How much time off do US grad students get?

  • This has become our largest and most active forum because the physics GRE is just one aspect of getting accepted into a graduate physics program.
  • There are applications, personal statements, letters of recommendation, visiting schools, anxiety of waiting for acceptances, deciding between schools, finding out where others are going, etc.

Post Reply
Imperate
Posts: 105
Joined: Thu Jul 03, 2008 7:01 am

How much time off do US grad students get?

Post by Imperate » Sat Jun 13, 2009 11:38 am

Just wondering....

I have been led to believed that in Europe it's something like 8 weeks per year, I'm sure it's less than this in the US, but don't know the exact details. What time off over Christmas, summer etc?

Thanks

User avatar
grae313
Posts: 2296
Joined: Tue May 29, 2007 8:46 pm

Re: How much time off do US grad students get?

Post by grae313 » Sun Jun 14, 2009 5:13 pm

Imperate wrote:Just wondering....

I have been led to believed that in Europe it's something like 8 weeks per year, I'm sure it's less than this in the US, but don't know the exact details. What time off over Christmas, summer etc?

Thanks
I'm pretty sure that's between you and your adviser. In terms of time away from classes, you get about a month off for Christmas and about 3 months off for summer. Now that I'm in a research group, I'm allowed to take up to 1 month off per year :(

Peter
Posts: 34
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 11:19 am

Re: How much time off do US grad students get?

Post by Peter » Sun Jun 14, 2009 10:17 pm

Once you are in a research group, you officialy do not have any vacation. You have to ask for it every time, I took 2 weeks off during the summer and 1 week for Christmas.

I have never heard anyone taking a 3-month-long vacation, that is extreme, you are still being paid during summers.

surjective
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2008 1:16 am

Re: How much time off do US grad students get?

Post by surjective » Mon Jun 15, 2009 12:22 am

Clearly it differs from place to place.

I am at a top-5 program, and in a research group.

I get as much vacation as I want. Literally. I could stop showing up for the next 5 months and no-one would object. I wouldn't do that, because I want to get work done, but I could if I wanted to. Realistically, I've been taking about 3 months a year of vacation. 1 month at christmas and 2 in the summer.

So, take other people's estimates (and mine) with a grain of salt!

Best of luck

Peter
Posts: 34
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 11:19 am

Re: How much time off do US grad students get?

Post by Peter » Mon Jun 15, 2009 12:49 am

Are you on an external fellowship? If you are in an experimental group you cannot just disappear, there are others who depend on your work being done in time. If nobody cared that I did nothing for 5 months I could honestly ask: does is matter what I do at all? :shock: In 5 months your results could be published by someone else...

surjective
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2008 1:16 am

Re: How much time off do US grad students get?

Post by surjective » Tue Jun 16, 2009 12:07 am

Am on an external fellowship.

Am a theorist.
If nobody cared that I did nothing for 5 months I could honestly ask: does is matter what I do at all? In 5 months your results could be published by someone else...
If my work could be done by someone else within 5 months, I would question the novelty and importance of what I'm working on.

Anyhow, to the OP: the amount of vacation time you get varies a lot depending on whether you have fellowships, whether you do experiment or theory, what school you are at and who your adviser is.

Peter
Posts: 34
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 11:19 am

Re: How much time off do US grad students get?

Post by Peter » Tue Jun 16, 2009 9:07 am

That explains everything. If you have your own money, then it is not wonder that you can do whatever you want. 8)

User avatar
grae313
Posts: 2296
Joined: Tue May 29, 2007 8:46 pm

Re: How much time off do US grad students get?

Post by grae313 » Tue Jun 16, 2009 2:45 pm

Peter wrote:That explains everything. If you have your own money, then it is not wonder that you can do whatever you want. 8)
Also I suspected theory. The nature of the work is different.

Geoff Olynyk
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2008 4:28 pm

Re: How much time off do US grad students get?

Post by Geoff Olynyk » Mon Jun 22, 2009 1:58 am

Getting married helps, I'm getting three weeks off this summer for that :)

But yeah, in my lab (MIT PSFC), you pretty much have to ask for any time off. Nobody cares if you leave for a long weekend, or a week at Christmas, but other than that, it's assumed that you'll be around all the time.

I'm pretty sure my supervisor would be cool with me taking two weeks at Christmas and 1-2 weeks through the rest of the year, as long as I'm not needed in the lab for anything urgent.

tnoviell
Posts: 235
Joined: Sun Nov 05, 2006 10:31 am

Re: How much time off do US grad students get?

Post by tnoviell » Mon Jun 29, 2009 5:58 pm

Greetings,

I believe it varies from school to school. When I was in grad school, we only got a few days off for Christmas and then were allowed 1 week off for year - there was no such thing as spring break or summer vacations. I notice that some people I know still in graduate school got allowed much more time off than I did.



Post Reply