doingfine Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 (edited) Someone mentioned this may be useful, and well, why not. Also a chance for those who are interested to ask questions. Here is a slightly generic/hypothetical but realistic day in life for me. 7:30AM get up, , coffee, email, etc. 9:30AM I'm in school! (yes, I take a while to get up, plus commute) 10AM Meet professor for a quick meeting to discuss ongoing research project/RA stuff 11AM-Noon Finish taking some notes from the readings for this week, organize, etc Noon-1PM Lunch, screw around 1-4PM PhD Seminar, SO FUN 4-6PM Get lost in a series of chats and hijinks with fellow PhD students, aimless wandering around, discover a box of cookies left over from some MBA event, SCORE! 6PM Realize you still have a crapload of work to finish up, oh no! 6-11PM hustle to get work done, work work work.. furiously type, get stuff semi done, head home because, well.. it's getting late. 11:20PM Remember you totally forgot something for the seminar tomorrow, type away furiously in Google Drive as you walk up to your front door. Midnight: Finish an email to a professor about some data-gathering problems for the project you're working on because you realized you were supposed to do that yesterday Midnight-1:30AM: Netflix + internet! 1:30AM-?: Sleep (Being used to operating on 4-6 hours of sleep most days of the week helps.. tonight I'm getting about 5.5, yay) Edited January 11, 2015 by tm_associate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gc98835 Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Thanks for this post, this looks pretty much similar to my current life as a Masters student (with RA and thesis), although pressure will be definitely higher during the Phd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopefulProf Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Someone mentioned this may be useful, and well, why not. Also a chance for those who are interested to ask questions. Here is a slightly generic/hypothetical but realistic day in life for me. 7:30AM get up, , coffee, email, etc. 9:30AM I'm in school! (yes, I take a while to get up, plus commute) 10AM Meet professor for a quick meeting to discuss ongoing research project/RA stuff 11AM-Noon Finish taking some notes from the readings for this week, organize, etc Noon-1PM Lunch, screw around 1-4PM PhD Seminar, SO FUN 4-6PM Get lost in a series of chats and hijinks with fellow PhD students, aimless wandering around, discover a box of cookies left over from some MBA event, SCORE! 6PM Realize you still have a crapload of work to finish up, oh no! 6-11PM hustle to get work done, work work work.. furiously type, get stuff semi done, head home because, well.. it's getting late. 11:20PM Remember you totally forgot something for the seminar tomorrow, type away furiously in Google Drive as you walk up to your front door. Midnight: Finish an email to a professor about some data-gathering problems for the project you're working on because you realized you were supposed to do that yesterday Midnight-1:30AM: Netflix + internet! 1:30AM-?: Sleep (Being used to operating on 4-6 hours of sleep most days of the week helps.. tonight I'm getting about 5.5, yay) So just curious, is "work, work,work" (the activities from say 6pm to after 11pm) related mostly to coursework, or independent research work? Also, is the bulk of that reading articles? This is super helpful. Thanks for posting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doingfine Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share Posted February 5, 2014 So just curious, is "work, work,work" (the activities from say 6pm to after 11pm) related mostly to coursework, or independent research work? Also, is the bulk of that reading articles? This is super helpful. Thanks for posting! I try to do most of the required readings over the weekend or on other special days. The work work work part would really be some sort of RA stuff or course work stuff, and so on. If I wasn't a fast-ish academic reader, I'd be even more busy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catguy Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Busy day (5.5 hrs work + 4 hrs class + 1.5 hrs seminar) 7:30AM: wake up 8:30AM: take the bus and start reading some papers 9:20AM: in the office 9:20AM-9:40AM: chat around 9:40AM-11: work on some problem sets and/or TA work 11AM:12:30PM: seminar, maybe grab a bite during it 12:30PM-1:00PM: chat with other students or professors 1:00PM-4:00PM: class 4:00PM-5:30PM: work on some problem sets and/or TA work 5:30PM-6:30PM: discussion session 6:45PM: take the bus and go over stuff did in class/discussion session 7:30PM: at home, prepare and eat dinner 8:30PM-9:30PM: play Battlefield 9:30PM-11:00PM: continue what I was doing on the bus. Study. 11:00PM-12:00AM: chat with my roommates, watch movie, etc... 12:00AM: sleep! Light day (5.5 hrs work + 1.5 hrs class + 2.5 hrs seminar) 7:30AM: wake up 8:30AM: take the bus and start reading some papers 9:20AM: in the office 9:20AM-9:40AM: chat around 9:40AM-10AM: go over the paper being presented 10AM:12:00PM: big seminar! 