I just submitted my first homework assignment in my MCS class. I spent about 2 hours completing it. After I turned it in, I learned that my friend spent 6 hours on the assignment. Have I done too little work? Should I be spending more time on each assignment?
Don’t worry! It’s the quality of the work done, not the quantity of time spent doing it that really matters. Two focused hours of work is much better than six distracted hours of work.
It can be really strange to find that you’ve worked much longer or shorter on an assignment than someone else. Comparison is very natural, and one way we help if we’re acting appropriately in unfamiliar situations, like new classes. But comparison can lead to tricky things like imposter syndrome and overwork. Your balance of time spent on work is going to be particular to your own needs and goals.
There are many reasons why someone might have spent more time on an assignment. Maybe they had difficulty understanding the topic and needed to do extra reading to get up to speed, or maybe they were multi-tasking (so, working on the assignment, but also checking email, watching Law and Order, and making nachos).
The important thing is that you feel good about the work that you did on the assignment. It’s easy to compare yourself to others and to use their experiences to track your own progress (we call this impostor syndrome). Remember that everyone is unique! Our understanding of topics and our skillsets are different. Do the best that you can! If you’re still concerned, consider reaching out to the instructor to talk about expectations around homework assignments.
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Looking to learn a little more about imposter syndrome and graduate school? Tune into this episode of the GradLIFE podcast with Lisa Abston (Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion here in the Graduate College) and Darrien Watson (PhD student in Recreation, Sport, and Tourism) for a discussion that ranges from the emotions of graduate study and experiences with feeling like an imposter in academia to some practical tips and strategies for keeping your way when imposter syndrome rears its head.
Emily Wuchner is the Associate Director for Student Experience at the Graduate College. She holds a PhD in musicology from the University of Illinois, and her work focuses on music and social welfare in eighteenth-century Austria. In her free time, she enjoys boxing, reading, and knitting and crochet.
