Background: I'll be starting a two-year graduate program in public policy in August. I'm a single mom (with a good bit of help from my ex) to a two year old boy, and I've been in a white collar professional job for the last six years, almost seven. I should be able to get by with working just about ten hours a week, and if I manage to find a really affordable living situation there's a chance I could get away with just doing a little freelance work, or possibly even none.
So tell me about life as a grad student and parent? My impression is that while challenging, this will not be a boilerpot program like, say, the first year of law school. DS will be in daycare close to campus 9-5, and I'm planning on living close to campus to avoid a commute.
I guess my question is, will I be able to treat grad school like a 9-5 job? I have plenty of professional experience and know how to Get Things Accomplished Efficiently, and my time management skills are certainly a lot better now, at 30, than they were when I was an undergrad. (even with taking occasional MDC posting breaks
). I want to have my time at home be reserved for being with my son and running our household (which is easier than running a household with two adults).
I know they say that you should allot 2 - 3 hours of study time per semester hour, so if I take 12 hours, I feel like I could do it in (12 hours) + (12 x 2.5 hours) = 42 hours.
It will, of course, depend on how much I have to work, but in general, I guess I'm just interested in knowing what grad school will be like as a parent, and how much stress and time I can expect.
So tell me about life as a grad student and parent? My impression is that while challenging, this will not be a boilerpot program like, say, the first year of law school. DS will be in daycare close to campus 9-5, and I'm planning on living close to campus to avoid a commute.
I guess my question is, will I be able to treat grad school like a 9-5 job? I have plenty of professional experience and know how to Get Things Accomplished Efficiently, and my time management skills are certainly a lot better now, at 30, than they were when I was an undergrad. (even with taking occasional MDC posting breaks
). I want to have my time at home be reserved for being with my son and running our household (which is easier than running a household with two adults).I know they say that you should allot 2 - 3 hours of study time per semester hour, so if I take 12 hours, I feel like I could do it in (12 hours) + (12 x 2.5 hours) = 42 hours.
It will, of course, depend on how much I have to work, but in general, I guess I'm just interested in knowing what grad school will be like as a parent, and how much stress and time I can expect.
