To go or to wait?

[jakem]

Hi, all. I'm a current undergraduate senior at the University of Georgia, graduating shortly. I eventually want a career in academia, so I know I need to get a PhD. I was planning on applying to social psychology PhD programs for the Fall 2014 season, but I've recently heard some advice that made me reconsider. Several senior professors have recently told me that they typically recommend students wait at least one year between completing their Bachelor's and starting a graduate program. This hit me totally by surprise, as I haven't even thought about this possibility. These professors explained that students that take time off are usually happier, more focused, and more lucid about exactly what they want in a graduate experience.

For those that have gone straight into grad from undergrad, how has the experience been? Have you experience any burnout? Have you felt rushed or unprepared for the graduate life?

For those that have taken some time off before grad school, what did you do drug this gap? How has this affected your career and mental outlook? Was the gap overall a positive experience?

[psychgurl]

I can tell you that I took 3 years off and felt incredibly rusty by the time I started grad school. I worked in a psychology-related job for those 3 years off...not something random. I think that if you feel like you're ready to keep going (not feeling disgruntled about being in school for another 5+ years), I'd go for it. Think of it this way: I'm a 2nd year now. I would be a FIFTH year if I went straight through.... sigh.... 

 

i guess for me personally, I needed the time off to clear my head. if that is not the case for you, I would go straight in. 

[PsychGirl1]

Personally, I strongly suggest gap years- the time will help you decide if this career path is for you, observe potential career paths in action, network, and build a skill set that will help you excel in grad school- not just barely survive. It also shows potential PIs that know what you're getting into, and you're not just applying for more schooling because you don't know what else to do with yourself. Also, I strongly believe that living a few years as an adult outside of the college environment greatly increases maturity level and professionalism, which are both incredibly important in graduate school.

[Lisa44201]

I did not take time off. Felt fine going straight into grad school.

 

A big factor is what you can do with that time off; a person who does something relevant in the field during that year is going to be a stronger applicant than a person who works retail for a year. I would suggest that, if you don't have something lined up for that year off, that you don't take that year off.

[juilletmercredi]

I went straight from undergrad to grad school.

The first two years were easy.  Taking coursework and assisting in research in your first two years of graduate school are a lot like your last two years of undergrad.  It's more advanced and you're expected to work at a higher level, and I was much much busier.  But cognitively speaking it wasn't much different.

By year three, trouble started.  I started to feel really burned out, and I wished I had taken time off to travel like I really wanted to travel.  I started to realize that I had far less freedom now to traipse off and, say, teach English abroad (which I really, really wanted to do) or go out every single weekend with friends.  Once you finish coursework, too, you are expected to start real independent work and that is a difficult transition.  I struggled with setting my own timelines, as well as what I really wanted out of my career.  I had a quarter-life crisis in a sense, and I decided to drop out of my program.

Well, I didn't drop out - I ended up staying, and it's my 6th year and I should finish this year.  The reason I am taking a 6th year, though, is that depression and anxiety from burnout and frustration in my middle years (mostly year 3 and 4) set me back a bit, otherwise I would've finished faster.  I'm much better now, though.  I've figured out (after some false starts) how to set my own schedule and direct my own work independently.  I've fallen back in love with my research and with the work of an academic, and I'm actually pretty accomplished for this stage in my career.  Most importantly, I've learned the importance of balance in my personal and professional life, so I set some personal goals (eating more healthily, working out, maintaining close friendships) that have contributed to a more productive work life.

If I could go back in time with the knowledge I have now, I would definitely take 2-3 years off before graduate school.  I'd travel, I'd work, I'd get some of the party out of my system that caused long long nights.  I feel like I finally started to settle in myself and discover who I was when I was around 25, so that probably would've been a nice round age to prepare to return to grad school.  And I'd have been in good company, since almost all of my cohort is older than me.

 

The people who have taken time off in my program have done all kinds of things.  Of course, working retail is not a good idea.  Some of them were lab managers and research assistants, or got MAs, in the year(s) before they came to the program.  But others did psychology-related things in the private sector.  Aside from universities, there are many NGOs, think tanks, and educational agencies (including test prep corps) that hire BA holders in psychology as research assistants.  You still get valuable research experience, just not at a university.  If I could go back in time, I would prbably have done a Fulbright or JET for a year, then come back and tried to do that.

[SportPsych30]

Juliet,

Thank you so much for sharing your experience, and lending some advice. This is what the board is all about.

I took my time off after high-school, and I am certain that I am now ready to keep going this next year, right out of undergrad. I certainly can see the pro's and con's of each path.
 

 

SP30

[cutterroberts]

I'm in the same boat, in a way. I'm in the 2nd year of my gap, and am really energized to start school again. It showed me this was the career I wanted, and I feel like my relevent experience has helped me grow. I would suggest it, for sure.

[randompsychologist]

Taking some time off is a good idea, but you should get a research job and stay in the academy while doing it. I would start looking for structured post-bac research opportunities or just go around and look for lab manager positions. Have a plan before you do your year off. My year off became two years off and my research suffered because I started taking on teaching positions which sucked all my time (and all my compassion...lol!). If you can secure a TA gig to try your hand at teaching it may not be too bad either but do not become an adjunct. It's a trap!

[ThePsychStudent]

I'm in the second year of my gap (and in the process of applying for grad schools now), and I am so happy I took time off. I never really planned to do that, but I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted to do in grad school when I was a senior in college.

 

I ended up working as a research assistant for two different PIs for a year, and now I am doing some more clinical work (as I have moved), both in terms of employment and in terms of volunteering. I'm even about to start some grant writing for a non-profit.

 

Some people want to go straight in to graduate school, and others don't. But if you are not ENTIRELY sure what you want to do in graduate school, I would recommend to take some time off. Plus it's just such a change to live like an adult. I feel much more prepared academically, emotionally, and mentally to go back to school now. And with my jobs, I don't feel like I'm rusty in any way. In fact, I think I will make a much better student!