Summers in Grad School
During the first couple of years in grad school, the summers are great because of the break from classes and teaching. Finally, you can focus on your research without those distractions. The other nice thing that summer brings is a sense of freedom. I'm not sure if it's the sunshine, the lack of undergrads, or the travel schedules of labmates, but the overall lab environment tends to flow a little more freely than the rest of the year.
This summer, my advisor and I are both doing a lot of travelling (for both work and leisure). The trips that line up with each other are nice because (to him) it doesn't feel like I've been gone for a week when I take a week off in the middle of his two week trip. At the same time, sometimes you need a break from your advisor, and you can schedule your travel to fall adjacent to his on the calendar. This might allow you to get 2, 3, or even 4 weeks of a break from him if you play your cards right (and I've seen this done successfully by some of my labmates).
They say that while the cat's away, the mice will play. This can be true in the research labs as well. I've seen some labs that are empty until 11am, and then empty out again by 3pm when the boss is out of town. Other labs crank up the music, take long lab lunches, or even skip out altogether for a lab trip to the movie theater. In our lab this year, many of us were watching soccer matches at work during the time our advisor was in Europe.
Summer isn't all about playtime, though. It's a great time to make serious strides in your research. With the longer days, you can work longer hours at work and still go home before the sun goes down. If the weather is too warm, you can seek refuge at your bench in your air conditioned lab. Without any classes to take, you can get more done and carry out more demanding experiments (the ones that need constant monitoring for many consecutive hours). Without your advisor around, you might enjoy a little more freedom to try experiments that you think he would veto if he were there.
So, enjoy your summers in grad school, and enjoy the work you can get done in the summers!
This summer, my advisor and I are both doing a lot of travelling (for both work and leisure). The trips that line up with each other are nice because (to him) it doesn't feel like I've been gone for a week when I take a week off in the middle of his two week trip. At the same time, sometimes you need a break from your advisor, and you can schedule your travel to fall adjacent to his on the calendar. This might allow you to get 2, 3, or even 4 weeks of a break from him if you play your cards right (and I've seen this done successfully by some of my labmates).
They say that while the cat's away, the mice will play. This can be true in the research labs as well. I've seen some labs that are empty until 11am, and then empty out again by 3pm when the boss is out of town. Other labs crank up the music, take long lab lunches, or even skip out altogether for a lab trip to the movie theater. In our lab this year, many of us were watching soccer matches at work during the time our advisor was in Europe.
Summer isn't all about playtime, though. It's a great time to make serious strides in your research. With the longer days, you can work longer hours at work and still go home before the sun goes down. If the weather is too warm, you can seek refuge at your bench in your air conditioned lab. Without any classes to take, you can get more done and carry out more demanding experiments (the ones that need constant monitoring for many consecutive hours). Without your advisor around, you might enjoy a little more freedom to try experiments that you think he would veto if he were there.
So, enjoy your summers in grad school, and enjoy the work you can get done in the summers!
posted by pro_blogger at 12:05 PM
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