<p>I'm in my junior year of undergrad now. I know I want to go to grad school for my Ph.D. in Evolutionary Psychology, but I can't decide if I should apply next year in December, or wait a year, and then apply.</p>
<p>Do you wish you had taken a year off before jumping into a career in academia? Do you wish you hadn't?</p>
<p>I feel like I need a break from school, so that I go back refreshed. But I'm itching to do my application now, while I'm still immersed in everything. Does it make sense to at least study for and take the GREs, and gather letters of recommendations while I'm still in school?</p>
<p>Also, if I take a year off, I DON'T want to do research or an internship in my field during that time. I'm already well-prepared for grad school admissions and the point of a year off for me would be to break from the same subject matter. I'd rather travel or study abroad, or do something unique. However, I need to be making money and I also do not want to have a mindless, entry-level position for a year. Where to go? What to do? </p>
<p>What other programs like Teach for America or PeachCorps are out there? (I don't want to teach at inner-city schools or save the planet, but I'm looking for more organized programs for recent college graduates.)</p>
<p>I wish I'd taken a year off -- I went straight from undergrad to grad school, and while I was very set on that course of action at the time, I think I would have benefited from a year where I wasn't going full speed ahead all the time.</p>
<p>But I wouldn't have considered taking a non-research job if I'd taken a year off. That's not for the sake of admissions, but because I think it's useful to use the year as a prep year for grad school, for deciding which areas of research are interesting, and that sort of thing. Essentially, I think it's most useful to treat a research year as a preliminary rotation. </p>
<p>People who take a year off often find it useful to gather letters and take the GRE while they are still in school.</p>
<p>I didn't take a year off, but since I graduated a semester early, I worked in the lab of a professors I had known as an undergrad. They understood I wasn't going to do as much work and get as involved as a full time grad student, and I was happy with that. I got to get involved in a number of different projects, even managing an undergrad or two during the school year and over the summer. It gave me a lot more prep for what actually being a grad student was going to be like compared to my research during the semester and over summers. I'm really glad I did it instead of studying abroad, taking time off, or anything else.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, it is expected that you do something related to your field during your gap year. They do want to see some level of continuing commitment and that you're not going to jump ship when you're actually exposed to the subject matter in a more serious fashion than your current experience. PC and TFA seem to be the exception because you don't get a choice of assignment.</p>
<p>Maybe if you just really want to get away from this country for a while, you could at least look into some fellowships like Fulbright or Rhodes- you'd still get to go abroad...</p>
<p>This year off business is a lot more common than you would expect. I am in my fourth "year off". It is not years off so much as building a strong basis for the rest of your career. In Science, they talk about the post baccalaureate as "being the one or two years that make careers" (see link below). I would think that benefits would be obvious. It allows you to explore multiple research areas, publish, take classes, go to conferences, save up money, become more competitive for grad school admissions and mature. Certainly some of those things could be done by going abroad to travel for a year, but for it to be professionally advantageous, you will need to check out lab tech jobs. This can be a very positive thing, I have further refined my passions and developed a broader array of research competencies in my last few years. I have also made strong connections and know more clearly what I need out of a mentor. Since these things are critical to success in grad school, I would argue this time is very worth it. On a more superficial level, this path has allowed me to move to a new and exciting city, pay off debt (salaries for lab techs are higher than grad student stipends), take extravagant vacations (universities offer incredible benefits/vacation packages), take interesting courses and start a family, all without the pressing burdens of being a grad student. Perhaps you should consider regarding working in a lab before grad school as a positive thing and not just some break from expending effort.</p>
<p>I know that continuing to do research would be valuable, both in gaining experience and with admission to grad schools. </p>
<p>But... I want a break. Don't you guys at some point? I know I have my whole life ahead of me chock full of Evol. Psyc. research. And I am truly passionate about it--I look forward to having it be my career--but I just can't help but think this is possibly my only chance to break free from the path momentarily. As a grad student I worked for told me, once you start grad school your "academic clock" starts ticking and you need to be publishing as much as possible from then on out.</p>
<p>As someone who's always been devoted to my studies, I can't help but feel really intrigued by the idea of taking just one year off to do something totally nonacademic. </p>
<p>Would it really hurt admissions that much? I'd be ready then to throw myself into research. And as far as experience--well, I'll gain the rest of what I need when I get there. That's okay with me. </p>
<p>I want to mature as more than just a student or a scholar--I want to gain new life experiences. It's just how to do this which trips me up.</p>
<p>If you are set on taking time off to sit around the house or backpack across Europe or whatever, you will probably end having to work to support yourself when you are done. The longer you are away from science, the more difficult it will be to get back into it. Be prepared that if you try to get a job a year after graduation with nothing to show for it, employers will be super cautious about hiring you. I don't know how admission committees would feel about it but there is no way it will be viewed as positively as having done research in that time.</p>
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But... I want a break. Don't you guys at some point?
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<p>I graduated around December 20 and moved back home to live with my parents until I went to grad school in the fall. By January 15 I had already gotten a job back in a lab at my school because I was getting so antsy and missed doing work so much. :p</p>
<p>Well, you could always do an internship overseas. Or work for an organization like Doctors Without Borders. It may not be directly related to your work, but who would begrudge you a year of teaching English to underprivileged youth in developing countries? Plus, you could get government stipends.</p>
<p>For God's sake. Go travel for a year. Have fun. Meet lots of people totally unlike you. Eat food you've never heard of. Take the wrong train because you translated wrong. (Just don't lose your passport!)</p>
<p>If you have plenty of research under your belt as an undergrad, grad schools will not care if you took a year off to travel. They will see it as time well-spent gaining different experiences, and more importantly, they'll see it as time that will mature and focus you. Grad schools are well aware that lots of students come in and burn out quickly, and they'll certainly get that you wanted a different experience for a bit. Plenty of other people apply and are admitted to pursue second careers, and this is similar.</p>
<p>If you live your entire life around the minuscule effects it may or may not have on your academic future, you'll miss out on a lot. I love my research, and I love my field, but there are other things outside the ivory tower.</p>
<p>Thanks DespSeekPhd--that's more of the kind of response I was hoping was out there! Right now I'm thinking I'd like to go and spend a year working in Paris.... I just can't imagine being like an au pair, so maybe I should find a lab job in France. I have some time to decide; thanks for all the responses!</p>
<p>That was a handy article, belevitt. I can understand wanting to take a break, too. I'm in my third year of undergrad and have been in my research lab since my freshman year; I feel a desperate need to switch labs my senior year before I commit to a graduate program. I feel myself burning out already and I'm haven't even reached graduate school!</p>
<p>I was thinking about getting a masters degree at the University of Helsinki because there is a historical fencing school in Helsinki with a teacher who I find rather amazing. An additional masters couldn't hurt my chances of getting a Ph.D. vs my chances of getting one based only on my undergrad credentials, right?</p>