Taking Time off Before Graduate School?
 

I did try searching for this topic before posting but if there is already a thread about this, my apologies, and feel free to move/ lock. I'm entering the spring semester of my junior year and preparing to take the June LSAT, as are quite a few of my friends. Amongst my friends and I there have been quite a few debates about whether or not it is best to take time off between undergrad and graduate school. Is there really a difference between taking a year off to pay off debt, travel, write a great American novel, etc and deciding to go straight to graduate school. I'm more curious as to what current/ former law students have to say since that is the type of graduate school I wish to attend, but advice from anyone that has taken time off before grad school is greatly appreciated.

When I graduated, I fully anticipated going to graduate school at some time, but never went back. I did take one class while working, and developed a new appreciation for those who work full-time to put themselves through school. In retrospect, I wish that I had gone directly to graduate school because after I started working, I was never in a position where I could just drop everything and start school again.

That being said, as my life is now, I don't "need" a graduate degree, but it would be nice to have.

I didn't go to law school but I did go to graduate school. I think everyone's situation is different, so just keep in mind that what may be the best choice for your friends could be different from what is the best choice for you.

For me, taking a year off to travel and work made sense because I was feeling really burnt out after college. I struggled with this a lot because I had always been a bit of a perfectionist and I felt like I was "wasting time" or something by not going to grad school immediately after college. But it definitely turned out to be the right choice for me. By the time I started graduate school, my head was clearer and I was more focused than I had been a year earlier, so I ended up enjoying it and getting a lot out of it.

Best of luck with whatever you choose!

I took a year off. I regret that. I wish I had been able to spend an extra year as a lawyer than one not as a lawyer.

You have to know yourself enough to know what's best for you.

None of my friends and I took a break. We went straight from undergrad to masters and doctoral programs. We knew that FOR US a break means getting distracted and probably never getting graduate degrees. It worked for us because we had friends and family who chose to do the same thing and valued education. For example, there's no one in my life who ever tried to make me feel like I wasn't a "real adult" because I chose to make an investment and continue my education full-time.

Some people who take breaks end up saying, 11 years later: "hmmm...I'm still thinking about getting a PhD...what do you think? Will my job, spouse, and kids be able to adjust? Damn I wish I had made this decision years ago before I picked up these other responsibilities....."

I took eight months (the summer and the fall semester) off before starting my graduate program. Needed to make $ to pay for what the graduate assistantship wouldn't cover. I ended up taking a heavy load of classes for three semesters, plus doing extra coursework and practicums during two summers, in order to finish in 18 months. I was exhausted at the end. In hindsight, I wish I'd gone straight from undergrad to graduate school and paced my program over two full years.

Now it's generally not possible to start mid-year in my major. Most, if not all the programs I'm aware of, are lock-step. You start in the Fall, and follow a prescribed set of courses and practicums/internships/externships.

In your shoes, I think that what I would be asking myself is " Is this going to affect any future opportunities?"

Thanks for your responses so far. The only reason that taking a year off appeals to me is because of the ability to use my senior year grades to boost my GPA. While my grades aren't terrible they aren't exactly 75th percentile tier 1 worthy either. The aspect of taking a year off that is bothersome are the numerous people that initially start to take a year off but never go back. It was always my opinion that if a person is serious about school they would go back no matter what distractions they faced. It's such a tough decision to make, I've gone back and forth about it numerous times. Perhaps I'll look into whether or not the law schools I'm interested in applying to allow applicants to defer their admission for a year?

That sounds good in theory. :) In practice, you don't know until it happens...or doesn't.

I decided to go to grad school after I had been in the work force for a few years and went part time, evenings, while working full time. My own experience was that, when I first started working, I came home every day and thought "Now what do I do?" because I was so used to having homework. Then I started grad school and never wondered THAT anymore. The one big advantage was that my employer covered a large part of my tuition costs, so I didn't wrack up debt. The problem was, I met the man who eventually became my second husband. It was cool when we met because we were both working full time and in grad school. It wasn't so cool when I ended up pregnant a couple years before we planned and had to drop out of grad school. Years later, I decided to change careers and took online courses (not college courses) to get a Microsoft certification. NOW, I'm back in grad school, part time, working full time, a single mom and oh my.. it would have been so much easier when that was my main focus. I have found it hard to get back into the groove of being in school, both times that I started grad school. I AM going to finish this time, no matter what happens. However, it would be really nice if I just could focus on school and not have work and kids and a house to take care of too. If it was at all financially feasible, I would leave the work force and do grad school full time, but it isn't.

