Should I take a year off?

[bug]

I'll be a senior this fall and I know I want to do History graduate work, but I don't know whether I should apply this coming year to begin in Fall 2012 or take a year off.

My biggest reason for wanting a year off is because I don't have good professor recommendations yet. I changed my major to history a bit late and I haven't taken many history classes so I'll have to fit a lot into my senior year. I know I want to do US History (possibly early American) and focus on women's religious history, I have maybe one professor who could write me a recommendation, but other than that I'll need to establish good relationships with my professors in the fall. I'm taking a class this summer where I'll produce a good writing sample and I can take the GRE in the fall, but I still feel a bit behind.

But then if I take a year off, what in the world would I do? I can't really get a job with a History major and little work experience, can I?

Any advice?

Also, here's a list of the places I'm considering. I know I need to cut it down a bit.

William & Mary (MA Early American and US History)

Claremont Graduate University

Sarah Lawrence (Women's History MA)

UCLA

University of Michigan

UPenn

Yale

Brandeis

Harvard

Boston College

Washington University in St. Louis

University of Oregon

UC Irvine

UCSD

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

University of Utah

[ChibaCityBlues]

On 4/8/2011 at 11:38 PM, bug said:

I'll be a senior this fall and I know I want to do History graduate work, but I don't know whether I should apply this coming year to begin in Fall 2012 or take a year off.

My biggest reason for wanting a year off is because I don't have good professor recommendations yet. I changed my major to history a bit late and I haven't taken many history classes so I'll have to fit a lot into my senior year. I know I want to do US History (possibly early American) and focus on women's religious history, I have maybe one professor who could write me a recommendation, but other than that I'll need to establish good relationships with my professors in the fall. I'm taking a class this summer where I'll produce a good writing sample and I can take the GRE in the fall, but I still feel a bit behind.

But then if I take a year off, what in the world would I do? I can't really get a job with a History major and little work experience, can I?

Any advice?

Also, here's a list of the places I'm considering. I know I need to cut it down a bit.

William & Mary (MA Early American and US History)

Claremont Graduate University

Sarah Lawrence (Women's History MA)

UCLA

University of Michigan

UPenn

Yale

Brandeis

Harvard

Boston College

Washington University in St. Louis

University of Oregon

UC Irvine

UCSD

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

University of Utah

Take several years off. There is a lot more to the world than what you'll experience in graduate school. Don't be a student for a while, earn a living, travel, do something interesting, and get your ass kicked a couple times (as in experience what it's like to fail). Then apply. You'll be a better candidate and a better student for it.

[Sparky]

I don't have much advice , but I mostly just wanted to say, Go go gadget women's religious history! (I am not an Americanist, though).

One thing that seems to be pretty common--especially, for some reason, for people who end up doing religious history--is to do a year or two with AmeriCorps or one of its religious counterparts (Jesuit Volunteer Corps is maybe the most well known; there are other Catholic ones as well, a handful of Protestant ones, the Jewish Service Corps, and I suspect you could find the equivalent for most major religions if it floats your proverbial boat). The JV alums I know mostly ended up teaching upper grade elementary school, and seem to have had significantly better experiences than my Teach for America friends. A VSC alum worked at a crisis nursery; both of my friends who did JSC wound up in Estonia, of all places, for a year.

The other big thing to do is language study--you should be proficient in at least one language before you apply, even as an Americanist. Of course, if you're looking at a non-English speaking community, you need that language. This is mostly what I did. I also worked food service and spent as little money as possible, having expected at the time that I would be paying my way through a master's degree. (Yay unexpected funding+stipend, but it's nice to have actual savings now, I suppose).

I'm a big proponent, though, of taking a year off, especially because it means you won't have to worry about doing grad apps on top of your school work this fall! (Seriously--SOP writing is a course or two unto itself. I did PhD apps during the third semester of my MA, and it was less than pleasant).

[Henry Hudson]

if it is feasible to take a year, off, definitely do so. doing grad apps while also doing senior courses is a pain in the arse. your app may be more rushed than you'd like, and you won't have as much time to do proper edits. relax, enjoy your senior year, and develop the prof relations you'll need.

take that year and recharge your batteries. if you get antsy, maybe try to develop a paper into an article in your year off.

[borderlands]

I can say from personal experience that waiting until you are done with undergrad to apply is one of the best things I have done.

My senior year I felt a lot of pressure to apply from academic programs I was in and from professors-- besides writing a year- long thesis and learning Portuguese-- it would have been a tremendous amount of work. Do not get me wrong, some folks apply during their senior year but most have at that point already done research for their thesis and GRE's out of the way (summer) before the academic year begins. At the end of the year, one can feel burnt out and also question whether one is going to grad school because "it's the thing to do" without understanding other opportunities that are open.