12:00PM-1:00PM: chat with other students or professors, eat something 1:00PM-2:30PM: class 2:30PM-5:00PM: work on some problem sets and/or TA work 5:30PM: take the bus and go over stuff did in class 6:30PM: at home 6:30PM-7:30PM: play Battlefield 7:30PM-8:30PM: prepare and eat dinner 8:30PM-9:00PM: relax 9:00PM-11:00PM: work on some problem sets and/or TA work 11:00PM-12:30AM: chat with my roommates, watch movie, etc... 12:30AM: sleep! Sat/Sun (4-5 hrs work): 9:00AM: wake up 9:00AM-10:00AM: breakfast+Skype (relatives and friends in my home country) 10:00AM-11:30AM: work on some problem sets and/or TA work 11:30AM-1:00PM: walk in the park, go shopping, etc... 1:00PM:2:00PM: lunch 2:00PM-5:30PM: work on some problem sets and/or TA work 5:30PM-X: various Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kensho Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 First year PhD: Typical day(70% of days are like this?): 11.00-12.15: Barely drag self out of bed, Coffee #1 12.15-12.45: Commute 12.45-13.45: Lunch at school, Coffee #2 13.45-17.00: Lectures 17.00-19.00: High variance: may include seminar, gym, pool, meetings with advisor, group work 19.00-19.30: Dinner with other PhDs 19.30-02.00: THE ZONE: Solo work on PSets, readings or research 02.00-02:15: Commute home with plan to work more 02.15-03:30: Work gets trumped by playing Hearthstone or watching random shows Sleep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wittmic Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 ^ Only two coffees?? Are you superhuman? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phdcandid2014 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 This is a great thread. I own two businesses and am going to continue with one of them in grad school. I already have my master's degree, so I know what my grad experience was before (I probably work about 3x more efficiently now and am much more diligent). I'm going to present my current schedule and then give a hypothetical one for next year - I welcome any current PhDs to tell me I'm crazy. One of the intriguing things about getting back into grad school is having more unstructured time to think about singular problems, rather than a dozen+ at a time and managing 10+ people. Current 5:30 - 6:30: Gym 6:30 - 7:00: Get ready for work 7:00 - 7:15: Commute (take kids to school, too) 7:15 - 6:00: Work. It is detailed and has very few distractions. 6:00 - 6:15: Commute 6:15 - 8:00: Dinner and playing with kids 8:00 - 10:00: Time with the wife Next Year 5:30 - 6:30 Gym 6:30 - 7:30 Breakfast, time with kids, take kid(s) to school 7:30 - 8:00 Commute 8:00 - 12:00 Writing, reading papers, coursework 12:00 - 1:00 Lunch with adviser, fellow students, or family 1:00 - 5:00 Reading papers, coursework, seminar(s) 5:00 - 5:30 Commute 5:30 - 7:30 Family time 7:30 - 10:30 Wife time and/or thinking time (more reading, writing, preparation for the next day) Weekend - 10-15 hours writing, reading, working on my business. Rest with kids and family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doingfine Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 This is a great thread. I own two businesses and am going to continue with one of them in grad school. I already have my master's degree, so I know what my grad experience was before (I probably work about 3x more efficiently now and am much more diligent). I'm going to present my current schedule and then give a hypothetical one for next year - I welcome any current PhDs to tell me I'm crazy. One of the intriguing things about getting back into grad school is having more unstructured time to think about singular problems, rather than a dozen+ at a time and managing 10+ people. Current 5:30 - 6:30: Gym 6:30 - 7:00: Get ready for work 7:00 - 7:15: Commute (take kids to school, too) 7:15 - 6:00: Work. It is detailed and has very few distractions. 6:00 - 6:15: Commute 6:15 - 8:00: Dinner and playing with kids 8:00 - 10:00: Time with the wife Next Year 5:30 - 6:30 Gym 6:30 - 7:30 Breakfast, time with kids, take kid(s) to school 7:30 - 8:00 Commute 8:00 - 12:00 Writing, reading papers, coursework 12:00 - 1:00 Lunch with adviser, fellow students, or family 1:00 - 5:00 Reading papers, coursework, seminar(s) 5:00 - 5:30 Commute 5:30 - 7:30 Family time 7:30 - 10:30 Wife time and/or thinking time (more reading, writing, preparation for the next day) Weekend - 10-15 hours writing, reading, working on my business. Rest with kids and family. Ehh. I couldn't do an 8-5, but I know people who do and seem pretty successful at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catguy Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 ^ Only two coffees?? Are you superhuman? I don't drink coffee :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wittmic Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I don't drink coffee :) It's ok. I drink enough for the both of us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopefulProf Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 This is a great thread. I own two businesses and am going to continue with one of them in grad school. I already have my master's degree, so I know what my grad experience was before (I probably work about 3x more efficiently now and am much more diligent). I'm going to present my current schedule and then give a hypothetical one for next year - I welcome any current PhDs to tell me I'm crazy. One of the intriguing things about getting back into grad school is having more unstructured time to think about singular problems, rather than a dozen+ at a time and managing 10+ people. Current 5:30 - 6:30: Gym 6:30 - 7:00: Get ready for work 7:00 - 7:15: Commute (take kids to school, too) 7:15 - 6:00: Work. It is detailed and has very few distractions. 