The true privileged resource of higher education is time.
Look at the life of an average, full-time graduate student: There are 168 hours in a week. Subtract 56 hours for sleep (assuming the recommended eight hours per night — optimistic, I know), 15 hours of class time (assuming a typical 15-credit semester), 30 hours of studying (assuming the expected two to three hours of studying per credit), 30 hours of work at a separate job (based on a 2015 study stating that over 70% of graduate students work at least this many hours per week), 10.5 hours to eat (only allowing 30 minutes to prepare and eat three meals a day) and two-and-a-half hours of exercise (assuming the recommended minimum amount per week for an adult).
That leaves 24 hours in the week (or less than 3.5 hours per day) to complete any internships or practicums that may be required; travel to and from different locations; get ready for the day; incorporate proper hygiene; complete chores; run errands; make appointments; fulfill any extracurricular, religious or volunteering responsibilities; spend time with any loved ones; practice self-care; enjoy any hobbies and take a bathroom break.
This would also be assuming this individual is single, with no children — or any one to be a caretaker to — and able-bodied.
Logistically, there is no time to healthily achieve all of these aspects of a graduate student’s life.
When I entered the realm of higher education, I felt like there were a variety of clubs, organizations, support groups, counseling and other resources that were created and advertised to students in order to aid them during their academic journey. However, I also quickly realized that most of these resources and support were of almost no use to me. If I were to try and incorporate even just one into my life, it would almost feel like adding more stress instead, because of how little time I had to actually utilize it. Adding any support meant compromising time of one or more core parts of my life.
It is not that there is no need for these resources, it is that there needs to be more time to truly benefit from them. The availability is there, the accessibility is not. With more material to learn in school, less financial stability for students and less time to balance a healthy life, there needs to be a change in the educational systems and structures to incorporate student resources and support into academic programs. And the excuse of, “Well, that’s just grad school”, is not acceptable.
This could look like setting aside a small amount of class time every once in a while for students to go explore their resources, offering extra credit or some kind of academic incentive to students in classes to use resources or even having class sessions canceled by a college or university once per semester — intentionally set for student resource utilization.
It does not need to be a dramatic change, just some kind of compromise from a higher education institution with their students. This is because the individuals that these resources were designed for, are most likely the ones who will never get to benefit from them, because they don’t have the privilege to give up any more of their time.
Tainui Brewster
Tainui Brewster is a master of social work student at the University of Utah, with experience as an intern therapist and educational background in human development.
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