What can I do if I take time off before I go to graduate or professional school?

Real World

Professional experience prior to attending graduate school is highly valued by employers. Candidates who have a diversity of experience and a mature understanding of the working world are often the most successful in landing the jobs they want.

Joanne Karchmer
Director, Career Services
Boalt School of Law

Deciding to wait a few years before applying to graduate or professional school is a viable option. The wait might be the best thing to do if you:

Are unsure of which graduate program to pursue
Have concerns about finances
Would like to strengthen your qualifications before applying
Need a break from school
Would like to see what the field is really like before committing to more education

Being away from the world of education for awhile can often strengthen your interest in graduate or professional school. You will have the added benefit of connecting your real life experiences to a graduate program. This enthusiasm and focus translates into a more competitive application when the time comes to apply.

Planning Resources
Take Action

Planning Resources

More	You may want to take one or more of the Career Center's self-assessment instruments to evaluate your future plans for graduate school based on your self-identified interests, skills, values and personality style. This may also give you some idea of the kind of work you would enjoy until you are ready to go on for an advanced degree.

More	Whatever your reason is for wanting to wait before going to graduate school, you can use Career Center resources to: Identify specific graduate school programs and become familiar with their application requirements. Research career fields of interest to see what advanced degrees are typical in those fields.

More	Attend the Graduate School Fair or Law School Fair to meet and talk with graduate school representatives. Let them know you are planning to wait a year or two before applying and ask for advice on how to use this interim period to strengthen your application. Also discuss your plans with faculty and current graduate students. Conduct informational interviews with people holding advanced degrees in the fields or academic disciplines of interest to you. The @cal Career Network is a good source of alumni contacts.

More	Find work experience or activities that suit your particular situation or your personal interests. That way you are sure to have evidence of commitment, hard work and other qualities of interest to a graduate school admissions committee. Some students decide to work or travel abroad to develop the second language skills required for application to a particular PhD program. Others take graduate-level coursework to enhance their transcripts and to obtain additional letters of recommendation from faculty. You may also want to consider a Post-BA fellowship, a short-term academic and experiential learning opportunity.

More	Talk to a Career Center counselor to find out if there is anything missing from your qualifications. There may be some steps you can take now that will help you to strengthen your application. Counselors can also help to identify your options and to prepare for a job search.

More	Some students worry that they may never go to graduate school if they do not go immediately after their undergraduate degree. However, you can develop both short-term and long-term goals and make decisions now to ensure that your long-term goals include an advanced degree. Identify the decisions you need to make and initiate a plan of action that will move you forward in the interim.

More	The steps you take between your undergraduate and graduate degree may depend on your particular year in school. Check the Yearly Planner to find out what additional action you can take based on your student status.

Take Action

Reality Check

Putting off applying to graduate or professional school doesn't mean putting off thinking about it. There are things you should do now even if you plan to work a couple of years first. Get letters of recommendation from faculty into your letter file before you leave campus. You may also want to sign up and take a standardized test required by some graduate and professional schools.

Once you have made the decision to wait before applying to graduate school, ask yourself the following questions:

What steps can I take now to prepare for applying to graduate or professional school in the future?
Do I need to look for work in the field to see what it is really like before committing to further study?
Could I work in an unrelated field and take on volunteer work or an internship to keep the commitment to the field current?

If it becomes clear you need more information, use the Career Center's Planning Resources or see a counselor.

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