One thing to consider is.. don't you have to start paying back student loans 6 months after graduation if you're not a full time student again? Can you swing that? What kind of work would you do during your year off? How much debt would you really be able to pay off? How is the economy where you are and would you even be able to get a job for a year?

I took 7 years off between undergrad and graduate school. I'm glad that I did because I had so much more to bring to the table. Also, by that point I had tried out a couple of different positions and was very sure about what I wanted to study.

i decided to take a year off after i graduate mostly because i dont have the extra funds for the gre and for applications...my brother in law was recently deplyed to germany so I will be over there either just for the summer or for 6 months...i do think im going to feel lost without having school related things to do

Nope. No breaks for me. However, I have decided that after I graduate in 2011, rather than doing a two year traditional residency, I've decided to do a four year non-traditional residency. It takes longer, but I'll be getting paid a regular salary plus pet production, depending who I work for.

I don't get any time at all off between graduate school and undergrad. I'm doing a 1 year masters program to become a teacher, so I graduate in May 2011 ... and start classes in June 2011. :rolleyes: But at least I'll have, in just over two years time, two degrees!

only one year?? how many credit are you taking per semester??

It really depends on what's typical for your program. My masters program admitted two students who went straight through and fourteen of us with experience. You could easily tell who had "real-world experience" and who could add to discussions. They were also the last two to find jobs upon graduation. They, like the poster above, received two degrees in two years (gotta love the one-year Masters) but they had no job experience to speak of in interviews aside from their assistantship.

thats the thing im worried about...my prof has been pushing me to apply for a phd program (im about to get my ba) instead of a masters bc they are more likely to pay for you to go to school and give a stipend if you are getting your phd...but that means i wont get the "real world" work exp.

yea...ive seen a number of programs that are like this at least in the history and sociology fields...

She probably is doing a BS/MS program or something similar.

From what I hear, it's actually not that uncommon. Quite a few holders of masters degrees actually got them in the process of doing a doctorate.

I took off 3 years between undergrad and law school. I wish I could have started law school earlier, but it worked out better money-wise in that I could save money to pay for my law degree.

This is my story too, and I feel that I definitely was able to better appreciate the whole experience because of my time off.

Of course, when I took my time off, I knew that I would be going back the following year. Part of the trick for me was to not create a lifestyle that would be difficult to maintain once I was in graduate school full time. I had heard from a few friends that doing so can create a trap, i. e. you can't go back to school because you now have a lifestyle that you have to maintain. I didn't go out a rent a really fancy apartment; I didn't buy a big expensive car; I didn't run up credit card debt (marriage and children can factor into this too). So when I transitioned back to a full-time graduate student, with a graduate student's stipend, I was still able to live rather comfortably.

For me, I figured it was best to go ahead and get my degree while I was young and unfettered, and so I knew that I was not taking more than a year off. However, as others have said, you have to weigh it out, consider yourself and your personality, and decide whether the time off will be a deterrent or the boost that you need to be successful in a graduate program.

thats a really smart idea...thats something im trying to keep in mind especially since i know im a bit irresponsible with money

I know this is typical for Clinical Psychology. When I started my first Master's program, I hadn't done my research well and found out afterward that my school didn't have a PhD program and any of the PhD programs in the area were going to make me essentially re-do my whole Masters if I went for the PhD. My daughter came along unexpectedly so it all became a moot point, but I was NOT happy initially when I found out I couldn't just go do a PhD later at some point.

It's literally a fully year, not just an academic year - we take two summer sessions (one with 2 classes, one with 3), 4 classes in the fall semester, two of which have a fieldwork portion, a winter session course w/field work, and a spring semester w/ 1 class and student teaching. So it's a jam-packed, stressful year, but in the end less expensive then doing it over two years (which they do also offer).

It's not a BA/MA program, unfortunately - none of my undergrad classes will apply to the MA (even though I took some education classes, bah!). As for doing it in one year straight through w/no "real-world experience" - in a lot of fields, that's a problem. It'd be a HUGE problem if I was going into a program in my field of undergrad study, anthropology. For education, though, it's not so much of a big deal - you get the 'hands on experience' through student teaching and they don't expect much experience outside of that (although I am hoping to start subbing as a senior in college, for the experience, the foot in the door and the extra cash!).

