Is it worth waiting a year after graduation to apply for PhDs?

[HypenatedAMericans]

So I'm in a dilemma where I don't think I'd be competitive enough to be accepted to a good enough school with my limited lab/research/publication experience. I'm in a masters program which has very limited research/lab opportunities and I'll be graduating with that masters May 2016. I am in a lab at the moment with a newly graduated associoate professer so he's not really established now. So I'm worried that won't be enough to help my application package.

 

Do you guys think it'd be worth it to not do the applications in Fall 2015 (for the Fall 2016 enrollment) and try get more lab/research experience in my last year of school and next summer and try the applications in Fall 2016? Or should i just give the 2015 application season a try?

 

I'm a I-O Psychoogy student and if I were to get additional research after graduation, would it matter whether I do it in the I-O field or in another field? I have a Social Psych professor at my (more prestigeous than my current school) undergrad institution who would be willing to take me into her lab during the summer. Should I take that opportunity or should I seek out lab experience with an I-O psych lab?  

[Applemiu]

My advice is: apply. Maybe apply to just a few schools, but apply anyway. If you get in then, great! if you don't get in, it will be enormously useful the next time around.

About research, I think that working with the Social Psych professor during the summer would be useful.

Hope this helped!

[FinallyAccepted]

You could plan to work with the professor during the summer regardless and still apply this year.

I was in a similar boat. I was getting a general psych masters to be more competitive (since my undergrad is in social studies education), but it wasn't a prestigious school, and there weren't a ton of research opportunities for me. I applied to PhD programs and didn't get in my first year. I got in the second year I applied. I tried to get more research experience after I didn't get in (also at my undergrad university) but despite the professor sending my contact info to the lab coordinator and my multiple times of emailing the lab coordinator, she just didn't ever email me back, so I gave up on that track and tried to beef up my SOP, my CV (I had won some awards since the previous application cycle), etc.

It takes time and money to apply, so it's up to you whether you think that expense of both would be worth it, given your current situation. If you are not particularly hurting for either, it might be good to try it out this year and see how it goes.

[1HeavyDiaper]

If I'm understanding you correctly, you're wondering if whether to apply to programs this fall/winter to begin classes Fall of 2016?

 

-If that is the case I would say definitely apply. If you think about it, you will actually be taking a 'year off' anyways while you are applying to programs and interviewing. I would definitely go back and work with your previous professor and get as much experience as possible. I can also tell you that programs do like to see students going out and working in industry settings. Everyone tends to think that research is king - it is important, but sometimes profs really value a student who has real-world experience and that can bring a fresh perspective to research.