Questions tagged [time-off]
On a period of time during one's education or career in which one is not formally involved in academic pursuits.
82
questions
2
votes
0answers
138 views
How do I make up for a mediocre undergraduate career in 2-3 gap years before a CS PhD?
Note on applicability of this question to others
I’m aware of this post, which was closed for being too individual-specific.
I’ve included information specific to me, but I wrote my questions to be ...
0
votes
0answers
64 views
Working in quantitative finance before engineering phd
This might be sort of a weird/rare situation (more common to have gap years in regular engineering industry/research labs), but how would the following be perceived-
Engineering undergrad with good ...
1
vote
1answer
146 views
Applying to Postdocs after Graduating
Im a 6th year PhD student in the United States. Im not totally excited about my current CV/publications, but I have a few final projects I'm excited to finish up before I end my program this summer.
...
28
votes
4answers
7k views
Feeling bad about taking time off
So I'm a first year PhD student in the UK working on an applied mathematics project. Excluding weekends I put in about 37/40 hours a week of work which leaves me pretty tired to say the least.
...
3
votes
3answers
572 views
Will trying to start a PhD late and after a gap of 4 years after my Masters, deteriorate my chances of getting admitted in a PhD program?
I am 30 years old now and I graduated with a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering when I was 26. I have worked in the industry after I graduated, in 2 companies for one year each and then in 1 ...
5
votes
1answer
121 views
I am applying for a new PhD position. However I'm already enrolled at one institute for the past one year. How do I explain my drop out?
So I enrolled at a reputed Research Institute in Taiwan one year ago, just after my Master's. However, the course work and research conducted here was not as I expected it to be. I tackled it well but ...
1
vote
2answers
84 views
Can I apply for a "potential" deferred admission
I'm sorry if there are similar posts, I had a look and couldn't find something exactly similar.
I will be starting my final year of Bachelor (in the UK), and I am going to start applying for an ...
2
votes
2answers
436 views
Covid gap year and grad school admissions
I'm a sophomore at a public university in the U.S. I'm thinking of taking a year off before my junior year, but I'm worried I'll have to explain the gap in my transcript when I apply to math grad ...
1
vote
1answer
245 views
Going back to academia after quitting my Ph.D. and taking a year off? [closed]
I am a Ph.D. dropout with a one year of career gap. I want to return to academia, but now I have realized that it was perhaps the biggest mistake to take a gap after quitting my Ph.D. The purpose of ...
2
votes
1answer
176 views
Keeping in contact with professors after graduation?
I just completed a CS undergraduate at University A (top 50 rank for CS), and am taking a gap year after graduating. This past summer, I did an REU/summer research at University B (~top 15 rank for ...
0
votes
1answer
226 views
About career break in CV
I am going to apply for a postdoc position and there is an item about career break.
Having finished my Master degree, I got a position titles Director of Research in a College for about 6 years. In ...
3
votes
4answers
407 views
Taking vacations days in the middle of a semester [closed]
Context: I am an assistant professor at a small institution in the US.
Question: My significant other has the opportunity through work to travel to an exotic location over a long weekend in February, ...
2
votes
1answer
753 views
Gap Year before Mathematics PhD Programs
How does the gap year process work for math PhD admissions? For reference I am a student at a top 5 undergrad department in the US, applying to pure math programs. I would like to take a year off ...
4
votes
3answers
724 views
Who should I ask for references when applying for PhD, after a 4 year break since graduation?
I am a life sciences graduate from 2015.
After a career in the corporate world, I am preparing to apply to PhD programs in universities abroad.
As part of the application process, I am required to ...
0
votes
1answer
152 views
Time out of Academic Environment (Mathematics) [closed]
Earlier in the year, I applied to some graduate school master's programme in the US and have received a few offers last week.
My goal is to obtain a PhD. Ultimately, I have two options.
Take the ...
2
votes
1answer
334 views
How to address "positively" an unemployment gap for a postdoc application in a CV
I’m planning to apply for a postdoc in Europe but in the eligibility conditions section for this position, it is written that the PhD shouldn’t be obtained more than 3 years ago unless it is a case of ...
