Does it look bad on you if you skip an application cycle for scholarships/external funding?

[HYHY02]

Hey everyone,

 

I was wondering if skipping an application cycle for extenal funding brings any flags when applying? May be a dumb question, but I was still curious. I'm currently doing a masters, and in my 2nd year, was lucky enough to recieve an external funding award for the year. However, my plan was to take a year off between my masters and PhD, meaning I wouldn't be in school (at least for a PhD) for the 2015-2016 school year. However, someone brought up that even if I wasn't planning on attending, I should have still applied, although unforutnately it's too late to apply to the same agency that I did for my masters.

 

I was just wondering if skipping any years for application brings any red flags when you end up applying again down the road? Thanks!

[TakeruK]

No, I don't think this would bring up any flags and I doubt they would actually use information from past application cycles in the evaluation. However, some fellowships are time limited based on when you start grad school or finish undergrad so that would be the main concern, I think.

[St Andrews Lynx]

Don't think so. If you do something in the intervening year that helps in some way towards your application (e.g., internship, extra classes) then a gap could even come to be viewed as a bonus!

[lewin]

I was just wondering if skipping any years for application brings any red flags when you end up applying again down the road? Thanks!

 

Only if you end up not taking that year off. If you're applying for the 2015-16 cycle, PhD programs might wonder why you didn't apply and "I thought I'd take a year off" is understandable but not a great excuse.

[HYHY02]

Only if you end up not taking that year off. If you're applying for the 2015-16 cycle, PhD programs might wonder why you didn't apply and "I thought I'd take a year off" is understandable but not a great excuse.

 

Thanks for the advice. It wouldn't really be a year off to do nothing, but I was hoping on getting a research internship as well as write the GRE for a couple of schools I may apply to. Hopefully that would be understandable.