Navigating Summer Break and Vacation Time as a PhD Student
Pursuing a PhD is an intense and demanding journey. The question of how much vacation time a PhD student can or should take is a common concern, especially for international students who may need to travel home. Balancing research, coursework, and personal well-being is crucial for success in a doctoral program. This article explores the nuances of vacation time for PhD students, considering university policies, advisor expectations, and the importance of taking breaks for both physical and mental health.
Understanding University Policies and Funding
Many engineering and science programs in the US do not explicitly specify a fixed number of days off per year. The prevailing attitude is often that students are "paid 365 days per year" and therefore expected to work accordingly. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that taking time off is impossible. Some departments might officially grant a certain number of days off, such as 19 days per year (including bank holidays), which is considered quite generous.
It's important to understand how your funding affects your vacation options. If you are on a 9-month funding schedule, taking time off during the summer is less of an issue since you are not being paid during that period. However, if you are on a 12-month fellowship or assistantship, the situation can be more complex. Some advisors may cut off funding for extended trips home, even for international students. It's essential to clarify the terms of your funding offer and discuss vacation plans with your advisor.
The Role of the Principal Investigator (PI)
Ultimately, the amount of vacation time you can take often depends on your PI. Some PIs are understanding and supportive of students taking vacations, especially international students who need to travel home. Others may have stricter expectations and may pressure students to work through university holidays. It varies from professor to professor, and where you are in your degree at the time. It's crucial to have an open and honest conversation with your PI about your need for vacation time and to find a balance that works for both of you.
Even if the department officially allows time off, there can still be pressure from PIs to "not take it now." Some American graduate students adopt a "self-flagellatory approach" to their studies, taking pride in working long hours and minimizing vacation time. While this may be the norm in some circles, it is not necessarily healthy or sustainable.
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Asking the Right Questions
It is advisable to ask current students, preferably international students, what they do regarding vacation time. They can provide valuable insights into the department's culture and the expectations of different PIs. Asking current students, preferably internationals, what they do is a good way to gauge the department's culture and advisor expectations.
Vacation Time Policy
The Student Vacation Time Policy is meant to acknowledge that all graduate students are able to take a vacation time during their course of study. The policy provides enrolled graduate degree candidates in good academic standing with the opportunity to work with their dissertation advisers and departments to schedule vacation time when appropriate. This policy applies to all currently enrolled graduate students in regular, in absentia, and DCE status.
Graduate study is understood to be a full-time commitment on the part of students. During an academic year, which includes the summer, graduate student degree candidates may take up to (but no more than) twenty working days of vacation, in addition to regular University holidays. Note: Spring Break and Fall Break are not University holidays. The specific periods taken as vacation must not conflict with the student’s academic responsibilities, coursework, research, or teaching, and should be discussed in advance with one’s director of graduate studies, adviser, or dissertation committee.
If a student receives financial support for graduate study for only part of the year (e.g., regular term time, August 1 to May 31), then the amount of vacation should be prorated accordingly. If a student receives summer support and has taken the allowed vacation during regular term time, August 1 to May 31, then that student should not take additional vacation time during the summer months of June and July.
The Importance of Taking Breaks
Taking holidays is correlated with lower all-cause mortality (at least, among middle-aged men at high risk of coronary heart disease). Many people think of holidays as "rest for the mind", but some of the correlates of holidays are with physical health. Some studies show that a variety of health and wellbeing indicators (sleep quality, fatigue, tension, energy levels) improve during and shortly after 7-to-11-day holidays, although the effect sizes are not very large. Furthermore, those improved health and wellbeing levels revert to the pre-holiday baselines quite fast. Similar studies for longer vacations (more than two weeks) and shorter ones (4-5 days) found similar results, with the increases in health and wellbeing peaking around the eighth day of holidays.
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Psychological qualities like mood, life satisfaction, or emotional exhaustion, also improve somewhat during (and shortly after) holidays, but then quickly revert to the baseline.
How to Maximize the Benefits of Vacation
Reaping the full benefit of a holiday starts before the holidays themselves. The week before holidays tends to be a stressful nightmare of trying to finish all the tasks and fulfilling all deadlines. The decrease in wellbeing from two to one week before vacation, is a well-known phenomenon, called “pre-holiday stress”, and it is correlated with the workload (and “homeload”) on the weeks leading to the holiday. From a physiological perspective, it seems that the strong contrast between the high pre-holiday levels of stress hormones and their almost complete absence in the holidays might be partly responsible for the classic sickness that some people often experience on the first days of holidays (which also has a name, “leisure sickness”). Typical symptoms of this leisure sickness are wide-ranging, from headaches, migraines or fatigue, to colds and other viral infections. Perfectionists with high workloads, strong commitment, and feelings of responsibility to their work (a quite common profile among PhD students) are especially at risk of this kind of sickness.
Several studies have tried to see what holiday activities seem to relate with most gains in wellbeing and longer-lasting effects. Studies about short vacations (4-5 days) highlight that activities involving relaxation, psychological detachment from work, and having conversations with a partner, seem most correlated with health and wellbeing gains (aside from other obvious correlates like the pleasure derived from activities, or having less negative incidents). Studying the benefits of longer vacations (i.e., more than 2 weeks) found that the overall duration of the holidays (e.g., going out for two vs. three weeks) does not seem to change much the benefits, and neither do most of the activities we do in them. Exceptions to this include more passive activities, relaxation, sleep, or those that involve savoring an experience. Also, having a sense of control over one’s time seems to be related to better outcomes from the vacation.
“Psychological detachment from work” involves not doing nor thinking about work during off-job time, and has nothing to do with one’s engagement during work time. Empirical studies have shown that this kind of “switching off” from work during leisure has several critical benefits (especially in shorter vacations), including improved long-term wellbeing and life satisfaction (e.g., lower emotional exhaustion and burnout), being better able to handle stressful situations, and generally better task performance and proactive behavior at work. Certain kinds of people, who react strongly to negative events or have high levels of job involvement (again, a red flag for many PhD students), may find it difficult to detach in this way, tending to ruminate or worry about job situations even during leisure. High workloads and time pressure at work are also known to make it hard to detach. Researchers recommend doing meaningful activities (e.g., volunteer work), engaging in activities or settings that fascinate us (i.e., that effortlessly capture our attention, like a beautiful natural environment) and, in general, having clear physical and mental boundaries between work and non-work.
Practical Considerations
- Communicate with your advisor: Discuss your vacation plans well in advance and be transparent about your need for time off.
- Plan your work: Ensure that your vacation time does not conflict with any critical deadlines or responsibilities.
- Set realistic expectations: Be prepared to work hard before and after your vacation to make up for lost time.
- Prioritize your well-being: Remember that taking breaks is essential for your physical and mental health, and it can ultimately improve your productivity and creativity.
- Consider shorter, more frequent breaks: If possible, opt for several shorter vacations throughout the year rather than one long break.
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