[How do I Explain a two year gap.]

I hear you. There's often a lot of pressure to write a good statement of purpose because, apart from the writing sample (if you have to submit one), it is your chance to show who you are NOW, and what you're capable of. Reference letters are also obviously important, but the statement of purpose is not just a representation of you, but one that is in your own words.

Anyway, when I wrote my statement, I also considered explaining a huge cap in my education. In the middle of my degree, I dropped out for 3 years to pursue a music career. The grades in the my first two years were horrible, with a GPA of 1.4. After my break, I came back and worked my ass off. In the end, when I finished my degree my overall GPA was something like 2.1..but I knew they would just look at the final two years and see my GPA for those two years was 3.9. I thought about explaining all of this in my statement, but decided against it. Rather, I just focused on what my interests are and how I planned on contributing to the field. I figured the rest would explain itself. As most people have mentioned above in some way or another, the key is that you show you are forward-thinking. The past is behind you, the future is bright, etc., etc..

Thank you very much...

[How do I Explain a two year gap.]

Thanks guys. I need a lot of help on this. Very nervous about my statement of purpose.

[MA vs PhD]

Something went wrong with my previous post; sorry I posted Dal PhDer’s comment without my reply. Strange!

Well, I agree with Dal PhDer. Plus, it all comes down to what you are passionate about and whether you love research and independent study. Do you love working alone on academic problems? Do you love research? I would not advise anyone who is not crazy about research (academic) to go after a PhD just because it's fully funded (and most are). It doesn't matter whether you love working in the academia after that or not. We are talking about a minimum of four years of nonstop research, reading and publishing and working alone most of the time. You have to love doing research.

It’s not good to start a PhD and later find out that you would rather do an MA. If you don’t like research, look for the money and some funding and go for an MA. However, if you can handle the research and all that, why not do the PhD. It doesn't mean you have to work in the academia or teach. Depending on your field, you can go into consultation or expert jobs in the public or private sectors. I for one don’t like teaching and the idea of publishing under pressure of tenure that characterizes the academic world. In fact the whole idea of academia is just nauseating to me, but I do want to do a PhD, just so I can be an authority on something in this big world. I know if I ever do it (Lord help me), I will end up a consultant somewhere and will not ever have to worry about having only one published article on my CV. For me I have to first finish a master's though (for other reasons)

[MA vs PhD]

Agree. I know some that don't even teach at all.

I think it's important to be really sure about what you want your career to be.

A PhD in academia normally means you'll be on the TT, and will have to actively engage in applying for grants, getting money to support your research, publishing original research, etc. You will be required to support your research - much like during your PhD when you apply for grants/scholarships to fund yourself. You will also (depending on where you stand in the department), have to teach a course or two. I know several 'new' faculty that have to teach 2-3 courses (the ones senior faculty don't like) plus do TT. This varies between departments. You will also have to take on students and mentor them. For some, the teaching aspect is what draws them into academics, rather than the TT, for others it's opposite. During your PhD you will be mostly taught the skills to go through the TT experience, and much less on the 'teaching' experience. You may have the opportunity to be a TA or even teach a class...I would suggest that if you want to be a professor, take these opportunities- they are great learning experiences and will be significantly valuable to your CV/resume if you want to apply for a faculty position.

Outside of academics, there are a wide range of jobs for a PhD through gov't, NGO, etc. Here your PhD will allow you to apply for high-level positions, get you a pay raise, and will allow you to do research without the pressure of tenure. These positions ARE attainable with a masters in most cases, but a masters will limit you a bit, and PhDs are not becoming more desirable.

Master's is a great stepping stone for many job opportunities. You will be able to apply for lots of higher-level RA work (in general $30/hr) and will be able to do a lot of work in various fields. My experience is that an MA can take you to a broad range of disciplines, while a PhD will make you a bit more of an 'expert' with more of a focus.

But, this is based on my experience in the job field of health and health promotion. This will vary depending on discipline.

[How do I Explain a two year gap.]

Hey guys, thank you so much. I am so grateful, you have no idea.

@Sigaba, thanks again but I have trouble understanding some of those abbreviations, like 'Pols' and 'SoP'. @ jeffster- You are absolutely right, there's no way I am glossing over it. It seems to me there's more advice you can render me about this though. Just a gut feeling.

[How do I Explain a two year gap.]

Dear cafe goers,

In 2010, I accepted a scholarship to a master’s program (which I later found out is not really what I wanted to study for my grad school). I was uninspired right from the beginning, but I somehow finished the first year. I hated the program. In my second year, things got out of hand. I had no motivation, never cared about the program, had got terrible grades and I was severely depressed. I was constantly thinking of what I wanted to study instead. The depression and stress of being in a foreign country away from home (I am from Kenya) caught up with me and I decided I never wanted to write the thesis, just so I don’t put my name on something I wasn't proud of. In other words, I dropped out. Two years wasted and many lessons learnt. Now I've got my shit together and I want to apply for what I love to study, come 2013 academic year. Problem though is, how do I explain the gap in my admissions and scholarships applications and CV without coming off as a quitter? Because the truth is, I am not one, it's not like I quitted on grad school. I just quitted on a program that I hated and did not want to pursue anymore. Solid responses will be highly appreciated.