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.
Um. Are you calling me a dumbshit?
I am learning a lot in my classes. I will need some of what I learn for the role I am in and for any future job that I may take. So, yeah, actually doing the work matters. I don't want to half ass it, but also, putting in the time and effort won't automatically mean I get an A.
The degree is only 1/4 paid for by work. They haven't asked me to hurry up and finish, just have said that my GPA doesn't matter, having the degree does.
Being busy isn't going away anytime soon with or without adding a class. I guess its more a matter of deciding to add stress for the short term when it may be unnecessary is worth it to be done sooner.
Post by pinkdutchtulips on Sept 9, 2021 11:15:28 GMT -5
My mom spread out her Masters part time over 3 years bc of kids and spouse and everything else. She still managed to graduate w honors, not a 4.0, but w honors and that was enough for her.
So, I'm kinda in your situation, but not. I've been slowly taking like one class at a time towards a BA (not even a masters), with a 4.0, no kids, and also don't have a ton of extracurriculars. My goal is just to get the degree and eventually promote into management (or even just a higher accountant position). I'm actually pretty comfortable with my current position, but that could easily change for various reasons. I don't even care about the GPA, I'm just very type-A.
In the past i've tried doubling up classes and then get stressed out. This fall semester I've enrolled in accelerated courses hoping that the short time-frame and classes split between the semester will help with that. I think I have a harder time with the 16 week classes.
I also took a 6 week summer class while it was my busy season at work, and while that wasn't the best idea, it was more doable (mentally) than taking more classes at the same time.
ETA: I don't have a deadline to get it done and my work reimburses up to 10k a year. Having a degree will not give me a raise in my current position. So i'm not in a real rush.
I could have written this post. While I would love to be finished with the 2nd masters degree, I don't think I can manage two courses a semester. I took one summer course and it was a bit rough. It is more frustrating since I'm learning topics in my coursework that I have already mastered in my actual work. I live life backward.
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.
Um. Are you calling me a dumbshit?
I am learning a lot in my classes. I will need some of what I learn for the role I am in and for any future job that I may take. So, yeah, actually doing the work matters. I don't want to half ass it, but also, putting in the time and effort won't automatically mean I get an A.
The degree is only 1/4 paid for by work. They haven't asked me to hurry up and finish, just have said that my GPA doesn't matter, having the degree does.
Being busy isn't going away anytime soon with or without adding a class. I guess its more a matter of deciding to add stress for the short term when it may be unnecessary is worth it to be done sooner.
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.
Um. Are you calling me a dumbshit?
I am learning a lot in my classes. I will need some of what I learn for the role I am in and for any future job that I may take. So, yeah, actually doing the work matters. I don't want to half ass it, but also, putting in the time and effort won't automatically mean I get an A.
The degree is only 1/4 paid for by work. They haven't asked me to hurry up and finish, just have said that my GPA doesn't matter, having the degree does.
Being busy isn't going away anytime soon with or without adding a class. I guess its more a matter of deciding to add stress for the short term when it may be unnecessary is worth it to be done sooner.
No. I think that examining if you are able to give up how you look at and value "A's" in relationship to the reality of your life is smart. If you look, I quoted something specific and spoke to that. Getting "A's" isn't really an expression of how much a person has learned or if they have devoted enough time to the class. As I mentioned, you can get an A by managing the syllabus and your time appropriately. Trust me. I know. Getting an A is about how many points are allocated to the class so putting this moral idea of how much a person learned with an "A" vs how much they learned with a "B" or a "C" is little rich to me.
People can get different grades for all different reasons, including the one's you posited: that you are super busy with a full, rich, life that has multiple types of stressors. You aren't a young student who is devoting full time effort to the cause any more, so it's possible you need to reframe.
I DO maintain that it's a dumbshit idea to say that an "A" is symbolic of devoting time to keeping up--and if you can't do it perfectly what's the point.
