Is it bad to reapply to the same graduate school over and over again?

Is taking a year to reapply for engineering graduate school a good idea?

• I am a senior in college and I recently received my results from MS-only admissions. The factors that make me think about taking 1 - 2 gap year is as follows: Pros: 1. I did not get into the school I really wanted, thus if I take a gap year I can add new experience and have my senior grades included. 2. I can feel more meaning and motivation if I take time off in industry and know for certain if I want to continue my education. Cons: 1. If I apply again for next year, it would be due Fall-Winter 2014 which would only account for 1/2 year of experience. Plus I'd have to ask the same profs again for a LOR... which seems a bit awkward -.- Let me know what you guys think, are these valid concerns?

• Answer:

  I am not an engineer but I have a lot engineer friends who went through similar issues when applying to PhD. I think waiting a year is fine. Once you start working or studying hardcore, you will not have much time. Hence, a year of free time is actually not a bad thing. You can learn more about yourself, spend more time with your loved ones, and expand your horizon by doing things that you wanted to do or things that you have been procrastinating.  As long as the gap is not too long, I would not see a problem. Also, during the off-year, you can easily go do research for professors and learn more about engineering and research. Through this experience, you can think what you want to do when you go to graduate school. Furthermore, you can increase your math, programming, and engineering skills by studying more using Coursera, edX, Udacity, or simply just doing good google searches. Overall, as long as you spend your year off wisely, I don't think there is any problem taking a year off. Best of Luck!