0
votes
1answer
203 views
Traveling before graduate school
I want to take a gap year and travel after getting my undergraduate degree in Physics. Is it possible to apply for a research grant that would cover my expenses that year? Can someone travel a lot as ...
1
vote
1answer
992 views
How bad is it to decline the NSF graduate fellowship? [closed]
Though NSF results aren't out yet for this year, this question's been wracking my brain since I'm heavily considering taking a gap year before grad school. I also haven't been able to find this ...
0
votes
1answer
73 views
Reference letters after some time away from full time study
I have been away from full time study for more than a year now and I was trying to see if I could get into postgraduate studies at a masters level for a non-vocational subject.
Prior to graduating, ...
2
votes
0answers
338 views
How should I explain my gap year in graduate admissions?
I have a bachelors in physics and math (graduated in may of this year), and have been struggling within myself to figure out if I would like to pursue a graduate degree in physics or engineering. ...
0
votes
2answers
3k views
Telling letter writers who already submitted that I am not applying to graduate school
Summary of question
I've been getting ready to apply to grad school, and now I have good reasons for not doing so. My letter writers have already uploaded their letters. Basically, it's the last ...
1
vote
0answers
445 views
Three years gap between Master's and PhD and no article
I found some almost similar questions but the answers didn't help me much. I appreciate if you guide me.
I am 31 years old. I have applied for a PhD position (as an international student) in one of ...
2
votes
3answers
3k views
Out of school for ten years and letters of recommendation for PhD programs
I graduated with a BS in physics in 2009, so it's coming up on ten years since I've been in academia. I have a great relationship with one professor, with whom I'm still in contact, and my old advisor ...
10
votes
2answers
373 views
Returning to academia after a long peroid
A person I know has been teaching undergraduate students for about ~8 years. She has a master in science and she is ~41 years old. For personal reasons, she quit her job five years ago. She would like ...
9
votes
2answers
887 views
How to best utilize a gap year to enter mathematics graduate school
I have the following two options available on how to utilize the next year. First some background:
I'm an Economics and Mathematics major at a college in Pakistan. I'm, however, interested in going ...
8
votes
3answers
2k views
Is it generally accepted to take months off (unpaid) during a PhD?
Currently I am finishing my masters degree program in Life Sciences / Biotechnology by doing an industrial internship. After having obtained my degree, I would definitely like to do a PhD if I can ...
13
votes
2answers
765 views
In U.S. universities, do male professors get paternity leave?
Do American universities typically help male professors transition into fatherhood by offering (paid) paternity leave? If so, what is the standard amount of paid time off that is offered?
Feel ...
7
votes
4answers
2k views
Are gap semesters frowned upon in graduate school applications? Should I explain mental health situation that led to the gap?
Disclaimer: not all of what follows is relevant to the question.
I am a math student currently doing a Master’s. I plan on taking a break in the spring semester because due to many personal ...
0
votes
1answer
150 views
Will turn down a graduate (Master's) program have effect on my application for the same program?
I have asked a similar question.
Is it bad to apply for the same Master's degree program in consecutive years?
If I failed the first year, will it be a negative factor for my
application the ...
1
vote
1answer
2k views
Is deferred enrollment normal or acceptable to graduate programs? What are the acceptable reasons for it? [duplicate]
I am an undergraduate student majoring in computer science. I am currently doing graduate (Master's) program application for top US universities.
However, just now I get a pretty nice research ...
1
vote
1answer
175 views
In case I have to take a gap year before MS, what can I do in terms of reading and independent study to prepare for graduate school? [closed]
I will be graduating with a BS in Computer Science in 2017 and have applied to a couple of graduate school to pursue MS in Biomedical Informatics/Bioinformatics. I'm interested in translational ...
2
votes
1answer
150 views
Comeback advice: how to return a decade after dropping out, when job schedule makes formal study difficult? [closed]
What helpful advice would you give an age 30-something woman to reach her dream with the following background? She dropped out from college a decade ago despite many hard years of dedicated trying, ...
3
votes
3answers
833 views
Can I still pursue a research career after a possibly lengthy break?
I've been offered a PhD position, but I'm forced to decline it due to family reasons. However, once the situation becomes more stable, I will re-apply again. What concerns me most is whether it's ...
1
vote
3answers
1k views
How can I get academic writing samples for PhD admissions after having been away from academia?
