Hi! Thank you for posting this!! I'm about to finish my undergrad in aerospace engineering lol. I've become extremely burnt out (went through a breakup, gender transition, and a whole bunch of other things) from my 4 years in college. I think a break would be absolutely wonderful honestly. Thank you for posting this!!
That's a lot and you definitely deserve a break! People put so much pressure on going straight through, but you have time to be a human and take a break.
Hi Briana!! Amazing video!! I graduated in May 2023 with a BA in Psychology. I plan to become a school psychologist also, but want to get my Masters/Sixth-Year Certificate and not a doctorate. I originally thought I would be going to graduate school this fall, but due to me being rejected from programs, plus other life circumstances, I probably won't be going until Fall 2025. I have felt bad about myself for potentially taking 2 years off, so hearing that you took 3 years off and still got into doctoral programs made me feel better. Best of luck with the rest of your program!! :)
I hear that! The strict timelines we put on ourselves are pretty unrealistic and unnecessary. I don't regret the time I took off because it also gave me a chance to be a person for a bit. Best of luck with your journey!
I’m thinking about taking a year or so off before going to get my master's and I’ve been really stressed and second-guessing myself about this. I’m so close to being completely burnt out, and even though I have a 3.8 GPA, I don’t have much else that would boost my chances of acceptance, or make me a competitive applicant. I don’t have much work experience etc. I think taking a year off will allow me to get this experience and boost my CV. How do you get into work or internships in this field with just a bachelor's though? Also, how do you get over guilt or the fear of taking time off being the wrong decision?
I think taking that time off to prevent burnout is such a great idea! I needed those years to give my brain a break. If you have an idea of what you'd like to study or populations you're interested in working with, see if there are any post-bacc opportunities in that area. If you search "post-bac [interested field]" you should get some results! Otherwise, it might be helpful to find research assistant positions that are doing work in your area. Even if you're not interested in research, it can be helpful to be in that world. I get through the guilt remembering that grad school isn't going anywhere! You have time to figure out who you are outside of being a student and not feeling like you're always in grind mode. You deserve rest and that was a huge motivator for me during that time off! If it helps, I took 3 years off, and half of my cohort was actually older than me. Everyone is on their own timeline and starting later doesn't put you at a disadvantage.
Hi! Thank you for posting this!! I'm about to finish my undergrad in aerospace engineering lol. I've become extremely burnt out (went through a breakup, gender transition, and a whole bunch of other things) from my 4 years in college. I think a break would be absolutely wonderful honestly. Thank you for posting this!!
That's a lot and you definitely deserve a break! People put so much pressure on going straight through, but you have time to be a human and take a break.
Hi Briana!! Amazing video!! I graduated in May 2023 with a BA in Psychology. I plan to become a school psychologist also, but want to get my Masters/Sixth-Year Certificate and not a doctorate. I originally thought I would be going to graduate school this fall, but due to me being rejected from programs, plus other life circumstances, I probably won't be going until Fall 2025. I have felt bad about myself for potentially taking 2 years off, so hearing that you took 3 years off and still got into doctoral programs made me feel better. Best of luck with the rest of your program!! :)
I hear that! The strict timelines we put on ourselves are pretty unrealistic and unnecessary. I don't regret the time I took off because it also gave me a chance to be a person for a bit. Best of luck with your journey!
I posted a grad school vlog because you inspired me!💚
I’m thinking about taking a year or so off before going to get my master's and I’ve been really stressed and second-guessing myself about this. I’m so close to being completely burnt out, and even though I have a 3.8 GPA, I don’t have much else that would boost my chances of acceptance, or make me a competitive applicant. I don’t have much work experience etc. I think taking a year off will allow me to get this experience and boost my CV. How do you get into work or internships in this field with just a bachelor's though? Also, how do you get over guilt or the fear of taking time off being the wrong decision?
I think taking that time off to prevent burnout is such a great idea! I needed those years to give my brain a break. If you have an idea of what you'd like to study or populations you're interested in working with, see if there are any post-bacc opportunities in that area. If you search "post-bac [interested field]" you should get some results! Otherwise, it might be helpful to find research assistant positions that are doing work in your area. Even if you're not interested in research, it can be helpful to be in that world.
I get through the guilt remembering that grad school isn't going anywhere! You have time to figure out who you are outside of being a student and not feeling like you're always in grind mode. You deserve rest and that was a huge motivator for me during that time off! If it helps, I took 3 years off, and half of my cohort was actually older than me. Everyone is on their own timeline and starting later doesn't put you at a disadvantage.