Also, I'm not speaking about you but I definitely DID and DO know a lot of straight A dumbshits. ::Shrug:: Their "A's" aren't an indicator of anything.
A wise man on my grad program told me "Cs get degrees." Unless there's a big emphasis on GPA professionally, I would say get through it and screw the GPA.
My goal when taking a certification a few years back was to put in the minimum amount of studying in to pass.
I would take the longer option. Not because of the 4.0, but if your work isn't pressuring you to finish faster, I wouldn't want to add more on my plate if I didn't have a to.
foundmylazybum- totally. I know many many straight A dumbshits as well. I do need to shake my self imposed need and pressure to keep the A average when there is more to taking a class than attempting to get an A. Maybe taking two classes at a time and not earning As will help that.
I thought your lat paragraph in the original post was a dig at some of what I had posted. Sorry for misreading it.
Post by rupertpenny on Sept 9, 2021 12:08:50 GMT -5
I would double up because I am apparently incapable of not pushing myself to the brink. It's how I ended up taking 5 graduate classes over one summer while in my third trimester and working half time. It was brutal but I'm glad I did it. I was also obsessive about maintaining my 4.0 even though no one cared besides me.
Anyway, grad school is the worst. Finish as quickly as possible and move on with your life.
noodleoo I will not make more once my degree is done.
sonrisa - I would be more stressed, but might be worth it for a year instead of dragging our the increased stress two more years.
In that case, I'd still want to get it done sooner than later, but not if it is going to cause me a lot of stress or if I have to give up something else I enjoy. Depends how much you are dying to finish it up.
I wouldn't care so much about the 4.0, but I'd want to make sure I'm not overwhelmed.
I got the impression from your OP that getting the credential and getting on with life is what is valuable to you, so finishing sooner-- even if it means devoting less time/energy to each individual course and (maybe) resulting in a lower GPA-- sounds like the best plan.
If I misunderstood, and what's valuable to you is really digging into the material for each course, then by all means take one course at a time so you have the opportunity to do that. (This is what I did. There's not right or wrong, just what you personally want to get out of it.)
In either case, I wouldn't recommend making the decision based primarily on how it would affect your GPA. It just doesn't matter that much (outside of your own head, which I totally understand!).
Post by newnamesameperson on Sept 9, 2021 12:29:38 GMT -5
I know the answer should be finish as quickly as possible. However, I don't think I could let it go and would end up running myself into the ground trying to still achieve As even with the greater course load. It would end up equating to a very stressed out me and feeling like I was simply juggling too many balls in the air.
Does taking classes without a break mean you're taking them during winter and summer breaks? So 4 classes a year? If it were me, I'd want the breather, so I'd basically take winter break after fall semester and then see how spring semester goes with 2 classes. You can always go back to your one class schedule if it doesn't work for you.
It doesn't sound like that'd make you graduate any earlier but the way you repeated "with no breaks" makes me think you might like a break. It sounds like you do a lot!
Post by aprilsails on Sept 9, 2021 12:33:16 GMT -5
Can you choose which classes you register for and when? For instance, we don’t do much in the dead of winter, so I would be inclined to double up for the winter semester. Summers are busy (or at least hopefully once COVID is better managed next year) so I would stick with one then. And then Fall would be a decision based on your commitments and schedules. This year I would totally take on the extra, since with COVID we still have pretty limited social lives and less kid activities.
foundmylazybum - totally. I know many many straight A dumbshits as well. I do need to shake my self imposed need and pressure to keep the A average when there is more to taking a class than attempting to get an A. Maybe taking two classes at a time and not earning As will help that.
I thought your lat paragraph in the original post was a dig at some of what I had posted. Sorry for misreading it.
I reread it and I could see how it could read that way. I'm sorry it did! That's not what I intended and my apologies that it did.
