How To: Balance Work and Grad School

 

 

As of Sunday morning at exactly 7:35 am, I am DONE with my master’s thesis! I can’t even believe it. I knew this day would come, but I couldn’t really imagine it.

*real quick: the (ridiculous) photos here are from my ceremony in may. now, I’m officially done!

I’ve worked endless hours, day in and day out, to finish my degree. It feels so good to finally be done! And, now that I’ve successfully made it through a year and a half of working full-time and pursuing my master’s, I wanted to share some of my favorite/best tips with you on how to balance work and grad school at the same time. You know, just in case you’re thinking about doing the same.

Back. It. Up.

Here’s how it all started. While working at Northeastern University (after completing my undergraduate degree there), I realized I could enroll in a master’s program for free. Yep, you heard me – F.R.E.E. How could I pass that up? Answer: I couldn’t.

I took a quick break – about six months after graduating – and enrolled and was subsequently accepted to a master’s program in Corporate and Organizational Communication. Sounds kind of lame, but my concentration was Social Media and Online Communities, which sounds way cooler. Am I right?

I knew jumping in that it would be a major undertaking. But, it was going to be 100% worth it. So, before I knew it, I was back in school. Instead of grabbing happy hour drinks (barely, because happy hour is banned in Boston. And no, I don’t want to talk about it), I would spend my evenings buried in my textbooks, participating in online discussion boards, and writing essays.

It was no easy feat. But, here I am, cheers-ing (with chai, of course) to making it through an incredibly difficult year!

How You Can Balance Work and Grad School

I promise, it’s possible. It might not feel that way all the time, but it is. Use these few tips to learn how you can balance work and grad school!

1. Prioritize. This sounds generic, I know. But, it’s crucial. There are things you’ll want to do while studying and working full-time (like brunch), but being able to effectively prioritize your time is going to become your new best friend. Learning how to balance work and grad school can be tough, but weigh all of the things you need to get done each week and prioritize them to make sure you get the essentials taken care of.
2. Manage your time. Again, somewhat generic, but take this to heart. Remember how you just prioritized your tasks? Now, fit those into your schedule. Look ahead so you’re prepared for the week. You might realize just in time that you’ll need to push back your “night out” to next week or you’ll be able to preemptively be a little more productive the day before so you don’t have to skip out on your plans. Manage your time effectively, it’s important! This is key as you work to balance work and grad school over the next year or so (or multiple years!).
3. Learn to love your to-do list. This was my knight in shining armor. Doesn’t that sound absolutely ridiculous? Sure. But, my to-do list really saved me while attempting to balance work and grad school since last year. I, personally, use the Clear app on my phone. It’s simple, easy to use, and lets me jot down the bare bones of my to-do list. I created different lists in Clear for things for blogging, general to-dos, and one for each course I was enrolled in at the time. I then was able to prioritize my tasks for each course by arranging them by level of importance and urgency. This way, I was sure to get to the most important assignments/tasks first. ps. You can even create reminders! Brilliant.
4. Lean on your support system. I’ve cried under stress countless times over the past 1.5 years. Sometimes, you really do just need to let it out. So do that in whichever way is best for you. For me, I’m so so lucky to have my guy, T., who’s been there through it all. He’s listened to me complain for hours on end, has experienced my fury, and has always helped me look on the bright side. Find your support system, whoever that might be – he/she/they are essential.

And here’s another one from the photoshoot that T. and I proceeded to have following my graduation ceremony. He’s the cutest, isn’t he?What are some of your best time management tips? Have you had to balance work and grad school before? Do share!

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