|
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.
|
Threaded Mode
