Is it better to go straight to grad school after finishing undergrad studies, or would it be wiser to take some time off before heading to grad school?
2007-03-07 17:42:47 · 6 answers · asked by Trevi Atlas 2 in Education & Reference ➔ Higher Education (University +)
I certainly think so. It's up to the person of course, but unless you had a good amount of real life work experiences when you were younger (not just working in the summers), I think it's quite helpful.
2007-03-08 06:16:45 · answer #1 · answered by Linkin 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I took about 7 years off. I figured if I ever got to the point that I felt the desire to write a research paper, it would be time to go back to school. That happened about three years out for me, but I set some personal prerequisites for myself (living in a foreign culture, for instance) that took a few more years to accomplish. From my experience, the vast majority of new college graduates are not ready for graduate school for a couple of reasons.
Especially if you are in a field that requires a thesis, you need to be the kind of person who can work on a project for a long time, sometimes without a hard-and-fast deadline, and without your mom or anyone else nagging you to finish. Many folks finish all their coursework and do their research, but find they don't have the time, energy, concentration, or self-discipline to finish the thesis or dissertation. This is as likely to happen to an older student with a family--who must eventually get a full-time job and try to do the dissertation in their spare time--as it is to happen to a footloose and fancy-free, young single person.
Some new graduates are totally prepared to do the academic work, but graduate school is a very expensive place to figure out what you want to do with your life. After two to ten years and several tens of thousands of dollars of additional student loans, some of them face the job market for the first time without knowing what it's like to work a full-time job or what skills they need to succeed in a workplace outside the university. By this time, some of them are so sick of their academic field, they don't want to work in it anymore, and they are starting from Square One. Even sadder are the cases where the relationship between the student and their advisor becomes so bitter that the student doesn't want to finish the degree or work another day in that field. I know a couple of folks like that.
If you look at the census records for income and education in the US, you'll find that an advanced degree doesn't make that much difference for a person in their twenties trying to make a living. For that matter, your college degree won't give you much of a boost compared to your classmates that didn't attend or finish college, that have been working for the past four years.
College and graduate degrees make larger and larger differences in the income of people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. You need a combination of work experience and education to make a real impact on your lifetime income. If you get some meaningful work or serious volunteer experience (like the Peace Corps) before you go to graduate school, it will help you make the best use of your time there.
2007-03-07 18:53:10 · answer #2 · answered by Beckee 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It really depends on the person. Some if they take a year off never make it back. Others need the refreshing break before tackling more school. Since I do not know you personally I really can't say.
My husband took a year off before he got into finishing up his degree, good thing too as that's when we met. he he
I think you are the best one to answer this question.
Sorry I'm no help.
2007-03-07 17:52:14 · answer #3 · answered by Silly Girl 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do you feel you need the time off? It certainly couldn't hurt to wait a year and let the knowledge from college sort itself out. But unless you are on the edge of "burnout", I say "strike while the iron is hot" and you're in the "learning mode".
2007-03-07 18:15:18 · answer #4 · answered by dmspartan2000 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i think you should follow through straight to grad school. realistically, unless you are constantly re-familiarizing yourself with your undergrad studies its likely youre gonna forget.look at it this way, you will be qualified sooner and one step closer to putting away the books
2007-03-15 13:00:54 · answer #5 · answered by ? 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If I were you, I would go on to school. You might not want to go back
2007-03-15 16:08:36 · answer #6 · answered by Mary 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