<p>My initial intentions were to go to grad school right after getting my bachelor's degree. However after reading some posts here, it doesn't seem like such a bad idea to take a few years off and get some real world experience before applying to grad school.</p>
<p>I had a few questions about that, though. If I take a few years off, what should I do about LORs? I mean, I won't be seeing any of my professors in that time and I doubt they'll remember me after a few years.</p>
<p>Also, is the NIH IRPA lab only for US citizens? I'm an international student and I was wondering what some good companies/labs would be to apply (Electrical Engineering).</p>
<p>Straight out of school:</p>
<p>Pros: Everything fresh in your head, used to academic habits, accustomed to poverty, fresh LOR’s, less likely to have family entanglements. Go from high school to doctorate as quick as possible.</p>
<p>Cons: May lack maturity, perspective, or focus. Probably lack a great many skills useful to doing your own research.</p>
<p>Work a few years:</p>
<p>Pros: $$$, gain some experience and perspective on the industry, get used to a work environment, get a break from the stresses of college (job stresses are different). Gain some practical skills and experience that will help you in your research. Possibly get some or all of your education paid for by an employer.</p>
<p>Cons: Giving up that $$$, going to grad school with family and/or a mortgage. Getting back into being a student, finding strong LOR’s, and realizing that a 2-year work experience will mean you get your PhD 2 years later.</p>
<p>As an engineer, I would ask if you have a strong research interest you have been pursuing? If so, I would try to continue through, otherwise I personally think a 2-3 year break can be a good thing. You would get 1-2 LOR’s from managers or senior engineers, the others from your old professors - a corollary to this is that you need to have 1-2 professors who will remember you fondly in a few years, but if you do not have that anyway you will have weak LOR’s regardless of when you apply.</p>
<p>I’ve taken a year off and I’m very happy about it. I can’t wait to get to grad school next fall and applying when I wasn’t in school gave me lots of time to perfect my application. As for LOR’s, one good way of doing it is to get your profs to write the letters right when you graduate and put them in your file at the career office (or your college’s equivalent). You might not end up using those specific letters, but when you apply your professors will have a copy of the letters they wrote when your brilliance was fresh in their minds.</p>
<p>given as my credentials as a student are poor right now…would waiting to get profs to write letters of recommendation after i do some significant work and maybe community service be better?</p>
<p>My experience: 2.5 years off. Turned a tech position at my undergrad institution into an ad hoc MS in evolutionary biology. Will be heading to UCSF biomedical sciences in the fall.</p>
<p>Pros: Money (10k saved for moving and start-up this fall!), finding research I enjoy actually doing, some relative down-time compared to go-go-go undergrad, understanding full-time lab life, low-pressure chance to focus on my research interests, much better perspective on what I want and need in a PI/lab/program, discovered that being really excited by papers in a sub-field does not always translate to enjoying doing the work itself (I would have gone into that sub-field for grad school otherwise!), taking grad-level classes for practically free (which can mean better LORs too), retirement savings, publications, honest discussions with grad students and post-docs, knowing how science is actually done, confidence in my abilities as a researcher, a PI who can write a fabulous LOR…</p>
<p>Cons: All that much older when I get my PhD (though I think the time to degree will be shorter), not everyone comes out with greater clarity, not looking forward to getting back into classes, no sense of community (I’m in a tiny lab and my undergrad friends are mostly gone), it can be hard to find a good position.</p>
<p>Overall, best choice I ever made in my academic career.</p>
<p>ResurgamBell,</p>
<p>You cannot improve your LOR from someone if you are not working with them in some way - if you do work and community service (relevent?) then you get LOR’s from your work and service managers/leaders. It does not help to have an old prof say “He was okay in my class, but I heard he did good things at…” - its hearsay.</p>
<p>In general, if you have a weak record in school, you CAN bolster it with a good work record - provided you achieve a good work record, of course. One thing you may want to consider is taking a position with a large company that offers tuition reimbursement. As long as you have a 3.0 gpa you should be able to get a part-time masters at a decent nearby university, and from there springboard into a PhD somewhere.</p>
<p>I think it depends…if you absolutely know what you want to do with the rest of your life…then i say go ahead.
I didnt, I got my bachelors and masters in a 5 year program but I decided to take a break and work for 3 years. I’m going back in august and i’m so glad i took the break.
The pros and cons listed are pretty much on point.
I’d work rather than get a masters tho to springboard you.</p>
<p>I know a Master’s isn’t a good option most of the time (hard to find in some fields, unfunded, etc), but if one looks solely at preparation for PhD research, it wins hands down in my mind for the emphasis on taking control of a cohesive project from start to finish.</p>
<p>Two people who took time off shared some experiences. I went straight to graduate school from undergrad. I love it. I don’t know if I could’ve brought myself back down to poverty after working for a couple years (likely I could have since, I <em>really</em> want this Ph.D – but it would’ve been harder) and I still love being a student. Not quite burned out yet, since I am really looking forward to next academic year. I knew exactly what I wanted to do, down to the kind of research that I was interested in and what kind of jobs I wanted after my Ph.D (non-academic government research or administrative positions, or possibly a professor at an LAC), so I was pretty focused and still am. And I enjoy being a young graduate student (I was 22 when I started last September) – I really don’t have a sense of urgency about being finished. I feel like I can take my time and take 5-6 years to get done, publish some really good papers, go to conferences…make the most of my graduate school time so I am a competitive job applicant.</p>
<p>One con, though, is that everyone else in my program is considerably more well-traveled than I am. Many of them took time off before coming to the Ph.D to earn master’s degrees (sometimes in other countries) and to take internships and jobs (also sometimes in other countries) that gave them the kind of practical experience that is valued in my field (public health). Sometimes I wish I had taken 2-3 years to do a Fulbright or similar program and see more of the world first. Technically I can still take a year and do a Fulbright while I am in school, or I can wait until I have the Ph.D in hand and do scholar-abroad stuff, but you know.</p>
<p>But when I think of other cons the pros greatly outweigh them for me, so I’m very happy with my decision.</p>
<p>In terms of going back to the poverty of being a student… for me the key was to always keep in mind I’ll be going back to school soon. If you spend money on practical, lasting things that are harder in grad school (dental work, a laptop, paying off a car, etc), or put a lot into savings, then you still have those things when you go back to being a student and are better off for them. It kept me from getting too used to indulgences, and I don’t feel like it’s a huge adjustment to take the pay cut of my stipend. Plus, a reasonable savings is a luxury most grad students don’t have.</p>