Taking the time to consider my options as well as working for these last several months has made me realize that a history PhD is what I wanted to do. I no longer felt pressured to take a decision to go into a graduate program because that is what those who mentored me expected of me. This time in between has made me realize that I genuinely enjoy historical study.

I recommend you take the time to apply and wait until you are done with undergrad.

[TMP]

Yes, I really strongly urge you to take time off. And this is coming from someone who went straight from undergraduate to a MA program... and was hoping to go straight to a PhD program, which didn't work out, and then had to take a year off and now with a possibility of a few more!

I thought it was a terrible thing that one of my professors said to me about not getting in anywhere last year, "It's a blessing in disguise." i wanted to punch her because going for my PhD was my dream. However, a year later, she was right. I stopped and evaluated my life. Going into my MA program and seeing what academia's like first hand made me realize that I really should do things that I wouldn't otherwise have a chance to do while in a PhD program. So I started doing a few things like volunteer work in a completely unrelated field (but of other personal interests) and travel abroad. It was quite well worth it. And I do actually look forward to taking more time off and keep exploring what's out there so I can A) really, really be sure that this is what I want to do and take advantage of what life has to offer. Don't get me wrong, I love my research but with graduate schools being uber-competitive these days due to the recession, you're so much better served to get yourself busy so that when rejections do roll around, you already have something to do and there's less of that "the sky's gonna fall!" feeling.

In terms of doing your applications, because it's your first time, you really should have the luxury of time to research programs, study for the GRE, and so forth. Applying to graduate school is a part-time job itself that doesn't pay. My first two cycles were while I was a student and it was hard even though I did put a lot of thought into the process. However, my writing wasn't *shiny* as it could be because I felt rushed at times. For my current cycle, I had the luxury of time to do everything (more research, re-took the GRE, etc) and I realized what a big difference it made! It did result in a stronger application in a way that if I need to re-apply, all I have to do is write the SOP again. Everything else is all set.

Also as someone said, getting into the real world and applying to 50-100 job positions and only getting a handful of interviews (or none!) will thicken your skin. You need a very thick skin to survive in academia as rejections happen by the buckets and you can't take everything personally. Also if you went to a LAC, you are indeed better served to get out there because attending a LAC only gives you a limited view. When I attended my MA program at HUGE university, I was amazed by all the opportunities and different fields of study that I was sure that if I had gone there for undergraduate, I probably wouldn't be a history major, or at least not have thought too much about a PhD in History. Who knows. But do participate in all senior events put on by the senior class and career services next year so you can talk to alums and find out all the life decisions they've made and how and why they got there.

Above all, please don't apply to graduate school because the general job market isn't good. Apply only when you are VERY sure and would apply in ANY situation and are willing to re-apply if necessary (which is likely).

[Ofur]

Take a year off. I'm not going to give you any of that 'real world' garbage, but spending your whole life doing one thing makes for a dull person. Go learn to build a house or how to weld and you'll have something to fall back on if you get your PhD and can't find a job. And other people's comments about languages are absolutely true- chances are you'll have to gain a reading proficiency of a language you may not really need for your research. Unlike a lot of other people I encounter in academia, I think being multi-lingual is the mark of a true scholar, so I think having to learn these languages is a good idea. But it's still hard to get two languages down while doing a PhD, so taking a year off and getting a head start on languages while learning a trade is the right way to go.

[radagast]

I recommend taking a year off as well. It seems from what you write that you don't quite know what your interests are or where you want to end up and that process can take a while to figure out. Also, you want graduate schools to be able to see all of your qualifications and it seems your academic record will substantially change as a result of all the courses you plan to take senior year. I took this past year off from schooling and it really made me realize how incredibly young I am. It's important to have some life experience, I think, before entering into a PhD program. It's made me a lot more cognizant of the world around me and (as a result of teaching in an underprivileged school) has allowed me to realize what a blessing the opportunity to do graduate work is.

[Rose White]

I truly thought it was the worst thing in the world last year when I applied to several PhD programs, only to be handed rejection letters at every turn. It was my senior year of college and looking back now, I was insane to be trying to apply to graduate school and work on my coursework at the same time. I was stressed to the max and had crappy GRE scores on top of everything, even after taking them twice. The rejections really shouldn't have come as much of a surprise. To be honest, though, after receiving all the rejections and realizing I was going to have to just work for a year and try again, I feel utterly relieved. I didn't realize how quickly I was approaching burn out and the idea of an entire YEAR without a paper or having to have a book read in a week seemed GLORIOUS.

