Ladies of reddit, how did you survive graduate school?

7 comments

1. I had AMAZING friends and great teachers!

2. and what would have helped you I’m currently a masters student and the amount of work is really overwhelming at times. I have to say that what has helped me the most is having a support system of friends and family who understand what I’m going through and are there for me when I need to vent or just take a break. Also, time management is key! Planning out my week and setting aside specific days/times for work has really helped me stay on track. Lastly, I try to remind myself that this is only temporary and that it will all be worth it in the end.

3. Making friends and not being afraid to ask for help (or being afraid, but doing it anyway)! I asked for help from my professors, TAs, friends, etc. My easiest way to make friends was to ask my classmates if we can check our homework together, and then plan to work together on homeworks in the future. Also asking people if they want to grab lunch sometime. And lastly, therapy helped me a lot too!

4. Pre-Covid: make a lot of friends. You will need ther help one way or another. You can use their strengths to help you overcome your weaknesses.

   During pandemic: don’t lock yourself in your room. Go out, breath fresh air, exercise, and eat healthy. Take a moment to relax and unwind to freshen up your mind.

5. I did a hybrid graduate program so I had some classes on campus, while others were completely online. It can become very overwhelming very quickly, just don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it! What helped me was setting aside and planning specific time to focus on school work. Making friends with classmates helped as well so we could work together on assignments, studying etc.

6. I had a very supportive spouse. I couldn’t have done it otherwise.

7. I was in survival mode. My husband did 100 percent of the housework. I paid for every convenience I could. I got my groceries delivered. I got my gas delivered. I was working full time as well, pretty much every minute was accounted for. I just focused one task at a time, one day at a time. It was worth it in the end. I usually had like one or two days off a month, and those little breaks kept me going.