Finishing Undergrad RIGHT before Grad Program Starts

[alessa_buckley]

I go to SFU in Canada and it's looking like my last semester's going to be a summer semester, ending in August 2018. The unfortunate thing is that most grad programs start in the Fall / early September. Anyone else been in the same situation? Is that too little time to finish up all the admin/paperwork I need to graduate from my undergrad so I can go to grad school right after (literally a couple weeks after I sit my finals probably)? Or is this impossible and should I just not bother and apply for the following year instead?

I'm planning to apply for the MDEI program at Waterloo, btw. 

[makingtheleap.back]

There's two time frames to consider here.

1. Administrative timeline. This is the one I think you're asking about, and while it no doubt varies by program, it shouldn't be an issue as long as you graduate on time and communicate with your grad program. There are often required orientations prior to school, so keep that in mind, but really I can't see this being a huge issue. 

2. Your sanity timeline. Is this going to dramatically increase your stress level? Will it increase your odds of burnout? Will you have a less competitive application because you're in the heart of your schooling while sorting through the process? Will you be OK picking up and moving from one high leverage situation to another back to back? It's very doable, but you have to figure out the answer to these types of questions for yourself. 

[TakeruK]

Are you only applying to one (or a small number) of programs? If so, the best thing to do is just ask them directly before you apply. 

Although I didn't do this for my BSc->MSc transition, I defended and deposited my MSc thesis a few weeks before starting my PhD. When I started my PhD program (late Sept.), they wanted a copy of my MSc diploma and I explained that since I just finished in late August, I would not get the diploma until November. They said that is fine, I would have until December of that year to produce the MSc diploma.

So I don't expect there to be any administrative problems, however, every school is different. And, it's your personal choice whether you want a break between your undergrad and grad programs! Also one thing to note: my PhD school was in the US so the only requirement was a BS/BSc degree (most people in my cohort entered straight from undergrad) which I did have. And I also have a note from my school saying that I had completed all of my degree requirements (when I deposited my thesis). So technically, the MSc diploma wasn't strictly necessary but since I put it on my application, they wanted me to show it. In your case, your undergrad degree would be necessary so you should ask the schools you're interested in to find out what are the ways you can prove that you've completed your program and what are the deadlines for producing these documents.