Deciding Between Gap Year and Going Straight In

[annieca]

So, question for everyone:

How did you decide whether you were going to go straight to grad school or take a year (or multiple years) off?

And if you did take some time off, what did you do during your time off?

I'm considering taking a year off because I would be going into grad school at 20 and I don't want to get burnt out. However, I am afraid I wouldn't be able to find something to do that isn't retail/fast food/restaurant work for that year and I would end up not helping my CV or being bored to tears.

[burgundykitten]

I applied to grad school last year; got in two schools, waitlisted at one, and was stoked to go, but then I found out my first choice didn't offer ANY grad scholarships, any kind of assistantship or fellowship, & I'd be pulling out $50k in government loans for a program that might not have a career that would take my anywhere. So I took a year off instead.

I currently work FT in my undergrad field (psychology) - my county has a non-profit that caters to mental health clients, so I've gotten to build my CV a little while still doing something I enjoy. The relief of NOT being in school is fantastic - you feel like you can breathe, maybe for the first time, and you get to learn about yourself & pick up hobbies & be social. I imagine it can be boring at times, but it's also refreshing. If you missed learning, you could always just do something learning-esque for yourself, like tackle a new language or take a community college/online course for the hell of it.

[eco_env]

Depends on the person. If I was able to find a good ecology research assistant-type job or get a paid MS, it might have been good for me (as opposed to going straight to a PhD from a BA), but I found the "regular" job I had during the summer boring- the only things it was good for were making money for my move across the country and having spare time to read papers.

[abc123xtc]

I decided to take a year off to gain some "life experiences," and thus far have only experienced this terrible economy -- I can't even seem to get a job in retail. I was too burnt out to go straight into graduate school, but now I wish I had. Unless you have a degree that would be competitive in this economy, I would go straight into graduate school.

[burgundykitten]

Unless you have a degree that would be competitive in this economy, I would go straight into graduate school.

I second that. I was lucky that I got a local job that had to do with my undergrad major, but I spent two months jobless after graduation; I had to borrow money from my SO for all bills, eating expenses, rent, etc. NOT a good feeling.

[Bimmerman]

I wish I had done a gap year, by going straight in I missed out on job experience that will help me land a job post-MS.

Also, it would have given me time and reason (read: income) to decide whether the pain of two more years of academia were worth the extremely small benefit to salary and responsibilities.

Edited January 30, 2012 by Bimmerman

[surefire]

However, I am afraid I wouldn't be able to find something to do that isn't retail/fast food/restaurant work for that year and I would end up not helping my CV or being bored to tears.

I actually took a gap year and worked in an industrial kitchen before going to do my MA; it was one of the best years of my life and I would make the decision again in a heartbeat. There are a litany of reasons why this was the best decision for me.

I was on a merit-based scholarship through my undergrad that covered my tuition. This was clearly awesome, but I still needed to get a job to cover the living expenses. I picked up work at a local cajun/french restaurant and worked there through the entirety of my BA. I attended classes by day and worked nights; there was little procrastination because there was simply no margin for dicking around. The job helped me to feel connected to both my academic and local communities and I discovered a treasure trove of artists and musicians and activists and thinkers in both camps. I articuated theory and stretched my mental faculties in class and then went to the kitchen dressed like a pirate, swearing like a sailor and completing the purposeful, stressful, satisfying task of just FEEDING people. I felt like a total bad ass.

In the last year of my BA, I knew that I wanted grad school, but I also knew that my undergrad didn't have a lot of graduate level offerings, so I would have to leave the institution and the city. I really didn't have time to do the research and applications and the plotting that would be required to make an informed decision about where I wanted to go.

So I stayed for a year. And it was awesome.

I spent more time in the kitchen, where I started dating one of my co-workers (we're engaged now). I had grown close to a lot of the chefs, we had sweat and bled and screamed in the kitchens together and that kind of proves a quick catalyst for bonding. Now that I wasn't in school, we could hang out after hours and I spent many nights getting to know the unique backrounds of these kitchen mercenaries (it's all very Down and Out in Paris, and very Kitchen Confidential, if anyone gets those references). I spent more time at ALL of the things that I didn't have time for in my undergrad; if my friend had a gallery opening/rock show/poetry slam I was THERE, cheerleading and soaking it in. I read ALL of the fun things I had never gotten around to. I stayed up late. I savoured cups of coffee and tried to cycle everywhere because, hey, I wasn't in a hurry. I got caught up on all the movies and music. I accepted all invitations for outings and engagements. I made people care packages just because. I grew an herb garden and learned how to play chess. I volunteered EVERYWHERE; where before I had always made small offerings of support to organizations, now I had actual TIME to give (these activities doubled as great CV-builders).