All in all, I'm really happy I've had this last year off. It's been great for recharging my batteries. Luckily, before graduating last year, I had a part-time job in a call center. Within a few WEEKS of graduating, my alma mater contacted me to be a grant administrator. Things have a really odd way of working out. So, I had two part-time jobs in the last year and have really cherished the time I've had to relax and think about what I really want to do.

Go for the year off, just to make sure this is something you REALLY want. You'll be all the better for it.

[gradstudenthistory]

As someone who went straight through, I don't recommend it. I am in a fairly large department (comparatively) at a top private school, and I was actually one of two in my year who came straight from undergrad. I think it's been a little more common that that in other years, but I think the trend is moving away from it. (To qualify: some others in my cohort did go "straight through" if you include MA work at other institutions -- but I do think that this is a tiny bit different because they exposed themselves to graduate life without having to commit right away.)

I wrestle with whether or not I'm in the right profession a lot (especially, whether I can handle the lifestyle forever). To be fair, I'm indecisive. But the fact is, you have not had adequate time or opportunity at this point to explore other options. If there's anything you'd like to do, I'd recommend doing it now/giving it a try. The thing about academia is that, once you're in, it's hard to leave with the option of coming back. So don't come until you're sure.

Also, it sounds like this would be highly beneficial to you in terms of preparation. Recommendations are CRUCIAL, so you don't want any of them to be halfhearted. And while you may get a great writing sample written this summer, you clearly haven't written it yet. This is also something that needs to be top-notch. You sound like you are qualified and could be a really great candidate, but 1) there's no rush; and 2) since the application process is difficult and at times heartbreaking, I wouldn't advise going for it until you really feel that you are ready, and your preparation level high.

I would also echo the aforementioned recommendations that you do some language study, even as an Americanist. Some programs require two languages even of U.S. historians. I strongly recommend having either French or German as one of them. Although you can probably get by with one language upon admission, the more you get done before you get to grad school, the less you have to worry about when you get here. Take it from me: language classes, when you have so much on your plate already, are really annoying. And they're particularly annoying when they're unnecessary for your research, but nevertheless required for the degree. Taking these classes will annoy you less during downtime between undergrad and grad.

Bottom line: my recommendation would be to spend your senior year boosting your qualifications as much as possible. (Ask for letters before you leave -- while your professors remember you best.) Then, spend a few months or more trying out something different, while working on languages and keeping reading up in your field. (Keeping up with reading is more important if you take more than a little time off.) If you decide to apply to grad school, do it because you desperately miss the academic world -- not because you're unsure of what else you might want to do with your life.

Keep in mind that as brutal as the application process is, the academic job market is worse. And there's no point putting yourself through all this if you aren't desperately passionate about it.

[Wolverine85]

I agree with what everyone is saying take a year off. However with a history degree prepare to find a job not related to the field. All my friends who have a BA in history are having a tough time finding anything substantial. On top student loan payments start 6 months after graduation. So maybe a MA is feasible. I went straight from BA to MA albeit my MA is not in history I have not struggled. But then again I am not going to a top University therefore the coursework is not entirely terrible.

[vtstevie]

I think I'll add my two cents here as I feel as though my grad school experience is somewhat different from others around here...

I went straight from undergrad to my two year MA program at the same school I did undergrad in. I don't regret it, as I was truly hitting my groove academically the last three years and didn't want to lose that momentum and certainly didn't feel like I was about to burn out. An MA was also a chance for me to test the waters of academia, make connections in the profession (especially in my department) and learn valuable skills/create a writing sample, all of which I feel I achieved. I'm taking a year or two off before applying to PHD programs, but that's for personal reasons and not because I feel like I couldn't go straight to another program now (though going through the application process while a student DOES seem a bit rough).

What I want to stress about my experience is, while it's true being in a program does to a degree limit your other options, in no way should you feel as though entering graduate school (at least on the MA level) ties you to your school constantly. I did more traveling in the last two years than during my entire undergraduate years, some of which was funded by my department. Graduate school let me create my own schedule and, while I didn't get rich off funding, also afforded me some income to fund what was a rather full life. It is, of course, a lot of work and more is expected of you as a graduate student than as an undergrad, but you can still do volunteer work and travel (to use ticklemepink's examples) while a graduate student, and have a very full social life should you choose.

Obviously there are other considerations (debt being the top of the list, as most MA programs that I came across don't fund well, if at all), but it's worth pointing out that entering graduate school doesn't mean the end of life as you know it.

[sacklunch]

Time off might help you, it might not? I have friends who went straight through, some who didn't. Some seem happy about it, others do not. If I were you I would apply and if you don't get in, oh well? Then take some time off, build your application, GRE, ect.