For those who have been to grad. school--what is the rule of thumb

[Michelle in MO]

for studying and other associated work per credit hour?

When I was an undergrad., the rule of thumb was for every credit hour, we were to spend two hours of study/reading/writing and any other prep. work associated with that course. So, for a 3 credit course, I would attend class generally 3 days per week and spend 6 additional hours per week in study.

In theory, if I can get properly registered, grad. school starts on Monday. I'm being wimpy, perhaps, but I'd rather start with one class; however, because of the fact that I've been provisionally admitted, I may need to take two. I'm trying to do what's reasonable with still trying to raise three kids!

BTW, the house was so very quiet today that it was really, really strange! I did get potato bread and potato soup made, though! :)

[In The Great White North]

I vaguely remember talk of 3 to 1, but it definitely didn't take that long.

Maybe I had an easier major for my master's than undergrad.:)

I started with one also (pregnant and working but no kids). I didn't want it to take forever, so I quickly upped it to 4 the next term, which they considered an overload.

Hope it goes well. What are you taking?

[JennW in SoCal]

Now that's the spirit -- your girls are in traditional school but your self education continues. You go, girl!

Its been a long time since I was in grad school so I don't remember the exact rule of thumb, but I do remember I liked it so much more than being an undergraduate student. I liked going deeper into a subject, I liked the research, and nerd that I am, I liked writing and presenting papers. So if you enjoy these things too, the time you spend on a class won't seem overwhelming at all.

I suppose the time involved in a course varies depending on the discipline, as the sciences would be different than the social studies disciplines that I was in. Classes only meet once a week for a 3 hour seminar, and there is a lot of reading in preparation for the class. You spend a lot of time in the library getting to know the reference and government docs librarians as you try to find that perfect bit of information for your research. Some classes are meant to introduce further information into the subject, some are research practicums where you learn what kind of research and writing is expected, and actually write out your thesis proposal. Some are just awarding credit hours as you research and write that thesis and you never sit in a class the whole semester, only meet with your professor weekly.

Personally, I find homeschooling to be very much like grad school as we are researching curricula, learning and processing new information in order to teach it to our kids. There is no final defense of our thesis, but the process feels very similar.

I think you will love it and flourish! You have to tell us what kind of MA you are after.

[Jane in NC]

At least three hours outside of the classroom for each hour in class. This seemed pretty typical for others as well who were in my graduate mathematics program.

One of my good buddies has been working on her master's degree in clinical psychology. She found that some courses took considerably more time than others, sometimes because of the workload and sometimes because the material was so dull she kept falling asleep trying to read it!

Since you are pursuing a degree in literature, I would think that reading will alone will demand a great deal of your time. But I know you are going to love it!

Jane

[Michelle in MO]

but I'm still a bit nervous about taking two classes! Silly me! My dh thinks I should "burn hours", but for me, that would be taking two classes at a time.

My MA is theoretically supposed to be in English lit., which, as Jane in NC says, will require volumes of reading. There is still some question as to whether or not I need 24 undergrad. hours. Apparently the head of the English dept. told someone else I didn't need that. So, I'm confused! :confused: The problem is that I have an advisor assigned, but she doesn't know I'm one of her students, and she's out this week. I've been fumbling around on the phone, trying to find someone who really can tell me what I'm supposed to be doing!

The goal of all of this is to be able to someday get a real job teaching English---somewhere. I wonder if English lit. MA's are a dime a dozen (no offense intended to anyone on board here!) The thought of other programs, such as business, does not interest me, so I'm trying to choose something I'm interested in plus something that will help me get a job here in small town America--I hope. I think there's a sign posted next to our town "Welcome" sign that says things like, "No Latin here!"

The head of the English dept. is supposed to call me back, so I'm awaiting her authoritative response.

In the meantime, the kids are trying to get used to a regular school schedule, plus we have a 1/2 hour drive each way. At some point or another this was bound to happen, but it's still an adjustment for everyone. No more dashes upstairs for chocolate chip cookies and milk!

[Jan P.]

Michelle,

I think it will depend on the class. I think most of the hours that I spent studying were immediately before tests and writing papers. I also spent at least an hour to two hours per day on my statistic homework. I had to take 12 hours credit per semester due to being on a fellowship. That was plenty!! IF I had a family I would not have taken that much.

HTH,
Jan