I was able to spend the appropriate amount of time researching and applying to graduate school, the kind of time that the process demands that I wasn't in a place to spare during the last year of my BA. I found a program that I adored, and I got in. I have to say, even though I had a great time during that gap year, I missed school pretty quickly (which, to me, served as an affirmation that I was meant to return). Regardless, because the application process is so lengthy, the prospect of grad school never seemed far from my mind, and the year went quickly. I was able to leave the city for a new educational endeavour, refreshed and satisfied that I had squeezed every ounce of fun out of my job and undergrad community.

That's my experience! I'm actually on, what I guess you would call, an additional gap period. I finished the MA and decided to work a "grown up" job for a little while before applying for the PhD. The decision this time around was largely about getting familiar with my options and capacities - I wanted to explore my avenues so that I could never say that I didn't try those routes. I didn't go back to the kitchen, though i was tempted. I've since held contracts with the private sector, government and the non-profit realm. This has led me to a discovery that resembles the one I made during the first gap year: that academia is where I want to be.

I hope that you figure out what's right for you, and that the road that gets you there treats you kindly.

[crazygirl2012]

My advisor talked me out of it, mostly because I didn't have a solid plan. (Well, I had a "plan" that I still love, but it would not have furthered my career at all.) I would say to examine your reasons for wanting a gap year vs. your reasons for wanting to go straight to grad school. Look into your options, and in the end just go with what feels right. I've asked grad students, professors, and other undergrads this question. From what I've been told, there's no right or wrong answer. I think it does depend on your field too, and the program in which you're interested. For the most part, my field (social psychology) likes to take students right out of undergrad, but a master's degree can really help your chances of getting in (although they'll make you basically repeat those two years anyway in their Ph.D. program), and some programs would prefer that students take a gap year to make sure that academia is really what they want.

[annieca]

Thanks everyone!

My undergrad degree will be an Honors History degree so not terribly employable there without a MA. I am leaning towards going straight to grad school because it feels like the right thing to do, but I'm giving myself more time to think about it. I'm a bit of a wishy-washy person on decisions like that.

All of you all's advice was helpful!

[Behavioral]

Like you've alluded to, it depends on what types of job you can feasibly get with just a Bachelors.

I only took a break between undergrad and my PhD because I was getting a few consulting job offers that paid really well; had it not been for that (like, if my only options were discipline-relevant [low-paying research assistant work] or non-relevant and not high-paying), then I would have gone straight to grad school.

[quantitative]

I am in a similar situation in the OP. I decided to take a semester off before enrolling in graduate school. All my professors encouraged me to do this. I didn't want to take a year off (too long to me!), but I kind of wish I just decided to go straight through. It's nice having this break, but I'm not heading to graduate school until August... It's a while off. The issue is that the job market for college grads is TERRIBLE right now, so if you want to work in something besides retail, it's not happening.

Instead, I'd suggest just trying to figure out some "me" time before you head to graduate school. (This is why my professors encouraged me to take time off--so I wouldn't burn out!) Whether it's traveling, hanging out on a beach or something else, I'd suggest just taking the summer at minimum (if not a semester) to really enjoy yourself before you head off to graduate school.

Edited February 8, 2012 by quantitative

[starmaker]

I was a neuro major with low grades and a systems & computational neuro specialty. I applied for neuro, applied math, and BME programs in my senior year, and didn't get in anywhere. I went to work for an artificial intelligence R&D company at a good salary. The following spring, while continuing to work full-time, I started taking post-bac computer science classes. I've worked at a few different companies (and spent a period unemployed), but I've been working for four and a half years. I started my part-time MS two years (plus a summer) after getting my bachelor's. Assuming I get into a PhD program this round, I'll have been in the industry world for five years.

[fuzzylogician]

I took three years between highschool and college, which is probably a bit unusual but is still similar to the OP's situation in many ways. I don't regret my time in the 'real world' one bit. I got to travel, work a real job and save some money, and most importantly I discovered the field that I'm now studying in graduate school.

I didn't (officially) take time off between undergrad and grad school but since I came from a three-year BA program and didn't think I had a strong enough background to get into top programs in my field, I continued to a one-year program in a different country where I again got to travel and live in a completely new environment. I found a research job within my field and made contacts with people who turned out to be wonderful mentors. I then came back home and applied to PhD programs, while working as an RA and TA at my home university and taking MA classes. I have no regrets about this path, even though it caused me to start graduate school at an older age than some of the fresh, bright-eyed students who come directly from undergrad.

[xxcheshirecatox]

I graduated with my master's last May and I took some time off, mostly just to re-charge from my master's and to get some skills at my job. I'm so glad I did. I would've been really burned out. I think taking the time off has made me really eager to go back, and it also helped me tremendously with preparing a competitive application.

Edited February 9, 2012 by xxcheshirecatox