<p>I've been thinking of taking a year off after getting my bachelor's degree to volunteer with this program called City Year. Participants make a yearlong commitment and volunteer full-time at underserved schools to help at-risk youth. It sounds like such a great program! Here's the link in case anyone wants more info: City</a> Year: give a year. change the world.</p>
<p>Anyway, I'm hesitating mainly because before I got all swept up in the idea of taking a year off to dedicate my time to a good cause, I was planning on applying to PhD programs, and I know acceptance to doctoral programs with only a bachelor's degree is extremely competitive. I heard that taking a year off before grad school looks bad on your application, even if you're doing volunteer work, because grad programs just view it as a waste of time. </p>
<p>I don't want to jeopardize my already slim chances of getting into grad school, but I'm not sure I want to pass up the opportunity to volunteer with City Year either (volunteers must be between the ages of 17 and 24, so I wouldn't be able to volunteer after grad school). So is it true that taking a year off before starting grad school negatively impacts your application?</p>
<p>What do you intend to study in graduate school? My undergraduate professors encouraged me to take time off before attending graduate school, and I am indebted to them for their sage advice. Unless you’re exceedingly exceptional, your application will likely benefit from a gap year. Here’s why:</p>
<p>Disclaimer: I’m in the humanities, so if you’re in the hard sciences, this might not be entirely applicable.</p>
<p>1) “Typical” students will have been in school for 16+ years by the time they earn their bachelor’s degree. Before committing to 5+ years of additional school, it is a good idea to explore other career opportunities. After all, you may find happiness outside of academia. But, if you still want your doctorate, you will have gained the critical distance - the life experiences that clarify your future academic/professional goals - necessary to construct a compelling statement of purpose.</p>
<p>2) Many students will benefit from senior year coursework. Your cumulative and major GPA will presumably be higher. You will have more time to forge relationships with professors. And, the completion of a senior research project or thesis will concretize your research interests and demonstrate your research skills.</p>
<p>3) If you’re not organized, you might have difficulty balancing applications and schoolwork. Taking time off gives you more time to refine your statement of purpose, edit your writing sample (if required), and study for/ace standardized tests.</p>
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<p>Don’t pass up worthwhile opportunities; graduate school isn’t going anywhere.</p>
<p>Some grad schools (like Business) like to see a bit of vocational initiative and experience. </p>
<p>Bringing actual applicable working-world experience to the fore is something grad schools (I would think…) would covet.</p>
<p>Academia is limited when it exists in a bubble untouched by real-world experience/knowledge.</p>
<p>It is one thing to learn how to think; it is quite another to apply that to actual issues in everyday life, given that everyone has his or her own opinion, rights, etc. EG, some people think that Social Security is just another tax that takes money off their paycheck. Your Poli Sci professor might be a fan of it, but you need to be aware that there is an intellectually heterogeneous world outside of the classroom. </p>
<p>The more of it you experience, the better off you’ll be – both to add other views to the discussion, and to identify and defend your own.</p>
<p>I’m not sure who you heard that from but I don’t think that’s true at all. Many people take time off because they don’t know they want to go to graduate school, or they want to do other things first, or they want to make money or whatever. It won’t diminish your chances if you are doing something meaningful; the only disadvantage is if you don’t stay tapped in somehow (like volunteering in a research lab a few hours a week). I don’t think you should give up doing things you really want to do.</p>
<p>I’m majoring in the humanities (Classical studies major), but I’d go to grad school for anthropology. I’m minoring in anthro, considering doing a double major if I can complete all the requirements on time. </p>
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<p>That is one of the reasons–besides my genuine interest in City Year–that is making want to take a gap year. Sometimes I just feel like I need a break; to get away from school–really get away, not just summer vacation–and get some perspective and find out if I can be happy in the “real world.” </p>
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<p>I was recently accepted into the McNair Scholars Program at my university. It’s a national organization that basically prepares students for grad school, specifically underrepresented or first generation students interested in getting a PhD. When I went for the interview for the program, the woman who runs it was explaining all the advantages of being a part of it. I didn’t even mention to her that I was considering a gap year, but she said, in a kind of off-handed manner like she didn’t approve of gap years, that taking a break between undergrad and grad school would be viewed as a waste of time, even if it’s community service. She said that that’s because it takes at least five years in most programs to complete the PhD. I figured that she must be right because she’s been running this program for years now.</p>
<p>I have heard about City Year from various friends and know two people who foregone (forgoed? forwent? why am I blanking on this???) the Peace Corp for it. They haven’t regretted it a bit and are currently in a IR grad program. I think that if you aren’t mature enough or haven’t made a decision about your future, a gap year can be a godsend. However if that lady said not to do a gap year and you want to get into the program, don’t take a year. simple.</p>
<p>I think you got it the first time. “Foregone” sounds best. Or is it spelled “forgone”? Damn English.</p>
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<p>That’s what I was thinking. I don’t know for sure what I want to study in grad school. I figure that if I’m going to spend 5+ years of my life on * one * subject, I should be damn sure that it’s what I want. So I thought a gap year would be a great way to kind of “find myself”. I mentioned my uncertainty to the woman to runs the program (into which I was already accepted, by the way, so I’m not worried about getting in, mainly wondering if I should * stay * in). But the woman told me not to worry about it, which kind of makes me question her judgment, and whether I should trust her to be a good advisor…</p>