I want to get my PhD in psychology. Would it be okay to take a year off between highschool and going to a two year college (for my bachelors)?
My boyfriend said that colleges would only like that if i had a good reason and if i used that year to get ahead. What would i have to do for them to be okay with it, or is it just a horrible idea? Please let me know your thoughts!
Gap years are common, but I have read good advice on this site that says to DO something with it. Volunteer, get a job, travel, write a novel; as long as you have something productive to show for your year off, nobody minds.
Yep, don’t just sit in front of the computer for a year.
Volunteer/work somewhere that has something to do with psychology. Also know that if you take classes somewhere (like at a community college) you might not be considered a freshman.
Also, I believe you need 4 years for a Bachelors. A 2 year school may only give you an Associates Degree, and that is probably not going to get you into a Ph.D program.
It probably won’t make a bit of difference for admission to a community college if you take a year off. For admission to a four-year college, it may or may not make a difference, depending on the particular college. The more selective the school is, the more difference it might make as to how you spent that year. Taking a year off before college won’t make any difference as far as future admission to a graduate program, which will be based on your undergrad record, GREs, etc.
^What @zapfino says. If your goal is to go to a community college, they probably won’t care what you do with the gap year after high school - although working to save money is always a good bet.
You will need a 4-year degree before a PhD; I’m assuming you want to transfer from a CC into a four-year college.