<p>I will be a junior in the fall and I'm considering taking an extra semester, as I feel I will benefit from the extra time.</p>
<p>The advantages so far as I can see...
- More time to accumulate extracurriculars, while having a lighter course load
- An extra summer before graduating to participate in internships and job opportunities correlating to my field of interest
- I could get away with taking 3 classes a semester, while still remaining a full-time student, which would allow me to participate in research opportunities during those semesters on the side and likely also boost my GPA
- More time to get to know my professors, so that I can find better letters of rec.
- More time to consider my potential career paths (PhD in psych, MSW, JD), as I am still relatively undecided
- One more semester of Wolverines football</p>
<p>What are the disadvantages, other than the cost of the added semester? Do graduate schools view students who graduate a semester late negatively? Would taking 3 courses a semester (even while retaining full-time student status with 12+ credits) be viewed negatively? Is this a smart plan?</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies</p>
<p>Most graduate programs admit the bulk of their students with financial assistance for the Fall so if you try to apply for the Spring of 2016, you may not have as many opportunities and might end up starting in fall of 2016. This is not a bad thing but you have to take it into consideration.</p>
<p>ECs have no importance in graduate admissions so don’t stay for those. What is important is research and since you are just starting as a junior in the fall, there is plenty of time to get good experience if you approach faculty right away. In addition, you can apply for REU programs next summer and that is precisely the right time to do it.</p>
<p>I don’t think there are any negative connotations for applying to graduate programs but I do not recommend it to my advisees unless they are getting a co-terminal Masters degree. Taking a very light load, however, might raise some flags when looking at your application. You need to have a compelling reason for it, like co-op or something like that.</p>
<p>If you are uncertain about what to do, a better choice might be to graduate on time and work for a year unti lyou figure out the right path. Graduate programs have no problem with students taking some time off before starting. It generally takes a highly motivated individual to stop working and return to graduate school.</p>
<p>-Extracurriculars don’t matter in graduate school admissions, so unless you want those for personal enrichment, that’s not an advantage. Also, more time to consider career paths isn’t necessarily an advantage either. You’ll still be alive and have the same amount of time if you graduate than if you didn’t, which is indefinite. There’s no law saying you have to go to grad school straight from undergrad. It seems like the biggest advantages (professionally) to you are an extra semester for research/internships and more time during the school year to do research as well.</p>
<p>Basically, take an extra semester if you think it will benefit YOU personally and professionally. I don’t think programs care how long you took to graduate from undergrad as long as it’s not a ridiculous amount of time (e.g., 7+ full-time years with no explanation).</p>
<p>I am also assuming you are aiming for fall 2016 or later admissions. PhD programs won’t admit you in the spring, and if you decide to go to the MSW route your potential financial assistance will be limited for spring admissions.</p>
<p>I also recommend considering taking a year or two off before applying, if you are really undecided. While a PhD in clinical/counseling psych and an MSW aren’t so far off, the fact that a JD is in the mix there indicates to me that you aren’t really sure what it is you want to do. You may benefit from some time to reflect (although if you are going to be a junior in the fall you have at least a year to decide if you want to apply senior year).</p>