Graduate School, Medical School, Law School?

nwood13
nwood13 Posts: 17 Member
edited September 20 in Motivation and Support
Hi all!

I'm a 4th year doctoral student, trying to trim down after years of studying hard! Is anyone else in the same boat? It's really hard to stay on track when I have so many other things (and people!) to account for!

Maybe we could start some sort of support group?!

~Niki

Replies

  • xarrium
    xarrium Posts: 432 Member
    I'm just about to write the last exam of my medical lab science degree, and I totally get your situation--luckily, there's still 5 weeks until the convocation ceremony, so I've got a bit of time before all the "important" photos are taken. I'm hoping that with all my "free time" (you know, since I'm not chained to textbooks anymore) I can start visiting the gym more often.
  • Breathe_Glamour
    Breathe_Glamour Posts: 136
    Well, I'm just finishing up my undergrad degree & I'm stressed out! LOL. Add studying for the LSAT in October into the mix & I don't know if I'm coming or going half the time...it's been really hard to eat healthy foods & exercise when I feel so swamped.
  • StrengthInPain
    StrengthInPain Posts: 155 Member
    grad student here, for Physical therapy. and i totally understand the situation. i started making sure to go to the gym and eat healthy a lot this semester, and my success has been great... and my grades have gone down. currently studying my *kitten* off for finals next week because i'm actually failing a class. actually decided today that i would just watch what i eat for the week and skip most workouts because school has to come first. and that's not a decision i'm happy about, but i guess in the long run it will be more beneficial for me. good luck.
  • courtney_love2001
    courtney_love2001 Posts: 1,468 Member
    2nd year med here...not for much longer though! 6 exams in 2 weeks, then boards in June...yeah...:frown: Definitely hard to think about exercise when I am studying all the time. And all I want to do is grab something fast (like a pizza literally a block from my house). It's tough, but it helps when everyone else around me is so healthy!
  • meg0112
    meg0112 Posts: 344
    Finishing up first year law... I lost my weight in undergrad and I am yo-yoing like crazy!!!
  • UFPharmD
    UFPharmD Posts: 2
    I'm a pharmacy student 2 months in to my clerkships right now and can totally understand where you are coming from. This past academic year was horribly busy and I have gained back the 50 pounds I lost due to bad hospital food and quick trips to fast food restaurants because we had no time to cook. Now that I have time to prepare meals, I am trying to get back on track. Good luck to all of you in your studies!
  • questionablemethods
    questionablemethods Posts: 2,174 Member
    Finishing up my PhD. I was at my thinnest right before entering grad school. I have gained and lost the same 10 lbs over and over again for the past six years. (Yes, I am in year SIX! Ugh! But that includes my M.A. as well.)
  • ranibauer
    ranibauer Posts: 73
    grad student here, for Physical therapy. and i totally understand the situation. i started making sure to go to the gym and eat healthy a lot this semester, and my success has been great... and my grades have gone down. currently studying my *kitten* off for finals next week because i'm actually failing a class. actually decided today that i would just watch what i eat for the week and skip most workouts because school has to come first. and that's not a decision i'm happy about, but i guess in the long run it will be more beneficial for me. good luck.

    That is a hard decision, but I think you are doing the right thing. Focus now on balance, and not gaining weight. At this point in time, grades do come first. When finals are over, you can pick it back up again. I am going into a Master's program for School Psychology in the Fall, and am very nervous about what you just described. Good luck!
  • docjoe
    docjoe Posts: 65 Member
    Guys I hate to break it to you but it doesn't necessarily get a lot easier when you're done with school. In fact, I look back at med school as the period of my life when I had the most flexibility to work out (except when I was on my surgery rotation....). Soon you will have internship, residency and then the real killer.....a job and family.

    Learn good life habits now because there will never be enough time. Exercise and eating well will help you body, mind and spirit. Although I know how it seems that there's no way to find 30 minutes to exercise when you are cramming for biochem.