6:00 - 6:15: Commute 6:15 - 8:00: Dinner and playing with kids 8:00 - 10:00: Time with the wife Next Year 5:30 - 6:30 Gym 6:30 - 7:30 Breakfast, time with kids, take kid(s) to school 7:30 - 8:00 Commute 8:00 - 12:00 Writing, reading papers, coursework 12:00 - 1:00 Lunch with adviser, fellow students, or family 1:00 - 5:00 Reading papers, coursework, seminar(s) 5:00 - 5:30 Commute 5:30 - 7:30 Family time 7:30 - 10:30 Wife time and/or thinking time (more reading, writing, preparation for the next day) Weekend - 10-15 hours writing, reading, working on my business. Rest with kids and family. This is the type of schedule I'm hoping for. I think TA/RA duties might make this difficult, but otherwise I think it seems totally feasible. I'm hoping to get into a program w/ minimal TA/RA responsibilities, at least during year one. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regucating Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 This is a great thread. I own two businesses and am going to continue with one of them in grad school. I already have my master's degree, so I know what my grad experience was before (I probably work about 3x more efficiently now and am much more diligent). I'm going to present my current schedule and then give a hypothetical one for next year - I welcome any current PhDs to tell me I'm crazy. One of the intriguing things about getting back into grad school is having more unstructured time to think about singular problems, rather than a dozen+ at a time and managing 10+ people. Current 5:30 - 6:30: Gym 6:30 - 7:00: Get ready for work 7:00 - 7:15: Commute (take kids to school, too) 7:15 - 6:00: Work. It is detailed and has very few distractions. 6:00 - 6:15: Commute 6:15 - 8:00: Dinner and playing with kids 8:00 - 10:00: Time with the wife Next Year 5:30 - 6:30 Gym 6:30 - 7:30 Breakfast, time with kids, take kid(s) to school 7:30 - 8:00 Commute 8:00 - 12:00 Writing, reading papers, coursework 12:00 - 1:00 Lunch with adviser, fellow students, or family 1:00 - 5:00 Reading papers, coursework, seminar(s) 5:00 - 5:30 Commute 5:30 - 7:30 Family time 7:30 - 10:30 Wife time and/or thinking time (more reading, writing, preparation for the next day) Weekend - 10-15 hours writing, reading, working on my business. Rest with kids and family. This is the type of schedule I'm hoping for. I think TA/RA duties might make this difficult, but otherwise I think it seems totally feasible. I'm hoping to get into a program w/ minimal TA/RA responsibilities, at least during year one. :) I think that's a bit ambitious, at my program I think you'd be hard pressed to find students in their first 2 yrs that are working less than 70-80hrs a week... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doingfine Posted February 8, 2014 Author Share Posted February 8, 2014 13.5 hours today. 4.5 hours in coursework 5(?) hours of real nose to the grindstone research work 30 minutes of administrative/paperwork BS The rest was running around, chatting, eating, texting, etc.. WHERE DID IT GO???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doingfine Posted February 8, 2014 Author Share Posted February 8, 2014 I think that's a bit ambitious, at my program I think you'd be hard pressed to find students in their first 2 yrs that are working less than 70-80hrs a week... There are plenty and it really depends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snickers Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 (edited) I am a masters student and I work 70 hours a week with classes, TA, research etc. :P So either I'm sort of prepared for my PhD program or it's just going to be SO much more work. Edited February 8, 2014 by snickers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourteenstix Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Do doc students get a winter break? What about spring break? I imagine summers are not off... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopefulProf Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 13.5 hours today. 