Delaying application after finishing semester early

Graduate School
1

I currently still in my fourth semester of university, but I will finish my degree in December 2016. Additionally, I will be on exchange for my final semester (my degree requires that I go on exchange, but in terms of when courses are offers I can’t go until then).
I’m also strongly considering delaying going to grad school for financial reasons, but am not sure this would be a good idea since I won’t have been in regular contact with the professors I would ask to write my recommendations for sometime already.
I am hoping to pursue Peace Studies (which depending on where you go is an MPhil, MA, or MSc), and will finish undergrad with a BA Honours in International Studies (non-domestic politics plus two languages).
The school I attend is not particularly prestigious, in part because it’s a small, Canadian undergraduate university. However, most of the universities that offer Peace Studies are fairly prestigious/competitive.

I am hoping, should I delay applying, to join the Peace Corps (yes, I am an American and thus eligible; it just costs less to go to undergrad in Canada). I have also considered taking the UN YPP exam or US Foreign Service exam and hopefully be hired before the exam result expire, but acknowledge that both of these are unlikely.

So, is it advisable to delay going to grad school or not?

2

Many, many people do not go to graduate school directly after college. Doing something like the Peace Corps will only enhance your application for a master’s in peace studies, so don’t worry about this and pursue your other goals. When you need recommendations, what you do is send your undergrad professors a copy of your CV, a draft of your personal statement, and a little update on what you’ve been doing in the 2-3 years since you last talked to them.