Hi, I'm new to this site and I'm trying to get a more informed opinion on whether doing an unrelated gap year would ruin my chances for a PhD. Most students I know, and a lot on this site, who decide to take a gap year end up in a research lab gaining more experience. However, I currently have a high-ish gpa (~3.7) that I plan to maintain, hopefully a good gre, and research experience (2 years related in an honors thesis, and 1 unrelated year researching bees). So I don't think I need more research experience and I would like to consider doing a gap year teaching English abroad and getting rid of any last wanderlust before chaining myself to a lab bench. I love research but I don't particularly want to be a lab monkey for minimum wage for a job I don't plan to stay in more than a year. Would I come back and realize I have no shot at getting a PhD, or reduced chances?