4.5 hours in coursework 5(?) hours of real nose to the grindstone research work 30 minutes of administrative/paperwork BS The rest was running around, chatting, eating, texting, etc.. WHERE DID IT GO???? I know how that goes! I think this is refreshing to hear though because I bet so many students will say they normally have 12+ hour work days (or 70-80 hour work weeks given weekend work) and in reality, there was probably 4-6 hours of actual quality work time being done in addition to coursework on a daily basis (which, yes, is a lot but not as extreme as the raw numbers make it seem). The rest of the day is easy to fill with conversations, daydreaming (about research of course), moving around campus, social eating, etc. That's my take on it at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doingfine Posted February 8, 2014 Author Share Posted February 8, 2014 Do doc students get a winter break? What about spring break? I imagine summers are not off... LOL. All of those things are when you actually have the time to do useful things, like research and stuff. That said, I probably take about ~4 weeks off totally to get away from everything. I am a masters student and I work 70 hours a week with classes, TA, research etc. :P So either I'm sort of prepared for my PhD program or it's just going to be SO much more work. It's a very good place to come from, you will likely have to work harder, or smarter, but you should be sort of ready. The expectations of quality and independence will be a bit higher with PhD as well. I know how that goes! I think this is refreshing to hear though because I bet so many students will say they normally have 12+ hour work days (or 70-80 hour work weeks given weekend work) and in reality, there was probably 4-6 hours of actual quality work time being done in addition to coursework on a daily basis (which, yes, is a lot but not as extreme as the raw numbers make it seem). The rest of the day is easy to fill with conversations, daydreaming (about research of course), moving around campus, social eating, etc. That's my take on it at least. That's all fine, but the issue is that believe me, you aren't going to be the only one doing 95% solid work in all your hours. But if you're lucky enough to actually put in 6-8 hours of SOLID work in a day, don't feel bad about going home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ald Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 From a friend... "Counting Stars" - theme song for PhD students doing econometric analysis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheetrockero Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 Does anyone work "power naps" into their schedule? I find that I can consistantly wake up early and stay up late only if I doze off for a few z's in the middle of the day. Is there anywhere on a campus you can doze off or should I only consider schools where I can live very close to campus? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhDPlease Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 Does anyone work "power naps" into their schedule? I find that I can consistantly wake up early and stay up late only if I doze off for a few z's in the middle of the day. Is there anywhere on a campus you can doze off or should I only consider schools where I can live very close to campus? Our cubes have high walls that you cannot see through, so you could probably just bring in a pillow and nap in your cube. In undergrad one of my friends would take 10-min power naps in the library and ask me to ensure that she woke up at the correct time. I guess it depends on what standards of comfort/privacy you require, but if your standards aren't too high, I think you'd find a place at most schools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaSvoboden Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 Does anyone work "power naps" into their schedule? I find that I can consistantly wake up early and stay up late only if I doze off for a few z's in the middle of the day. Is there anywhere on a campus you can doze off or should I only consider schools where I can live very close to campus? I take naps here occasionally. I usually just put my head on my office desk and throw my hoodie over my eyes. There are more comfortable places that I have gone when necessary. I can't imagine a school that wouldn't have plenty of quiet little nooks for you to find over 5 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evergreen Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 Everytime I get the urge to take a nap, I drink a cup of coffee. That can't be healthy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XanthusARES Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 Does anyone work "power naps" into their schedule? I find that I can consistantly wake up early and stay up late only if I doze off for a few z's in the middle of the day. Is there anywhere on a campus you can doze off or should I only consider schools where I can live very close to campus? My shared office has a couch where most of us will from time to time get in a few extra winks. I don't personally nap because I've just never been good at it. Mostly everyone else in the office will though, and our office is surprisingly quiet with most people wearing headphones. We also attempt to keep conversations to a minimum unless we're all in a mood to complain about the program. Everytime I get the urge to take a nap, I drink a cup of coffee. That can't be healthy... I also find this to be a useful, and completely unhealthy method. Quick aside, I drink about 5 cups of coffee a day, but the wife is trying to get me to switch to tea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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