Fitting a Masters Around Your Life: Tips for Postgrad Students

With the new academic year now in full swing, many Masters students will be rising to the challenge of balancing postgraduate study with, well, everything else. Some mistakenly believe academic success will require sacrificing any semblance of a personal life. Surely you can only ‘master’ your subject if you spend nothing less than 100% of your waking hours pouring feverishly over extra reading?

This misconception is so widespread that we recently had to dispel the rumour that Masters students don’t have time to go to the pub. In truth, it’s perfectly possible to achieve all your academic goals with plenty of time to spare. Here’s how.

#1 Decide when you’ll be working in advance

The necessity of this tip depends on the type of Masters you’re studying. If you’re doing an MSc in a ‘hard science’ like Physics or Chemistry, your course may follow a 9-5 schedule. On the opposite end of the spectrum, humanities students, who may have as little as three contact hours per week, can all too easy to find themselves drifting through a void of time meant for 'independent study'.

The lack of a clear line between work and leisure can lead to a constant sense that you ought to be doing something productive. But failing to set aside dedicated relaxation time is unlikely to mean you get more done. It will probably just lead to fatigue and procrastination.

Instead, block out a set number of hours for working on your Masters, and stick to it. This might mean working between specific times each day, or just making a commitment to close your books at, say, 4pm (or not open them until 4pm, for the night owls amongst you).

#2 Note down important deadlines

At the beginning of each term, it’s a good idea to make a list of all the key deadlines you’ve got coming up and work out how far in advance you’ll need to start preparing for them. This will help you avoid last-minute marathons to get your assignments submitted, and to identify periods when your work intensity will be lower, so that you can schedule in time with friends and family.

Which brings us onto our next point…

#3 Don’t cancel your plans

Forgive us for stating the obvious, but the easiest way to keep up a social life alongside your Masters is to actually socialise. Your coffee date with that friend you’ve not seen in ages is just as important as the deadline you’ve got coming up. Isolating yourself in favour of extra study hours will only make you unhappy.

Unless you’ve got an essay due the very next day that won’t get submitted if you don’t forgo your plans, you shouldn’t feel under pressure to make last-minute cancellations (and if you’ve followed the tips above, you’re unlikely to be in this position at all).

#4 Don’t try to do everything

That start-of-term feeling can be a great motivator, but it can also lead to biting off more than you can chew. Maybe you got a bit too excited at the freshers’ fair, and have now signed up for two acapella choirs, joined the synchronised swimming team, and become a member of the Extreme Ironing Society*.

We’re all for trying new things, but it is possible to have your fingers in one too many extra-curricular pies. Picking out just a couple of activities that you really care about will be much more rewarding.

Plus, although the subject of this blog post is maintaining a life outside of your studies – you can also go too far the other way. If you dedicate too much time to your university’s clubs and societies, you may be left with not enough to do what you’re there for (getting a Masters, that is).

*This a real thing at the University of Nottingham.

#5 Streamline the boring stuff

Unfortunately, there is no escaping the huge amount of admin associated with just being a person . No matter how hefty your academic workload, you still need to find time to cook, clean, pay your bills and go to the dentist.

One way of handling this life admin is to organise enough of it in advance that it can just run in the background. For example, you could book in appointments and medical check-ups in batches every six months, take up weekly meal prepping, or decide which day each week you will do your washing and food shop.

Obviously, there’s no way to automise every aspect of your life (short of building a Wallace and Gromit style machine that picks out your outfit and makes your morning coffee), but a little forward planning can save you lots of time down the line!

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