taking years off

[Phedre]

Hi all,

another thread... has anyone taken 2 years off before going to grad school?

I have until the end of the month to decide if I want to renew my teaching contract at a high school in Paris. The students are a dream to teach, I have a virtually free apartment... and it's paris. but I received my BA in 2007 and I'm worried that delaying matriculation yet another year will make me stalled...

Any adivce?

J

[scirefaciat]

I got my BA in 2006, and I'm planning to be in grad school next year. I think that it is pretty normal to take a year or two off these days, and alot of universities almost prefer that you have some real world experience. Especially doing what you're doing, I don't see how taking another year would hurt you, if you are enjoying what you are doing and wish to continue.

[Chicken Dan]

"Stalled?" Nah. I've done two years in the Peace Corps, a year at a Chinese University, two years of work in New York, and three years at a Taiwanese University. I'll start my PhD next year. Do what you love! Heck, I'm jealous that you get to live in Paris...

[rising_star]

I wouldn't worry about being stalled. IF you like your job, stick with it. Good jobs are hard to find. Grad school will always be there when you decide you're ready.

[rafnow]

I've had a 9 year layoff between my masters and my PhD applications. I don't think it makes a huge difference, especially if you're accumulating relevant experience during the layoff. But I have had a couple of professor/friends comment on my age and suggest that it could be an issue with some programs (though they consider this unlikely).

[vaino]

Hi there,

I'm in a similar situation--I've just received a really tempting, one-year job offer (teaching literature, so it's relevant to my field of study) very much out of the blue and am wondering how admissions deferrals work. I imagine the policy varies from university to university, but has anyone here ever deferred? Does anyone have advice on deferral? I've not yet heard from any universities, so who knows, maybe it won't be an issue, but I'd love to hear what you all have to say on this!

And in, briefly, in response to taking years off: I wouldn't worry at all if you finished your BA in 2007! I finished mine in 2004 and have a number of friends who applied successfully to grad school with similar breaks.

M.

[alexandra_sophie]

I've had 2 years off now since finishing my second MA and I went straight from my BA into both MA degrees and I am really grateful that I took the time off between the last MA and this round of PhD apps because I am teaching college now (as a lecturer) and I got a chance to do some writing and publishing and professional activities in this time. If I had gone straight into a PhD after the last MA, I would be in a loony bin right now gnawing on the straps of a straight jacket. You don't realise how exhausted you and your brain are until you take about six months to decompress from all that school!

It's really healthy to take time off. Most of my professors and friends have taken time off (my undergrad adviser actually almost flunked-out his first semester at Michigan after he graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Berkeley) and they were/are much better students for it! Some people can just keep going straight through, but a lot of us need a little time to re-cooperate after being in school since the age of 5! Save-up some money so you have a lovely little egg for starting grad school and you'll be in a really healthy position all-around to start a postgraduate program in a couple of years.

I think what you're doing is great and a lot of people I know wish they had done the same. Props to you!

[amanda1655]

I graduated in 2005 and just applied for graduate school this year. I spent the time learning foreign languages, teaching in an elementary school, and earning a master's degree. When I spoke to a professor at Yale (also a classmate of my undergraduate advisor), he said that he found that students were more mature after taking a few years off and generally wrote better statements of purpose than those who applied as seniors in college. The only reservation I would have is that if you take too much time off you may have difficulty finding faculty who can write fantastic letters of rec for you, although you should be able to find people to write ones that are at least good.

[Sigaba]

FWIW, as an undergraduate, I participated in an internship in which we participants were mentored by graduate students. The question posed in the OP was one of the central topics of discussion/debate. Three of the best reasons for not taking time off were offered by those graduate students who had done just that.

One grad student pointed out that he had difficulties making the transition from the private sector back to the life of a student. While he was not especially well paid at his old job, the standard of living he enjoyed was several notches above that of a graduate student He also pointed out that the sense of independence that one develops from being out of the academic environment at times impinged upon his relationship with his professors. He indicated that there were instances where intellectual deference might have been a better course of action than the mindset of the work place that he brought to the class. (If you've ever tuned out a boss and done as you were told just because you were told to do it that way, you know what this guy was saying.)

Others who took time off pointed to the the vicissitudes of every day life as a challenge to getting a degree. That is, some students planned just to take one year off and, before they knew it, it was several years later. In some cases, they had to redo a lot of leg work before they could apply to graduate programs. While these students did not regret their choices, you could tell they were impacted by their other responsibilities as spouses, parents, and employees on top of their duties as graduate students/teaching assistants/mentors.

[Grizbert]

Especially considering that you are doing relevant work, I'd say it's no handicap at all.

At least that's what I hope, since I am 32 and completed my MA in 2003! I'm applying this round for 2012 admission.

I know of one woman who completed a PhD at Yale at age 40 and got a TT job at another top 10 school in her field. All of the current professors I've spoken with don't seem to think my age is an issue, so I seriously doubt a one or two-year delay will be a problem for you.

But, yeah, don't have kids until after you get into grad school.

Edited August 10, 2011 by Grizbert

[trebuchet]

Yeah, ditto - it all depends on what you've done and how you can contextualize it. I had 8 years between masters and PhD, but my work was related - and when it wasn't obviously so, I drew out the connections.

It's also more common in certain disciplines, especially those with a practical dimension - in art, it's common to start a career then go to grad school, so the time off is seen as an asset, and often the age in these programs is quite varied.

Nevertheless, I'm just happy I'm not the oldest person in my program