time to go home. and no money. unless you live extremely close to wherever home is you are not going home.

 

[deleted176373]

If you are attending school away from home, generally, how often are you able to go home to visit/on vacation?
At the end of the term? During breaks? Over summer?
It would also help to know how far away you are from your family. The other side of town doesn't count!

Really depends on the school and family, my parents live 60 miles from my grad school... the girl, she's 1300 miles away in TX. Still see here on breaks. Xmas, Spring Break and occasional weekends.

Mark

 

[paramour]

My spouse & child are approximately 800 miles away. I've seen them once since the academic year started--went home for not quite 3 weeks over winter break. Next trip won't be home until May/June . . . MAYBE. I know others who have gone home over every possible break, most of them considerably closer, however.

 

[joetro]

Thanksgiving, Christmas, and a couple of weeks in summer. They visit a lot here as well. It's about 1/2 way across the country.

 

[psypsypsy]

More than 2000mi away. First year, went home Thanksgiving, a week or two over Christmas, 2 weeks in summer. The next year, no thanksgiving, but still Christmas and Summer. And my parents come out at least once a year here.