PhD Candidate Emma Rifai recently completed a marathon - yes a marathon! So we thought it was fitting to ask Emma about how she does it all. Below, Emma gives us a peek into the life of a very busy graduate student.

While I find graduate school fulfilling–most of the time–I believe that it’s important to balance the challenges of academic work with external activities, pursuits, and hobbies. Graduate students often live in a liminal space of sorts–with each new deadline looming larger than the last, and it’s easy to lose perspective. I’ve found that investing in hobbies, volunteering, and physical activities combats the tunnel vision we can develop as we move through coursework, exams, and dissertating.

Each spring and fall I perform with the Southeast Iowa Concert Band, which not only gets me out of my head–but also out of Iowa City. Lasting three hours, rehearsals are in Mount Pleasant and, given I’m a bit past my performing prime, take every bit of attention and focus I’ve got, leaving little room to perseverate over writing deadlines.

Additionally, I’ve really enjoyed volunteering with the Iowa City Public Library and Warm Up America. Every Friday afternoon, I manage the small shop on the second floor of the public library where we sell gently used books, DVDs, and CDs to raise money for various programs. I have a few “regulars”–mostly elderly community members who spend a lot of time at the library–who stop by to chat every week during my shift. They love to keep up with how my schoolwork is coming along as well as pass along their latest book recommendations. 

I’ve also gotten involved in knitting blankets for Warm Up America at our local synagogue. Each of us knitters spends time making squares on our own that are then combined and assembled when we gather a couple of times a month on Sunday mornings. It’s rewarding to see our work come together as beautiful handmade blankets that are then donated to various local organizations.

Finally, I’ve spent much of last year training to run a marathon. You’ve all been told that graduate school is a marathon not a sprint, right? On Sunday October 6, I finished the Twin Cities Marathon and came to truly appreciate the metaphor. The plucky enthusiasm of the first half dozen miles or so gave way to despair for many of the middle miles only to reemerge as the finish line appeared in the distance. If that doesn’t accurately reflect graduate school–I don’t know what does. I believe that pushing myself to finish the marathon–despite the pain, boredom, and exhaustion–was good training for keeping pace on my dissertation.

I’m really grateful that I’ve been able to balance graduate school with music, volunteering, and running. It helps me keep perspective–and it makes my work better. I am convinced that I sit down to write more refreshed and resilient thanks in part to my external activities, which keep me grounded and engaged in my body and in my community. I encourage you to identify what you find fulfilling outside of graduate school and to make time for it–whatever it is. When in doubt, sign up to volunteer–there are plenty of organizations in town that could use a hand.