Academic/Life Advice Needed ...

[La Lioness Priyanka]

I am applying to Phd's this semester, and starting my research and working fulltime and retaking the GRE. All this has to be done be Dec 15th.

All i have left to graduate my masters is 2 electives and research class (2 semester + however much time it takes to write it up, individual research like the type i am doing generally takes a year. A real year, not an academic year)

I don't know in what order to take these classes

So here are the three choices:


a) FA 08- 1 Research class, Sp 09, 3 Classes : assuming research finishes, graduate in may 09.

b) FA 08- 1 Research class + 1 Elective, Sp O89 1 Research class + 1 Elective: assuming research finishes, graduate in may 09.

C) Fa 08- 1 Research Class, SP 09 Research Class, FA 09--2 Electives. (assuming that by fa09 i am not enrolled in a PHD program)



So which one would you pick, a,b or c?

[Richardo]

1. (b) seems to be the most balanced workload

That's the one that would work for me.

PS You should change 'Sp 08' to 'Sp 09' ;-)

[La Lioness Priyanka]

2. yeah, but then this semester i have the GRE + applications

[Richardo]

3. Then (c)

You get out later, but I think more of your brain would be intact.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

4. also if i get into a phd, it might not even matter

i am strongly leaning toward C

[Lil Missy]

5. Oh shit! I am useless with academic advice!

But, I have seen and heard enough from you that tells me you will be successful, no matter which track you take. You're gonna be just fine. :hug:

Now, life advice, I could probably be more helpful with. However, it's not my favorite subject.

[IndianaJones]

6. go with c, which is coincidentally, my average college grade. nt.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

7. lol

:P

[Orangepeel]

8. b

A is a bad idea, IMO. Your research will evolve as you are doing it, no matter how much you try to front load it. So, you'll probably need time at the end, too. Also, it is a creative exercise. You'll need time during the process where you are thinking about other things, so that your ideas can incubate.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

9. kick for input

[leftyclimber]

10. Another vote for B.

I went straight through from my M.S. to my Ph.D. -- I'm in my second year now, doing comps next spring. Doc programs are a grind, especially if you have a teaching or research assistantship, so you might as well balance the rest of your Master's and come in relatively fresh. The thesis is a real brain-suck anyway, so spreading your classes out across the academic year instead of trying to load one semester or the other will help you balance coursework and writing.

Unsolicited: If you have any say in the matter, try to choose a research topic that makes your heart go pitter-pat. You'll get sick of looking at it one way or the other, so you might as well do something you enjoy instead of slogging through a topic you hate. Personally, I'm throwing my M.S. thesis a funeral once I'm done publishing out of it! :D

[Maddy McCall]

11. Go with B.

Then you can have the summer to do additional work if needed, and if you have to, you can receive your master's degree in the summer, and begin your PhD the next fall.

B seems like the most consistent workload...once you get out of the saddle, it's tough to get back in, so keeping your workload consistent is important in staying motivated to finish your work.