Am I nuts or is this just normal?

[sarahsliefie]

I ma working full-time at a private college in southern WI. I am starting working on my MFA at UW Madison. So I will be taking 9-12 credits a semester. Then I am looking at taking a TA ship on top of all of that. I think I can make the scheduled work, but here is the question I have. Have any of you ever done something like this before, or am i just stupid?

 

[porkchop]

In general my college experience goes about like this: Good grades, time for work, social life, enough sleep; Pick three (if you're lucky). I've seen amazing things done with scheduling it's just a matte of how you want the semester to work out.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

I'll say this, because at least for me, its been one of my biggest lessons in college

You need to learn your limits. If you have done that already (since you have some form of BFA or BA I presume), then YOU are the one who can answer the question of "am I nuts?". Without lying to yourself, and with a realistic view point, if you think you can do it, then do it. However, if you aren't being completely honest with yourself, then you are only setting yourself up for failure.

I've known engineering majors who spend all week in the scene shop and design several shows a semester who get amazing grades, and I've know basic non-committed majors who can't do much more than barely pass their classes. It's totally dependent on who you are, how you work, how you time manage, your priorities, and most importantly, learning when to say "NO!".

 

[LXPlot]

I ma working full-time at a private college in southern WI. I am starting working on my MFA at UW Madison. So I will be taking 9-12 credits a semester. Then I am looking at taking a TA ship on top of all of that. I think I can make the scheduled work, but here is the question I have. Have any of you ever done something like this before, or am i just stupid?

You might want to see if you can take less credits a semester, as you're already working full time. It might mean that you might need to stay a little bit longer, but if you're not sure you can handle it, then maybe you should exercise restraint.

On the other hand, don't listen to me, I'm an HS student.

 

[cdub260]

One could argue that simply going for a degree in theatre is ample evidence that you're a few fries short of a happy meal.

Only you can know whether you've taken on more than you can handle. If you find that you have too much on your plate, decide what is least important and drop that. You can always come back to it later. Still, you also shouldn't be afraid to push yourself. You'll never know what your limits are if you don't test them. You may even find that you're capable of handling more than you think you can.

 

[Tex]

I ma working full-time at a private college in southern WI. I am starting working on my MFA at UW Madison. So I will be taking 9-12 credits a semester. Then I am looking at taking a TA ship on top of all of that. I think I can make the scheduled work, but here is the question I have. Have any of you ever done something like this before, or am i just stupid?

Right after I got my BA in Theatre, I decided to teach. To help pay for the education courses, I entered the MA program in theatre as a TA and the scene shop foreman. I was taking 9 undergrad hours in education, 6 graduate hours in theatre, teaching practicum and building sets. The second year, I dropped to fewer hours, but added student teaching to the mix. It was a busy couple of years, but I got through it. If it's something you really want, you'll find a way to make it work. It'll be OK.

 

[NicktheEvil]

I ma working full-time at a private college in southern WI. I am starting working on my MFA at UW Madison. So I will be taking 9-12 credits a semester. Then I am looking at taking a TA ship on top of all of that. I think I can make the scheduled work, but here is the question I have. Have any of you ever done something like this before, or am i just stupid?

As many have said before, each person is different. So is each program. In my grad program it was discouraged to have an outside job because it made it harder to focus on school. That being said, I was pulling 18 credit hours each quarter. I was not permitted to do more or less than that. Classes plus designing shows plus other extra work that goes with school but doesn't have a credit attached to it and I have no idea where one could find time for an outside job.

So I'd double check with whoever is your advisor / contact there and ask for advice.

 

[Grog12]

As many have said before, each person is different. So is each program. In my grad program it was discouraged to have an outside job because it made it harder to focus on school.

This is actually quite normal in a lot of grad programs. In fact in a lot of them its more than discouraged its against policy. I'd check with your advisor and put together a plan.