I think letting go of these values and even asking about them--rather than just blindly going in saying "I HAVE to get an A--no matter the circumstances!" is a sign of a thoughtful person, who is willing to challenge themselves in different ways. IMO that's a smart person
Does taking classes without a break mean you're taking them during winter and summer breaks? So 4 classes a year? If it were me, I'd want the breather, so I'd basically take winter break after fall semester and then see how spring semester goes with 2 classes. You can always go back to your one class schedule if it doesn't work for you.
It doesn't sound like that'd make you graduate any earlier but the way you repeated "with no breaks" makes me think you might like a break. It sounds like you do a lot!
No summer break. Two week break in the winter. You are right, the thought of two more years of this is exhausting. And what is making me think about doubling up.
I am learning a lot in my classes. I will need some of what I learn for the role I am in and for any future job that I may take. So, yeah, actually doing the work matters. I don't want to half ass it, but also, putting in the time and effort won't automatically mean I get an A.
The degree is only 1/4 paid for by work. They haven't asked me to hurry up and finish, just have said that my GPA doesn't matter, having the degree does.
Being busy isn't going away anytime soon with or without adding a class. I guess its more a matter of deciding to add stress for the short term when it may be unnecessary is worth it to be done sooner.
No. I think that examining if you are able to give up how you look at and value "A's" in relationship to the reality of your life is smart. If you look, I quoted something specific and spoke to that. Getting "A's" isn't really an expression of how much a person has learned or if they have devoted enough time to the class. As I mentioned, you can get an A by managing the syllabus and your time appropriately. Trust me. I know. Getting an A is about how many points are allocated to the class so putting this moral idea of how much a person learned with an "A" vs how much they learned with a "B" or a "C" is little rich to me.
People can get different grades for all different reasons, including the one's you posited: that you are super busy with a full, rich, life that has multiple types of stressors. You aren't a young student who is devoting full time effort to the cause any more, so it's possible you need to reframe.
I DO maintain that it's a dumbshit idea to say that an "A" is symbolic of devoting time to keeping up--and if you can't do it perfectly what's the point.
Also, I'm not speaking about you but I definitely DID and DO know a lot of straight A dumbshits. ::Shrug:: Their "A's" aren't an indicator of anything.
I think you kind of missed my point, or I didn't make it well. I agree that people can get A's without putting in the work - that basically describes my whole high school and much of my college experience So I see the problem as less one that taking 2 classes will wreck your GPA and more than taking 2 classes and actually putting in the time and effort to learn things takes... a lot of time and effort. You might even be able to pull off a 4.0 if you are skipping the reading or doing the bare minimum to get the points you need on a paper, but are you going to get as much out of the course as you would if you took it slowly and could actually do all the reading and researching you would want to?
Neither is inherently the wrong choice, it just matters what is the higher priority for you. I know I am not going to learn as much in a class that I am too busy to be able to focus on. So I personally would just take 1 class in the OP's situation for that reason alone.
I would double up because I am apparently incapable of not pushing myself to the brink. It's how I ended up taking 5 graduate classes over one summer while in my third trimester and working half time. It was brutal but I'm glad I did it. I was also obsessive about maintaining my 4.0 even though no one cared besides me.
Anyway, grad school is the worst. Finish as quickly as possible and move on with your life.
I see this more as a mad dash to the finish line than anything else. Damn, girl!
How much do you really believe that you can give up the obsession with the 4.0? Everyone here can say it until we’re blue in the face AND you can know it at some level…but truly letting go is a different story.
As a fellow 4.0 student (who KNEW even then that it didn’t matter!), I’d worry that you’d have a hard time turning in work that is “close enough.” It just seems to be woven into my DNA. I don’t want to get A’s to impress others…I wanted them because I knew I was capable, and I expected to live up to *my* standards. So, in this situation, I’d want to do it faster and tell myself that I wasn’t going to care about the grades…but then I’d be up until 3AM writing papers and editing one more time. Because that’s just how I am, no matter how much I KNOW it doesn’t need to be that way.
So, if you truly believe that you can let go of the GPA and what’s most important to you is just to be DONE, then go for it! Personally, I’d take the slower route.