time between undergrad and grad school

[applyingtograd]

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I applied for phd programs last year and did not get in. I am going to be applying again this year and I am currently working on a few research projects, studying for the GRE, and volunteering at a children mental health facility. I am looking for a job that is somewhat related to mental health but the process has been almost as grueling as the app process. I was wondering what most people did in their time between undergrad and grad school and if application committees would see the lack of a job or formal education program (i.e. enrollment in a masters program) as a negative.
Thanks!

 

[Pragma]

I applied for phd programs last year and did not get in. I am going to be applying again this year and I am currently working on a few research projects, studying for the GRE, and volunteering at a children mental health facility. I am looking for a job that is somewhat related to mental health but the process has been almost as grueling as the app process. I was wondering what most people did in their time between undergrad and grad school and if application committees would see the lack of a job or formal education program (i.e. enrollment in a masters program) as a negative.
Thanks!

I don't think it is a problem. Personally I had a year off and I loved it. I did find full time work (inpatient psychiatric unit) in the area and kept volunteering in my research lab.

If you can't find a related job, I don't think they'll hold it against you as long as you keep volunteering like you are. The way the economy is, I am sure most profs understand, although definitely be able to discuss it on interviews.

Some folks may suggest to you that there is a preference for people coming out of undergrad. I have not found that to be true, at least for my own program. We were a real mix, with some people coming in after several years out. There was even a preference for non-traditional (older) students in some labs, who brought a wealth of experience and perspective. Personally, I see someone having some post UG work experience as a positive thing. It tells me that you have learned, to some extent, to deal wtih the real world.

good luck...

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I worked full-time for a year in an area completely unrelated to psychology/mental health in between application cycles and somehow still managed to finagle an acceptance offer out of my advisor, so it's certainly possible. I agree with Pragma, though--be ready and willing to discuss the work if for no other reason than that your interviewers might just be genuinely curious about whatever it is you're doing. Heck, to this day my advisor will occasionally mention some of the things we discussed during our interview umpteen years ago, and the job I'd had at the time is often one of those things.

 

[snowcherries]

I loved spending a year away from school! I worked at a school (I'm a school psych person, so that was important to my applications), volunteered at a lab, and tutored part-time. Nobody I interviewed with had any issues with this, and it's very common to take a year off to apply to graduate schools.

 

[valentinoRossi]

between undergrad and grad school I'll have 3 years...in that time I tried being an actor in hollywood, tried my hand at med school, decided to change careers, moved a couple times, started taking classes and being a research assistant...watching movies in netflix..working out..adopting a cat...getting in and out of relationships...finding myself..going through misery...seeing my friends succeed in all forms...struggling to find myself again...deciding that i love psychology and it's my true calling......in the end, it seems like i'm a completely different person then i was after i graduated. I feel like i learned about life. It was NOT all fun and games, which is probably a good thing, because I learned that life can be a real bitch..and even when it is, you can still come out strong. I think without these two years under my belt, i might not be a great psychologist in the future. I feel like i am more empathetic now and much more patient. But maybe this is all a way for me to cope with the fact that i'll be starting a doctorate program at age 26, and not 22 like so many other smarty pants around here

 

[voyeurofthemind]

between undergrad and grad school I'll have 3 years...in that time I tried being an actor in hollywood, tried my hand at med school, decided to change careers, moved a couple times, started taking classes and being a research assistant...watching movies in netflix..working out..adopting a cat...getting in and out of relationships...finding myself..going through misery...seeing my friends succeed in all forms...struggling to find myself again...deciding that i love psychology and it's my true calling......in the end, it seems like i'm a completely different person then i was after i graduated. I feel like i learned about life. It was NOT all fun and games, which is probably a good thing, because I learned that life can be a real bitch..and even when it is, you can still come out strong. I think without these two years under my belt, i might not be a great psychologist in the future. I feel like i am more empathetic now and much more patient. But maybe this is all a way for me to cope with the fact that i'll be starting a doctorate program at age 26, and not 22 like so many other smarty pants around here

I like you Valentino -- too many on SDN take themselves way too seriously and are rigid.

But I digress, I took about a year off before I started my master's but then I started my doc program after that summer. I also graduated somewhat later than most with my BA (still in my 20's).

 

[tkuhug]

This thread makes me feel a lot better about my situation 😀

 

[G Costanza]

I had 4 years between my bachelors and beginning of my masters. I worked rebuilding semi truck transmissions, as a marketing analyst, and finally with teens struggling with substance abuse. I went straight from my masters to PhD. I think having a full time job that sucks really helps you stay motivated in school.
I really don't think it was a knock on any of my apps. Having those experiences helped me be more confident that this was the right fit for me.

 

[Psychadelic2012]

I think that if an advisor or program holds it against you for working during your gaps, especially if it's a non-psych related job, you should run. Just my opinion. To me, this is a red flag that they are so steeped in academia, that they can't even relate to the need to generate a paycheck--a sort of upper class snobbery. When *I* am a psychology professor, I will specifically seek to admit students who have life/work experience outside of academia. It demonstrates a unique work ethic and a desire to do what it takes (even if you don't like it), IMO.

 

[emily621]

I think it really depends on what you do in the time in between. If you worked at a sales job for the entire time between undergrad graduation and graduate applications, I don't think that will reflect all that favorably on you. If you do something that is perhaps even tangentially related to your research interests, then it will be better. I had 5 years between graduation and when I started my program (this year!), and worked at a university at a few different research jobs in psychology and psychiatry, and even that didn't help me that much for my first application cycle. (I applied 3 times total).