Lets say you work full time, have young kids, a husband who works long hours, are involved in other activities that require time and energy (charity boards, coaching kids, run clubs, etc.), and have been in grad school taking one class at a time with no breaks for the last year.
If you continue to take one class at a time, with no breaks between the end of one class and the start of the next, the degree will be completed in Sept. 2023, meaning you have been in school nonstop for 3 years. You currently have a 4.0 GPA and would like to keep that, but aren't sure you would be able to if you add another class' workload.
I need the degree for the role I am in now, but have been told by senior leadership to just pass the classes and get the degree. Lol. I have no desire to get a PHD in my field, but may not always want to be where I am now so a 4.0 prob doesn't even matter. It's more my own self imposed pressure to do well.
Would you
A. Continue on as you are with one class at a time for another two full years
B. Double up on classes to finish in a year instead of two which will probably drop your GPA
C. Something else
Please ignore the "you're" typo in the poll. I can't edit it.
As someone who just finished a dual master's degree program with a 4.0, I'd say add the class and fuck the GPA. Honestly, I felt proud about for a bit, but it doesn't matter at all lol. Literally no one cares.
I would just want to get it done. Also, if you wanted to drop something else to help that happen (i.e. drop volunteer commitment or whatever), you could do that for a year/season with less impact than having things messed up for multiple years.
Also, I have no clue how you are doing all of that stuff at once! That's amazing.
It didn't to me in undergrad, either. But for some reason, I have this insane pressure on myself for grad school. I need to shake it.
But I'm currently on here instead of writing the paper due tonight. I'm trying to envision my procrastination skills with two classes that require work
What you SHOULD do is not care about the GPA. But if you are asking what I would do, I would probably just take 1 class at a time. I don't have nearly as much going on as you, and taking 2 classes on top of a full time job feels busy enough. If I had kids and a bunch of other commitments, I don't think I could handle it. And I too want to get all A's or at least as close as possible. It's really less about the GPA I think and more that I feel like there isn't much point in getting a degree at all at this point in my life if I'm not going to be learning from my classes, and if I can't devote enough time to be able to keep up with readings and do well on the projects, am I really learning as much as I should?
Then again, if you're just taking these classes to check a box and don't really need the knowledge, you're probably fine skipping or half assing some things anyway.
I said something else- can you double up and ask work for study time/day class. Would they work with you on workload stuff temporarily since it’s needed for your position?
*i don’t know what you do so not sure how possible it is **my momma told me to “just ask” because you never know what can happen
Post by sassystace on Sept 9, 2021 10:22:59 GMT -5
Doubling up on classes sounds like too much without something else having to give...even if you gave up the 4.0. Could you realistically add another class even if you gave up on the 4.0? Is there a push to get the degree done faster by your current job?
Post by lightbulbsun on Sept 9, 2021 10:28:44 GMT -5
I wouldn't really care about the 4.0, but I would worry about being overwhelmed with a fast-track schedule. The grad program I was in was supposed to take two years, with a quarter system where everyone takes at least two classes per semester (sometimes 2.5 classes, so two 3 credit courses and a 1.5 credit course). I did that schedule for a year and I was so burnt out between life, work, and school, so I started alternating one or two classes a semester. It was much more manageable for me, even though it took an extra year to graduate.
Will you get a salary bump when you get the degree? A year of a higher salary would be worth a lot more to me than a 4.0. I'd probably step back from something else as well and focus to finish up asap.
Post by ellipses84 on Sept 9, 2021 10:33:41 GMT -5
I’d do A, not because of the 4.0 but because I think you will overextend yourself. If there’s a particularly easy quarter (in your personal life and with the class workloads) you could occasionally double up, but I wouldn’t commit to that all the time. I had to take a series of very difficult professional exams and I found Jan- Apr. the easiest times to focus where there weren’t so many extracurricular and social events.
Normally I’d say to get it over it with but you have a lot on your plate. I’d rather it take longer than wear myself out if I had all you have going on. I was single, living alone and teaching full time and doing grad school full time and I barely remember those two years. I had to do that for the program I was in but if I had a choice, I would have taken fewer classes or worked less. The other day someone asked me for ideas of what to make as a single person cooking for one for dinner and I honestly don’t recall if I ever ate those two years lol
Is there a push to get it done more quickly by your work? Is it possible to double up some semesters and not others? If I was you, I’d double up during a slow time for me personally (if there is one) and just take one during busier times but my classes were mostly semester long and plentiful so that would have been possible.
I think it’s fine to want a 4.0 even if it doesn’t “matter” so IMO that’s reason enough to take it slower if you can. You don’t want to take more classes and feel a lot of internal pressure to still get that either. I wouldn’t want to drop any of my other activities I enjoyed just for a work related degree either.
Try doubling up for one semester and see how it goes. You don't have to commit to that now through finishing the degree. But I do think you'll need to give up one or some of your other outside activities.
Post by goldengirlz on Sept 9, 2021 10:46:03 GMT -5
If the motivating factor is ONLY the GPA, then yeah, add that second class and just get this done (after all, even with doing one class at a time, shit happens and there’s no guarantee you’d maintain that average — and the converse is true too, like maybe you’d surprise yourself.)
However, if it’s going to suck all the joy out of your life and make you feel squeezed — and there’s no downside to taking more time — then go with the path of least resistance of taking one class at a time.
I’d rather have two busy but manageable years than one insanely stressed one (all things being equal). Plus, you know yourself best — do you think you’d be gunning for that A even knowing you have “permission” not to get one? I’d take your mental well-being into account as well, not just the grades.
I said keep it one at a time but not due to the gpa aspect. My thought was just the time commitment. With young kids and a full time job how will taking an extra class impact time with family?
What you SHOULD do is not care about the GPA. But if you are asking what I would do, I would probably just take 1 class at a time. I don't have nearly as much going on as you, and taking 2 classes on top of a full time job feels busy enough. If I had kids and a bunch of other commitments, I don't think I could handle it. And I too want to get all A's or at least as close as possible. It's really less about the GPA I think and more that I feel like there isn't much point in getting a degree at all at this point in my life if I'm not going to be learning from my classes, and if I can't devote enough time to be able to keep up with readings and do well on the projects, am I really learning as much as I should?
Then again, if you're just taking these classes to check a box and don't really need the knowledge, you're probably fine skipping or half assing some things anyway.
Getting an "A" in a class isn't necessarily about your demonstration of knowledge. One can absolutely (and people definitely do) get an "A" in a class by following the instructions on the syllabus and having reading comprehension skills.
I've known plenty of straight A dumbshits in my life, and asserting that taking the time to go class by class by class simply for the 4.0 especially when you are super busy, your degree is paid for by your job and your leadership is giving you clear indication to move on is definitely one of those moments lol.
Post by dragon's breath on Sept 9, 2021 11:06:08 GMT -5
As someone who got the 4.0 while being a solo parent, taking some hard as hell classes, and am still surrounded by the same people who thought "screw this" and just barely passed, or even failed and retook classes, I say just double up, get it done, and who cares about the perfect grade. No one else does, and it hasn't helped me in the least (I mean, being the best with the technical stuff helped for a while, but then it was used against me because others were threatened by it, so... yeah.)
Post by expectantsteelerfan on Sept 9, 2021 11:09:05 GMT -5
I didn't vote because I don't want to disagree with the majority, but I totally feel you. I am STILL annoyed by the 1 class in my undergrad that I got a B in (during my study abroad semester but taught by one of the profs from my college, it's a long story that seriously still annoys me).
But I'd be hesitant to double up on classes just because the extra stress and time might affect you negatively, not necessarily because you might get less than A's in the classes.