To take a year off, or not?

lonefreckle
Wed, 15 Oct 2008 23:52:47 +0000

Hmm. Thanks for all your responses.

I know that continuing to do research would be valuable, both in gaining experience and with admission to grad schools.

But… I want a break. Don’t you guys at some point? I know I have my whole life ahead of me chock full of Evol. Psyc. research. And I am truly passionate about it–I look forward to having it be my career–but I just can’t help but think this is possibly my only chance to break free from the path momentarily. As a grad student I worked for told me, once you start grad school your “academic clock” starts ticking and you need to be publishing as much as possible from then on out.

As someone who’s always been devoted to my studies, I can’t help but feel really intrigued by the idea of taking just one year off to do something totally nonacademic.

Would it really hurt admissions that much? I’d be ready then to throw myself into research. And as far as experience–well, I’ll gain the rest of what I need when I get there. That’s okay with me.

I want to mature as more than just a student or a scholar–I want to gain new life experiences. It’s just how to do this which trips me up.