Gap Year?

[aim_yeti]

I am a Junior, soon to be Senior, sociology student planning on graduate school and a PhD. However, I've heard from multiple faculty members at my university that it would be a good idea to take a year off between undergrad and graduate. I'm definitely planning on graduate school, but I had always assumed I would enter graduate school right after finishing my undergraduate degree. Opinions? What are the pros and cons of taking or not taking a gap year? If I were to take a gap year, what would be the best thing I could do to prepare for graduate school admissions and the program itself?

Thank you.

[lambspam]

Here are a few --

Pros:

- Accumulate savings (even when you have funding, it's always good to have some extra money)

- Start paying off any loans from undergrad so you have less of a burden when you're all done

- Decide whether academia is right for you

- Mature a little bit

- Develop relevant skills

- Gain experience for a stronger application (only works if you get a job in a related field)

- Study for the GRE

Cons:

- For a lot of academically-minded people, work is miserable.

- It can be hard to find jobs in related fields.

- Limited access to resources of your undergrad university (career/grad center, professors, etc.) can make it difficult to get application materials together.

[GardeningGrad]

I am a Junior, soon to be Senior, sociology student planning on graduate school and a PhD. However, I've heard from multiple faculty members at my university that it would be a good idea to take a year off between undergrad and graduate. I'm definitely planning on graduate school, but I had always assumed I would enter graduate school right after finishing my undergraduate degree. Opinions? What are the pros and cons of taking or not taking a gap year? If I were to take a gap year, what would be the best thing I could do to prepare for graduate school admissions and the program itself?

Thank you.

So, I went to accepted student day for my program. I'd set up an appointment to chat with a professor with common research interests to mine. He glanced at me and said, "tsk, tsk, you're the newbie right out of college, right? I really wish students would get more experience before coming to grad school."

The prof had mistaken me for someone else - I graduated three year ago. Almost all successful candidates for my grad program worked/volunteered for at least one year before applying to grad school. In fact, some programs I applied to stated explicitly that successful applicants were ones with at least two years of applicable experience. Throughout my application process, I heard professors, administrators, and students iterate how important 'real life experience' was to the application process and - more importantly - to giving students perspective, humility, and direction in their graduate research. plus, who wants to go to grad school burnt out from four years of undergrad?

Yes, yes, yes - take a gap year. Go do something you're interested in, volunteering if possible. Read, live life outside of academia. It will only help your application and your personal development!

[fragonard32]

So, I went to accepted student day for my program. I'd set up an appointment to chat with a professor with common research interests to mine. He glanced at me and said, "tsk, tsk, you're the newbie right out of college, right? I really wish students would get more experience before coming to grad school."

The prof had mistaken me for someone else - I graduated three year ago. Almost all successful candidates for my grad program worked/volunteered for at least one year before applying to grad school. In fact, some programs I applied to stated explicitly that successful applicants were ones with at least two years of applicable experience. Throughout my application process, I heard professors, administrators, and students iterate how important 'real life experience' was to the application process and - more importantly - to giving students perspective, humility, and direction in their graduate research. plus, who wants to go to grad school burnt out from four years of undergrad?

Yes, yes, yes - take a gap year. Go do something you're interested in, volunteering if possible. Read, live life outside of academia. It will only help your application and your personal development!

Thank you GardeningGrad, that is wonderful advice.

[Doctor Jimmy]

I didn't take any break after undergrad (but I haven't started grad school yet... so I can only give perspective on the admissions process and not what grad school will be like without a gap).

I don't think I was hurt at all by coming directly out of undergrad. I think if you do go directly from undergrad, it is important that you can show an admissions committee that you know what you are in for. I had already been pretty socialized into the field and presented at major conferences and was in the ASA Honors Program. I have also been involved in research for years, so I think admissions committees were not worried I was just going to grad school because the job market sucked or what not (which may be one of the reasons you can be disadvantaged if you come straight from undergrad).

For me, I was absolutely convinced this is what I wanted to do, and I want to get done with school at a relatively young age. Therefore, I had no interest in taking a break.

That is just my personal perspective. I think it can definitely help you if you take a break to get a job in something related to what you want to study in grad school and take the time to improve your GRE score. I just don't think taking a gap year is a necessity.

[fumblewhat]

I think everyone has hit all the important pros and cons above. I'll just join in the chorus and say taking a gap year is an excellent idea! I took 3 years off, and I'm headed into a grad program this fall. Although I think I had the academic chops and drive to complete a grad program out of undergrad, I am SO glad I didn't. Taking time off has given me the chance to recharge, mature a bit as a person, and expand my research interests considerably. I'm absolutely certain it got me into a better program than I could have managed as an undergraduate, as well.

There's a lot of great experiential jobs out there that look great on an application -- Peace Corps, Teach for America, etc. I'm teaching on the JET Programme in Japan right now and I LOVE IT. The Japanese countryside is beautiful, the kids are great, and the job benefits cannot be matched. (Full medical insurance, life insurance, 20 days paid vacation, tax exemption, and ridiculous pay.) If you like kids, and are up for a challenge, I highly recommend it. No Japanese required.