I am very interested in a particular PhD program that I feel is in line with my professional background. Specifically, I am thinking of doing a PhD in Communication Rhetoric and Digital Media.
...
6
votes
1answer
592 views
What is the impact of gaps on CV in academic job search?
I have recently been offered an industry position in the US (we live on another continent). My wife is a an academic, with a position roughly equivalent to tenure-track asst professor in the US ...
6
votes
1answer
903 views
Advantages and disadvantages in working after PhD while waiting for postdoc
I am in the process of finishing a Chemical Engineering PhD at a british university that is solely based on numerical work and programming.
My thesis is finished and I set a date for delivery.
I ...
8
votes
1answer
675 views
Returning to grad school after several years in industry, who to ask for references for NSF graduate fellowship?
I got a masters degree in computer science in 2012 and worked in Microsoft since then. I'm returning to get my PhD starting spring 2017.
I would like to apply for the NSF grad fellowship but having ...
2
votes
1answer
715 views
When to take military service when applying for graduate school?
I'm an undergraduate student with two regular semesters left before graduating. I am required to serve in the Military and have two options regarding the timing of my service.
I can go into army ...
3
votes
1answer
237 views
What's the best way to get academic references for a masters program 2-3 years in the future?
I graduated with a BSc approximately one year ago and have been considering my career options since. I have finally decided that I would like to enroll in a masters program, however I likely won't be ...
2
votes
2answers
1k views
How to include periods of non-academic work on an academic CV?
I have, since completing my PhD (in pure mathematics), worked in both non-academic and post-doc positions. I am brushing up my CV, and I would like some advice as to how one should detail non-academic ...
8
votes
1answer
477 views
Taking year off after PhD and focus on research? Does it look bad?
Say I have finished my PhD and I would love to just write a few papers and do some research before getting a job at a university which will also involve teaching & administrative things. Also, ...
3
votes
1answer
238 views
Coming up with a PhD Research Topic after 10 years away from academics
I am looking at going back to University after almost 10 years in the Corporate World (I am exploring a PhD in Business and Quantitative Methods in Spain...line of Research is in "Innovation, ...
6
votes
1answer
2k views
How conceivable is it to research independently while working in a non-research role in industry, to improve my profile for graduate admissions?
I'm toying with the idea of finishing my undergraduate degree and then entering industry for a short while. If I spent three years and earned enough, my thought is that I'd soften the burden on my ...
20
votes
1answer
6k views
How to handle 2 years hiatus after PhD?
One of my friend has a 2-years gap after completing his PhD in 2014, gap due to personal reasons, family-one mainly.
He is now trying to get a postdoc position in electro-engineering.
To me, this ...
5
votes
2answers
2k views
Will quitting a PhD to try an industry job severely reduce my chances of being accepted to another PhD program later?
I know there are already a lot of "should I quit my PhD" questions on this site. But I have a specific dilemma and I'd like to get some external thoughts.
After my Bachelor in mathematics, I didn't ...
6
votes
1answer
486 views
Having decided to become a researcher after long career in industry, should I work independently or start a PhD?
I'v been doing software development work for almost a decade. I really love doing research work but I am always doing programming work in companies. I could join a PhD program 15 years ago after my MS....
1
vote
0answers
536 views
Including a non-relevant work experience in Statement of Purpose for higher studies abroad
After completing my undergraduate studies in Biotechnology, I switched to a career in Banking services where I have worked for a year. But now I would like to pursue higher studies abroad in ...
3
votes
1answer
144 views
Can I apply to CS graduate programs and take a year off before actually enrolling?
I am a 4th year Math and CS undergrad with definite plans to enter graduate school. However, I know that I want to take a year off between graduation and grad school, but I don't know if I can apply ...
9
votes
4answers
4k views
Ways to spend gap year/semester before applying to mathematics PhD
I was just reading in the answers to some other questions (here and here) that it's not necessarily disadvantageous (and it may even be advantageous) to take a year or semester off after finishing my ...
5
votes
1answer
646 views
Applying for a PhD after taking a year off
I completed my Master's in biotechnology exactly a year ago, and after failing to find a job in science took an office job to pay the bills. Now I'm thinking of applying to a bio PhD, but I'm worried ...
