How hard is grad school? Is it mostly papers or tests in PhD clinical psych? How does it compare to undergrad (for me, law school was far easier than college). Do you get summers off or does it go straight through?
It obviously varies from person to person and program to program, but in general I'd say it would be more demanding than previous academic experiences you've had. I think the intensity may fluctuate, but what is hardest is that it is more of a marathon than a sprint. From what I know about law school, it has a strong focus on memorization and regurgitation. Clinical is very different, in that it is about evaluating different types of information, breaking it down, and then applying your knowledge by synthesizing a concept using unique data, and then being able to explain the result.
I attended a very rigorous undergrad, so I felt very prepared for the written aspects of grad school and the workload. I think what is pretty challenging is the time management aspect. I had come from the biz world, which works on a very different schedule, and I don't have the luxury of a personal assistant and staff. (I wish I had my old personal assistant, he made my life SOOOOOOO much easier.

)
As for summers off....not likely. I took classes most summers, and the one summer I took 'off' of classes (I took extra during the year), I still had to see pts, do research, etc. Your summers can be more/less intensive...depending what you need to work on.
Do most people try to shadow a graduate student in their area to get a better idea of what it's like? If so, how do you go about doing that? I'd like to shadow a PhD grad student but don't know anyone in my city in these programs.
I have friends who went through the process, so I asked them. There was a shadowing process in my program that allowed/required students to shadow other students for a semester (2nd half of 1st year)
Also, how difficult would it be to start a family while in graduate school? Does anyone know on average what the hours are like and how much people study after classes are over?
People do it, but that is just adding another factor into a pretty complex equation. I think it really depends on your spouse. I know people who do it, but they have a very understanding and flexible spouse.
------
I found that year 1 was entirely classes and research. I had about 40 hours of committed time (to classes and such), but worked a lot more than that on assignments, projects, papers, presentations, practicum applications, etc.
That is my experience also.
Every year added one more level of work/time. Year one I had a fair amount of free time, but only took classes and did research. I spent years 2, 3, 4 doing practicum (16 - 30 hours a week), TA'ing here and there, did research every year, and finally, now I'm at
internship.
Pretty much my experience...though i'm about to go through the internship process now....ugh.
By my 4th year I was easily pulling 60-70 hour weeks, sometimes longer (especially around the dissertation and APA internship applications). Grad school is a busy busy time. I only took one summer "off" my first year - to relax, but I worked instead.
I think my last year will be easier (if I get my research done). This year is definitely the hardest. I am trying to wrap up my research by this summer, do my core competency exam, seeing pts, etc. I only have 4 classes left (2 summer, 2 fall) so I'll be doing additional work either in a hospital and/or with someone in private practice.
Overall, I found that grad school wasn't "harder" or "easier" than undergrad, but a whole different experience. It utilizes very different skills and demands. It's not academically that difficult, but emotionally is very stressful and demanding.
Definitely. I can remember very definitive times when I just went, 'What the heck am I doing?!', 'Is this really what I want?', 'Is it really worth it?', 'Sleep....can I get by on 5 or less hours' (no).
-t