I think taking time off between undergrad and grad school is a personal choice and really depends on what you want to do and how you feel. If you're burnt out, not quite sure what program you want to go to, or aren't in a financial situation to start grad school, taking time off may be the best bet. However, if you plan to go to grad school, remember that most take into account what you did during the time you were away (it's not a huge factor, but I believe it carries some weight when they look at your application). I personally took time off after school since I didn't know what I wanted to do, and now I'm working for a start up and I love it.

Also, just to give you some motivation, my friend from high school graduated with a Poli. Sci. degree and decided to take two years off. In that time, she worked in the justice system, got experience, and took her LSATs. She applied last year, and is now a law student at Univ. of Washington (her first choice school). She's also a SK :)

I think you also need to consider what type of graduate education you want to pursue. From what I learned, PhD programs are geared towards research, theoretical learning, and higher education positions such as being a professor. Masters programs are geared towards real-world experience, and prepare you for positions in for-profit (and non-profit) companies (rather than universities). You shouldn't go for a PhD just because of the money... also, grad. student stipends can include teaching or research assistant positions during your education that are required.

I was one of those people who went straight through to graduate school after undergrad. I wish I had taken some time off.

Why did I go straight through? For one, I thought the economy was pretty bad my senior year in college, and knew that I might have a hard time finding a job period, let alone in my field. Secondly, I listened to my father, who insisted that going straight through would be the best option. Third, I knew a Master's would be the only way I could be taken seriously in my field.

My graduate program is essentially a cash cow with a high acceptance rate and I didn't see it as being especially challenging. In some ways, I found my HS curriculum to be more intellectually rigorous! My classmates were, for the most part, nowhere near as prepared for graduate work as I had expected. Even though I had taken similar classes and had a lot of work experience, they wouldn't let us place out of any of the classes. As a result, for most of the first year, I ended up being bored out of my gourd. I was pretty burnt out after four years of college, and twelve years of hard work in order to get into college. So, I was not nearly engaged as I thought I would have been, but if I had actually worked in the field for a year or two, I would have been even more disenchanted with the experience.

Luckily, I had worked during summers and semesters in my field, so although I ended up going straight through, I had more experience than most of my classmates, even those a few years older than I am. I was one of the first people to have a job; I also had no problem getting an internship (which was required during the summer). Finding subsequent jobs hasn't proved to be a problem, either.

So, the decision to take time off, or go straight through, is a really personal decision. I would recommend, though, that you find out how necessary a Master's is in your field before charging right through. In some fields, experience is more valuable.

Being burnt out is just one of a few factors of deciding to take a year off. A semi-major reason that has me leaning toward taking a year off is that if I were to go straight through to grad school I would be dealing with three major life changes [ being alone in a new city, being newly married to someone who is in the military and overseas, and dealing with the demands of being a 1st year law student] at roughly the same time.

As far as work, ideally I would prefer to just volunteer or canvass for some political issue that I'm passionate about since positions like that are designed to be short term anyway.

Thanks for all the feedback, while it is a personal decision, it's great to hear about the experience of others.

Ditto. I just graduated (December 2009) with my Master's and I'm going back for my PhD in Fall 2010. So I get 8 months. I took no time off after undergrad. This wasn't originally in the plan, but I'm glad it worked out this way. I'm burnt out after my MA and I think having 8 months off will help me be fresh and focused when I start again. Even though I need this recooperation time now, I don't regret going straight through after undergrad (though I do regret the school I chose).

I was always afraid to take a year off, thinking I might not go back. But honestly, it depends on you. If you want this degree, you'll do your best to go back no matter what's come up or how long it's been. There may be things in your life that make it seem impossible, but you'll either work around them or wait till you're in a better place.

I didn't take any time off, and I'm tired. I wish that I could just go home & relax after work, but I always have something to do for class. I have 6 credit hours left, and cannot wait until I'm finished!

I think it really depends on if you plan to work while you're in grad school. If not, then time off may not necessarily be needed. If you will work, I suggest a break.

You may have already stated this; I did not read all of the 2nd page of the thread.

I was about to ask you why I hadn't "seen" you lately, but this explains it. :) I'm proud of you!

Just a little further, girl, you're almost there!!! :D

http://blogs.commercialappeal.com/th...ss/frogggg.jpg

Thanks, Sen! That gives me warm fuzzies :D

lol--no joke. I should put that in the compliment thread.

Haha--thanks! That movie was so cute. My 5 y/o niece called herself "reading" that story to me today.

i went straight through.

kicked it hard in undergrad and in grad school. grad school was my way of avoiding the real world and continuing to act like a jackass. and boy did i ever.

LOL.

i think it's better to go straight through. i wouldn't have been able to give up that constant paycheck as a professional.