<p>Hi there, Bio major here...
I'm taking classes over the summer and clocking in 20 hrs or so of lab time (both in my outside lab and required Chem 2 lab class). How do you all prevent burn-out? I don't have a week-long break until the end of the month and that one week will be my entire summer. I'm not stressing out about life, but I'm wondering ways in which other students prevent burning out whilst still achieving at high levels. Thanks!</p>
<p>Results. Seeing progress is encouraging. Knowing that the skills you are acquiring now will help you with your future. Knowing that you are fulfilling more than a quota, that you will be able to better provide for your family one day because of your hard work. This is why, although I am still in HS, I have yet to burn out in any shape or form.</p>
<p>…
thanks…anybody from a college standpoint?</p>
<p>Hope you are planning on professional school or a business grad degree. A biology BS will not get you anywhere.</p>
<p>@sschoe2</p>
<p>You have said this so many times on this forum. The OP did not ask for your opinion about his degree or his choices regarding his degree. He simply asked how to prevent from burning out from a large amount of hours especially through summer school. </p>
<p>Back to the question, just try to find some time in there where you can do something fun and get your mind off of studying. Also, keep up positive thoughts throughout. Think about the sense of accomplishment you will feel once this is all over. Think about those 20 hours being the most worthwhile hours you ever worked (even if they are not). Just staying positive will make the whole thing easier.</p>
<p>@aGGieENGiNeeR - thank you for the advice! I actually am learning a lot and am steadily improving my lab technique. In fact, my project is based in the molecular biology field and I’m getting interested in the possibility of academic research again. I feel as though I’m finally adapting to having 2 2.5 hr lab blocks and working in my outside lab 16.5 hrs in addition to taking a 5 credit course (that all sounds so overwhelming now that I think of it…how have I not died)…here’s to summer fun! haha.</p>
<p>I am simply pointing out if he is already burning out working in a lab 20 hrs/week in school it will be way worse when he graduates and is working 8 hr/day running the same insanely boring QC method (that is if he is lucky enough to even get a job). Also there is little to no vacation on the job (none if he has no benefits as most scientists now a days don’t).</p>
<p>It seems to me that the OP is pushing himself hard and working himself to the bone for no reason and no reward.</p>
<p>Its funny how the science threads always break out into arguements or flame wars. SS, while your opinion is always welcome, it is only that, an opinion. For example, a scientist in Podunk, USA, may have bad prospects, but in bigger places like NYC or Northern NJ, opportunities are bigger. The salaries are often higher as well. A job is rarely fun, and every job has its own menial task. Investment banking for example. Its somehow glamourized on this site, but it is far from glamourous. Extremely long hours, staring at a screen, making cold calls, filling out paper work and making corrections over and over again. Yes, you may get paid an exorbitant amount of money, but you also sacrifice your physical and mental health while at it. It also depends on what field of science you are in. So Vertigo, do what you need to do, do what you want to do. People will often want to stop you, but life is all about taking chances, and you will never know what could have been if you never tried at all.</p>
<p>I’m working in the field of microbiology at the moment and if you think counting cells is a walk in the park well…it’s not! No, it doesn’t take much (or any) thinking. But I assure you, once you get up to 1,283 cells per well on average and you have 16 total wells to count, your mind starts to get a little foggy (at least mine does)…this is the kind of work that burns me out. Otherwise I’ve been taking good advice and maintaining my health and that kind of thing.
Also, it’s not that lab is difficult <em>for most people</em>…I, however, am clumsy and tend to break things. Thus, it requires meticulous planning out and forethought for me to do well in a lab class. I’m happy to say I’ve made great progress!
Additionally, I realize this is only my introduction to the rat race. But everybody’s got to start somewhere. For right now, all of this feels overwhelming to me, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it just like everybody else does.
Thanks for the helpful responses!</p>
<p>Shouldn’t you do at least a 20 fold or so dilution rather than attempt to count 2000 cells?</p>
<p>That would be a negative since I’m counting TRAP-positive cells. My lab uses an estimation technique too, but everybody does it differently from my understanding. Even as much as I complain, my lab isn’t too specific what with the estimation! Besides, these cells didn’t quite differentiate properly, so the data collected is only helping out the data to be collected from another…more successful…experiment :)</p>
<p>I personally am in about the same boat and was gripping the other day about wasting my summer. I asked my lab partner (who is from Mississippi) why he was so happy being in the lab all of the time.</p>
<p>He answered that growing up he used to chop wood in the summer to make sure there was heat in the winter, then he would help his dad hoe weeds on the farm. If they finished all of that there was fence to mend and always something that needed repairing. My partner reminded me that no matter what you will always have things to do, if you just do them and dont really think about it, your day goes better.</p>
<p>I called him on his BS and told him that I could be out fishing… He then reminded me that at least in the lab there is air conditioning.</p>
<p>So when times in the lab are rough… at least there is air conditioning.</p>