taking time off?

[child of 2]

What are the pros and cons of taking a year off after graduation? It might be a good thing for me (mentally) to take a break and do something else after graduation. What I'm worried about the most are not getting anything done during that time, and not having LORs when I decide to finally apply.

[TropicalCharlie]

Taking a break between undergrad and grad school is a good idea as it gives you time to refresh and prepare your grad materials. However, how you spend that time off is important. If you plan to travel or just bum around, make sure that you keep in touch with your potential LOR writers, a quick email here and there is sufficient. Keep that line of communication open, so that when the time comes, you don't have to remind them of who you are and why they should be writing your LOR. If you plan to fill the year with something productive, a job, an internship, or volunteer work relevant to your ug degree is going to greatly strengthen your application.

From personal experience, I actually worked for 5 years at a job related to my ug degree, and my work experience is what made my application package very strong. That coupled with awesome LOR's. I kept in touch with all my LOR writers throughout those years, and when it was time, I had no issues getting them to write for me.

[Hillary Emick]

I spent seven years in the professional world after getting my BS and I'm now going back for my PhD. It was actually an asset to my application to have professional experience. Getting LOR's after the time away from school wasn't a problem for me, nor do I think it would be if you were a memorable student. I also stayed in touch with some of my undergrad professors over the years and they were happy to provide LOR's.

Edited March 14, 2012 by Hillary Emick

[Pitangus]

I will echo the above responses and say that taking time off can indeed be useful for both building experience and refreshing yourself before diving into school again. I also agree that obtaining LORs after graduation is not a problem if you keep your writers informed about your plans.

I graduated in Spring 2011 and applied this season, so technically I only had a few months between undergrad and applications. But even in that short time I completed two seasonal internships in my field, which I think improved both my applications and general skillset.

I am currently taking time off between my fall position and the spring position I will be starting soon. It was nice to take a mental break, and these few months of not working have cemented my desire to start grad school because I am now becoming bored out of my mind!

The only con I can think of is that taking a gap obviously delays the start of the grad program, which might be unappealing if you are anxious to get started. And of course a gap year will not help your applications if you don't do anything productive with the time. You should start looking for internships and such now to get an idea of what will be available next year (assuming that's when you'll be starting your gap).

Edited March 14, 2012 by Pitangus

[modernity]

I took three years off. The work experience helped me quite a bit, and was one of the stronger parts of my application. The fact that I went out and worked in my field (even entry level) and then decided to pursue further education reflected well. It also gives you perspective on the options that are available to you, and will help you figure out if it's what you REALLY want to do.

However, I am in a program where several people when straight from UG and MA. Some regret it, some just wanted to "get all the school they needed out of the way" - I think there might be some merit to powering through too if you're up for it.

I'd recommend the year off though.

[child of 2]

thanks for the responses. the LOR was one of my major concerns, and it's good to know that I should keep in touch with the professors. The thing is, I'm kind of intimidated by my professors, so I'm always really formal in front of them, whereas I'm much more open in front of students.

My parents want me to go to grad school and become a tenured professor (lol; they're crazy). But I will put more consideration into this, and hopefully get a decent internship soon! I actually don't have experience in industry yet, and it would be important to get to know what R&D is really about.