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

Is it a bad idea to take a break between undergraduate and graduate school?

  • I am finishing my junior year of undergraduate studies. I will be graduating with a BS in Biochemistry with a minor in Computational Science next year. I am a good student, with a cumulative GPA of 3.6. I want to go to graduate school out of state. I've been told that taking time off is a bad idea-- that my references won't remember me, that my memory of course material will fade, that I won't get accepted to graduate school, etc. However, I am not 100% positive as to what phd program I want to commit to. Also, I've lived at home my entire life and I feel like moving and then immediately starting a graduate program would be too stressful for me. My current plan is to graduate and move and get comfortable living away from home. During this time, I would get an entry level biochemistry job, most likely as a research assistant or lab technician while I adjust to my new life and solidify my goals for graduate school. I need advice. Thanks, everyone!

  • Answer:

    Can you get those reference letters now -- in either sealed or unsealed envelopes? I can't speak to science majors, but MBA candidates routinely work two or three years after getting their BA/BS. They get letters of reference from job supervisors, etc.

Erin at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

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Another way to handle the reference issue is to talk to them now about acting as your references in the future, and then keep in touch with them during your gap year. IMO, it's a very good idea to take that gap year and work. I absolutely cannot advise anyone who isn't dead sure of which PhD program to enter, to enter any PhD program. Take the time you need to figure all that out.

If you aren't confident what PhD program you want to go into, definitely take time off before you go. Your concern about references is valid though, and I'd suggest applying to a few programs that you'd be particularly interested in, so that your references have a reason to write out your letter. If you get invited for an interview, go and learn more about the program. If they accept you but you still want to take some time off, some programs may let you officially defer for a year, and if not, if you've already been accepted once, you're relatively likely to get accepted again. As you look for jobs for your off-year, I would also encourage you to look for industry jobs, not just university research assistant jobs; if you like your industry job, no real reason to go back for the PhD any time soon.

No. Anybody who CAN do it, should. And thousands and thousands of students every year do exactly that: take a year off and travel, work, move around, grow up.

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