    Good luck with your studies, the world is truly your oyster!
  • questionablemethods
    questionablemethods Posts: 2,174 Member
    Guys I hate to break it to you but it doesn't necessarily get a lot easier when you're done with school. In fact, I look back at med school as the period of my life when I had the most flexibility to work out (except when I was on my surgery rotation....). Soon you will have internship, residency and then the real killer.....a job and family.

    Learn good life habits now because there will never be enough time. Exercise and eating well will help you body, mind and spirit. Although I know how it seems that there's no way to find 30 minutes to exercise when you are cramming for biochem.

    Good luck with your studies, the world is truly your oyster!

    Oh, don't I know it! I won't have a residency and all that, but I do realize how relatively flexible and open my schedule is right now. My classes are done and I'm just researching and writing my dissertation. I won't be staying in academia, so I don't feel the pressure to publish and present all the time like a lot of my classmates. In fact, just the other day, when I probably should have been writing, I went for a run. Exercise as procrastination: "procrasticising".
  • xarrium
    xarrium Posts: 432 Member
    Exercise as procrastination: "procrasticising".

    Nice. That's my favorite new word. :D
  • joleciamichelle
    joleciamichelle Posts: 139 Member
    I am constantly challenged by this period of my life. school feels like it's a lover, a child, and a full-time job but hopefully if I can get it right now, it will last through jobs and a family
  • savvystephy
    savvystephy Posts: 4,151 Member
    I will be entering graduate school Fall 2010. I hope to keep up my healthy habits as well as my education.
  • sara_m83
    sara_m83 Posts: 545 Member
    I'm a third year PhD student and the lifestyle can be a real contributor to weight gain. I sit in front of my computer all day, or leant over books. Before starting MFP the most exercise I got was walking from my office to the library, to the seminars I teach. However, I do have a lot of flexibility with my time to be able to make it to fitness classes that I like and with a gym right on campus, it's hard to find a reason not to go. I'm actually afraid of life after university. If I don't end up working as a professor, I'll struggle to fit exercise into my daily routine.
  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
    Guys I hate to break it to you but it doesn't necessarily get a lot easier when you're done with school. In fact, I look back at med school as the period of my life when I had the most flexibility to work out (except when I was on my surgery rotation....). Soon you will have internship, residency and then the real killer.....a job and family.

    Learn good life habits now because there will never be enough time. Exercise and eating well will help you body, mind and spirit. Although I know how it seems that there's no way to find 30 minutes to exercise when you are cramming for biochem.

    Good luck with your studies, the world is truly your oyster!

    I agree....the grass is always greener on the other side, but I think we'll all find that when school is done, there will ALWAYS be things that get in the way. I've been on break from school for the last week but I don't feel like I have many more hours to my day. I'm in grad school, work full time and I am planning a wedding, so I feel your pain, but the best thing is to be organized.

    I plan my dinners for two weeks, that way each night I check the calendar, see whats for dinner tomorrow and get out any meat to thaw, etc. It's a lot easier to resist stopping for McDonalds when you know what you're making for dinner and it's all planned out. Also, work out WHENEVER you can. I am on hiatus from morning work outs right now, but for a while I was working out before work. Pack your gym bag the night before so you can just roll out of bed and go. Also, don't avoid working out because you think you need 2 hours to do it. Try just walking for 30 minutes....its good exercise, and zoning out to your favorite music while taking a walk can be the great break from studying and running around that you need.
  • geekyjen
    geekyjen Posts: 103 Member
    i'm a first year medical student and i have definitely had to make some big lifestyle changes, but i really feel like this is the easiest it's going to get :-/

    i get super muchy when studying so often i'll pre-plan healthy snack foods to have around (my friends and i have decided there must be some sort of calorie burning that goes on when studying because we get so hungry!). i've also read studies recently and found personally that even though my first instinct is to give up the exercise because i just don't have the time, that that's when i need it the most. some studies show that exercise can improve memory and it definitely decreases stress. i work extra hard to get in gym time on exam weeks, and worst case scenario i coffee shop hop (map out coffee shops ~1 mile apart and move every 90 minutes or so to get a nice little study break / walk).
  • electricgypsy
    electricgypsy Posts: 32 Member
    i've 2 weeks to go on my 2nd year of a psychology degree, from september i'm going to juggle my last undergraduate year, my wedding and finding a postgead course which is obligitory for regestration with the british psychological society. theres a 12 month research project in all that somewhere too ;) its tough but i do like it.
  • snorker88
    snorker88 Posts: 179 Member
    I'm working full time (39 hours) and I go to Uni part time doing a law conversion course. I have four more years of this!! Arggghhh

    Just coming up to exams so its going to get tougher too.

