Balancing research and classes in graduate school

Graduate students have many requirements to balance and fulfill. In my Ph.D. program, our first semester was completely focused on classes, and the next three semesters involved lab work on top of classes. During that first semester, it was easy to focus on schoolwork and studying. After that, I had to consider both my lab rotations and studying, which was more challenging.

Most grad students must balance research and classwork, possibly on top of other responsibilities such as teaching. To get another perspective on how to successfully manage your time, I spoke with Bhavya Blaze, a doctoral candidate in the nutritional sciences program at Rutgers University.

Shifting priorities – classes and research

Graduate program structures vary. Blaze said in her program, the first two years are focused on intense coursework. Students also start rotating through labs to familiarize themselves with the lab environment and learning techniques. By the end of their second year, most students in the program have identified their thesis labs and started working toward data collection.

“From the third year onward, the students are expected to work more on research and complete the coursework requirements,” Blaze said. “Most of the work is focused on thesis completion from the fourth year (on).”

Therefore, the emphasis and balance of coursework and research changes each year. Blaze said she faced some challenges with trying to conduct research in the first couple of years.

“The biggest challenge in balancing lab and class was running lengthy experiments requiring big chunks of time, such as Western blotting,” she said. “Balancing lab and class priorities is particularly challenging for the first two years when the coursework is heavier.”

During her first two years in grad school, Blaze also worked as a teaching assistant. She gained valuable experience in college teaching ­ — but she had to find another 15 hours each week.

Though I didn’t teach, I experienced something similar. During my first two years, I found it tough to get enough time in lab to make progress and also to find sufficient time to study or work on assignments. When my class load lightened, it was easier to focus on research and moving my thesis project forward.

Finding the balance

During her early years as a graduate student, Blaze found ways to manage her time and succeed both in the lab and in class. She shared some tips and tricks that worked for her to achieve this balance.

First, she recommends trying to schedule classes either at the beginning or toward the end of the week. “This will help you have one or two days with zero or minimal classes, which can be prioritized for lab work,” she said.

Depending on how frequently your required classes are offered, you might not be able to choose or modify your class schedule. Blaze’s second piece of advice would still be applicable.

“Every day, I tried to start two hours earlier than everyone else in the lab,” she said. “This helped me to focus on the work and get things done more efficiently.”

Even if you’re not a morning person, making time to focus on your lab work is good advice, no matter what hour of the day. If you know you must get key experiments done, try to find a time when the lab is less crowded or when you know you have a chunk of time to commit.

Blaze also carefully considered her schedule ahead of time to manage her time and stay on top of lab work and coursework.

“I tried to plan each week's lab work on Friday of the previous week,” she said. “This helped me start Monday focused on my goals.  

“I planned to finish all the pre-planned lab work by Wednesday; this way, I could use my Thursday and Friday to repeat any experiments and/or to analyze the collected data.”

By planning her lab work, Blaze was able to move forward with her research while also managing her class assignments and studying.  And this wasn’t her only time-management tool. She managed her workload with what she called “timeboxing.”

“Timeboxing blocks chunks of time for a planned activity, and it has helped me focus on the work at hand without being distracted by worrying about the long to-do list,” Blaze said.

While managing both classwork and lab work may seem daunting, it is manageable if you can use your time well. To help maintain balance, Blaze recommends avoiding overwork.

“Work hard when you work,” she said, “and rest well frequently.”