Whistle while you work

Scott Brish always makes time to watch football on the weekends.\nThat might not seem too different from many other college students, but for Brish, this is some of his only free time. He is studying for a doctorate in anthropology, with an emphasis on archaeology and museum studies.\nLike many other graduate students, he seeks ways to take a break from his intensive coursework and research.\n"On the weekend, you really don't want to do anything but relax," says Brish, who got his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.\nBrish, who is in his third year of study at IU, also occasionally plays guitar and goes out with friends. He says he has more responsibilities as a graduate student than he did as an undergraduate.\n"When you are a graduate student, you are laying the groundwork for your career and what you're going to be doing the rest of your life," Brish says.\nTeresa Heinz, on the other hand, has found that her studies also provide her with somewhat of a social circle. Heinz is working on her doctorate in communications and culture, and studies people in the Bloomington area who live in alternative housing. These people either live "in environmentally sustainable homes, communes completely off the grid (with no utilities), and some live in trailers in hopes of building a cabin eventually," Heinz says.\nShe attends discussion groups and simple living events, through the Center for Sustainable Living, to keep in touch with these groups.\nHeinz says she tries to take the cheap or free route with her weekend activities. She hikes in Brown County State Park, visits the downtown Farmer's Market, goes to the showings at Artist's Row Gallery and frequents the Runcible Spoon and Laughing Planet.\n"There's a division between the University and the town. I've tapped into the local permanent community; that's been a huge difference for me here," Heinz says. "There's so much around (to do) -- it really surprised me."\nThe Graduate Student Organization, the representative group for graduate students, offers a release for stressed-out graduate students by sponsoring a Happy Hour event at Nick's English Hut, 423 E. Kirkwood Ave. \nThe gathering offers graduate students the opportunity to meet people from other departments and schools at IU, Brendon Hale says. Hale is the head of the Social Committee for the Graduate Student Organization.\n"The Happy Hours allow graduate students to socialize with their peers in a fun atmosphere," Hale says. "If that is not enticement enough, there is always the free pizza and the opportunity to learn to play 'Sink the Bismarck.'" Hale adds that any graduate or professional student is welcome to attend Happy Hour.\nAlthough studying is a graduate student's primary focus, Bethany Kissell, who is working on a master's degree in musicology, says, "We're human, we still go out and have fun."\nLooking back on her experience as an undergraduate at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., Kissell says that "as an undergrad, I was there for school, but I was also there for the social aspect."\nBut being a graduate student has changed her social life. "I don't have as many good friends, because I just don't have as much time," Kissell says.\nShe adds that undergraduates should make sure their chosen field is something they're going to enjoy.\n"It's a big decision to do graduate study," Kissell explains.\nIn the free time she does have, she often attends local community events. "It's such a diverse community, so many things come in; there are so many opportunities," she says. She has attended local crafts fairs, festivals and the Monroe County fair. \nShe especially enjoyed this year's Fourth of July parade. "It was the quintessential small-town parade," she says.\nKissell enjoys hiking at Brown County, Lake Griffey and Lake Lemon. And she rents movies or goes to have a drink with friends, preferably at her favorite local bar, the Irish Lion.\nBut for Rachel Michael, free time doesn't really exist. To relax, she has to put off more important things. "I have to make time for myself or I'd go crazy," she says.\nMichael will graduate in May with a master's degree from the speech-language pathology program.\n"When you sign on for the SLP (speech-language pathology) grad program, you are signing two years of your life to eating, sleeping and breathing speech pathology," says Michael, who received her undergraduate degree from Ball State University.\nGraduate school is not as easy as some people might think, Michael says. "In reality, it's the most academically, socially and emotionally challenging thing I've ever done."\nOn the weekends, Michael prefers to spend time at home with her fiance, because she doesn't see him much during the week. And if she doesn't have too much work, she likes to go movies and go hiking and camping. \n"I think the areas surrounding Bloomington are great," she says, noting that she especially likes the Hoosier National Forest.\nAnyone considering going to graduate school should "be prepared for the commitment," Michael says, adding that "It's well worth the commitment, though; I've learned so much and I have made some of the best friends I've ever known through this program"