taking time off between MA and PhD?

[ninarose125]

Hello, my question is two-fold:

 

 

first, I am  US citizen currently pursuing my MA in London. I am planning to go back to the states for a PhD but I am definitely not able to do so right away...if I do take a year (or 2, or 3) out before going back to school, and am not employed in my field (I study english literature so there isn't really "work" specifically tailored to this outside of academia), is this going to hurt my chances incredibly? I started my MA right after undergrad because of this fear, and am starting to feel the burnout. I would certainly be doing more than shift work, but probably not undertaking any significant research.

 

as a note- I am interested in UPenn, Columbia, NYU and so on though I haven't done extensive research yet.

 

and secondly, one of my good friends in the UK expressed interest in doing a US PhD at a private university; I figured since I am here already I would just ask-- does anyone know how much more stringent the requirements may or may not be for internationals applying to fully funded US programs? He is expecting a good mark, a 2:1 or a first, with a degree in a relevant, though not identical subject, from a highly ranked UoL uni. I know that my international fee-status probably helped with my acceptance into UCL but given that the PhD programs he is looking at are funded, how much or little he will pay has no bearing on his acceptance. 

[hj2012]

If you're feeling burnt out, jumping into a PhD program (with a commitment of 5+ years) might not be the best idea. My undergraduate advisers have assured me that taking time off before further graduate school would definitely not count against me. Also, looking around these forums, it seems that there are plenty of successful candidates in English/Literature who take time off between degrees.

 

No idea about your second question, though.

 

Best of luck to you!

[juilletmercredi]

I think this is a common misconception, that taking time "off" between undergrad and grad school will somehow damage one's chances. No, it doesn't really hurt your chances, even if you don't do anything completely related for pay during your time off.  Furthermore, it is FAR better to take 2-3 years off to cool down, figure out your life and take a "break" from academia than to start a program already feeling burned out.  Trust me, burnout is real, and it sucks!

 

So go ahead and take the years off.  You might stay connected by writing freelance, writing a scholarly paper in your "spare" time, getting an alumni subscription to your library and reading articles, etc.

 

As far as I know, internationals are generally treated the same as U.S. citizens for admission to programs.  My own program (not English) has many international students - both green card holders who are technically international, but have lived in the States for years, and students who went to undergrad abroad and came here only to do their PhD.  The issue that sometimes arises is funding - at least in the sciences, many of our available funding sources (NIH and NSF, mostly) are only available to U.S. citizens.  But departmental and university funds usually aren't, so international students can often find funding.

 

What really matters is just being an otherwise competitive applicant.