Posted by Kenneth Sloan on October 09, 2001 at 00:19:24:
In Reply to: time off between undergrad and grad? posted by foolish youngster on October 08, 2001 at 23:38:58:
This is a very sticky problem. In the end, the decision must be intensely personal. But, I can give some pointers to the issues.
First, you mention a possible ultimate goal of a "college teaching gig". In many fields (and music may NOT be one of these) it is difficult (not impossible, but difficult) to get back on the academic track once you leave it. If you are serious about college level teaching, there is a lot to say or staying focussed and pushing hard until you finish.
Yes, you will be poor - but you'll be just as poor if you come back to grad school later, and you'll have the extra problem of being used to being (relatively) rich. You may also have more responsibilities.
Those are the major reasons for going straight to grad school. And now...the other side.
Can you get into the graduate program of your dreams, based on you undergraduate grades? If not, there is a small chance that a couple of years of (RELEVANT) real world experience might give you an edge later on.
You may find that a few years of real world experience will motivate you and help you decide what you really want to do (if you are currently unsure).
The real question is: is there something else that you want to do (instead of grad school)? If so, follow your instincts. If not, and you are really thinking of "a few years of something else, before I get back on track to my real career", then DO NOT LEAVE SCHOOL!
I've seen both sides (but not in music, so take this with a block of salt). I see students leave school every year, with the intention of coming back in 2 years. Almost none of them ever do so. On the other hand, I did. A less than stellar undergraduate career left me with strong ideas about what I wanted to do every day, but neither the desire nor the credentials to get into a decent grad school. So, I went to work, in a job that was almost ideal for me. The only problem was that after 3 months on the job I knew that I would go crazy going down that road. The folks I met on the job were great people, but I had the strong sense that there was "no one to talk to". It was clear that I needed something different. So, I found out that the company I worked for had a program to subsidize night classes, and did a Masters at night (taking, of course, twice as long as if I were going to school full time). When the Masters was complete, and my new car paid for, I quit the job and went back to school full time for my PhD (grades and recommendations from the Masters got me into a decent program).
So...it *can* be done.
The bottom line in career advice is: find out what it is that you want to do 24 hours a day...and do it. If you are any good at it, someone will eventually pay you for it.
Anything else is a compromise.
Good luck!