    I agree, it's probably harder to manage food/exercise when you're working full time. I've done two degrees previosuly, an found it much easier to keep on top of weight management and exercise when I was studying. It's definately harder for me since I started working, and even more so since I signed up for another degree!
  • anthrogirl
    anthrogirl Posts: 5
    i'm a second year phd student in the social sciences and i completely appreciate everyone else's posts and experiences on here! it IS very hard to be a phd student and fit exercise into your life, but doable with some careful planning. if any other grad students are looking for support please feel free to add me!
  • savvystephy
    savvystephy Posts: 4,151 Member
    i'm a second year phd student in the social sciences and i completely appreciate everyone else's posts and experiences on here! it IS very hard to be a phd student and fit exercise into your life, but doable with some careful planning. if any other grad students are looking for support please feel free to add me!

    Yeah, it is really tough! I am an intern and a GRA too! It's hard to fit it in - but I am trying hard to - making myself exercise as soon as I get home at night. I am going to add you. :)
  • diferenc3
    diferenc3 Posts: 8 Member
    So im a thrid year physician assistant student now on rotation, i signed up in august but never really dedicated myself to doing all this. Im 25y.o. i weigh 240lb. and i fear getting diabetes and hypertension before the age of thirty and not begin able to see my nephew grow up if i keep on putting on the weight. Since graduating college 3 years ago ive put on 22lb. I need to do this for myself, but im my worse enemy. Need all the support possible!!!!
  • sweetsapphire85
    sweetsapphire85 Posts: 386
    I'm a 2nd year graduate student in clinical social work. I intern 3 days a week and then take 3 3 hour classes in the fall. Right now i'm finishing up my summer semester finals. I'm hoping in this next month when i'm off I can really hit the gym everyday in my down time and drop at least 5-10 lbs and develop strategies to make healthy eating choices when running to and from school and internship.

    I have 1 more year at t his pace and then i'll be doing normal clinical shifts at hospitals or hospice centers if I get my way. Can always use more friends to get me through this time though.
  • Victorian131
    Victorian131 Posts: 130
    Im also in grad school and can completely sympathise with the exercise as procrastination technique! I'm doing a research degree in Victorian studies so when Im not at my desk leaning over books, I'm in archives, leaning over books. I have my final dissertation due in September, while its only 30,000 words, fitting everything in does seem difficult. Everyone else is on holiday and enjoying the sunshine and the only time I get outside is when I exercise or walk to the campus library.
    I think the main problem I have is dividing time up so I make sure I get enough of the right things to eat and get enough sleep (anyone else find its impossible to switch off? I always seem to be thinking of my next chapter etc, running / going to the gym really helps though) Most nights I manage to get my 8 hours but if I'm on a roll writing wise I find it hard to stop and go to bed. Those are the days I have no energy to exercise...today is one of those days, tired, cranky, no energy and craving greasy carbs to make me feel better!
    Good luck with your assignments etc everyone, hope all is going well!
  • diferenc3
    diferenc3 Posts: 8 Member
    def understand what ur going through but u can do it. try to pack snacks with you anything u can munch on thats healthy!
  • michellehh7891
    michellehh7891 Posts: 2
    Hi!

    I am in exactly the same position you are! 2nd year pharmacy school and busy is an understatement! Have 24 pounds left to lose, and school will be starting again soon whether I like it or not! Lets post easy recipes and all help each other stay motivated! maybe post your favorite low cal snacks, things available out of boxes and cans that are healthy? Keep each other up to date on how we're doing? And most of all, motivate each other to make time for exercise!
    What do you say?

    Michelle
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