How common is it to take a gap year between graduating from undergrad and completing a masters?
In the year, I would take a few months to get a top GMAT score, look for an off cycle boutique internship, save money, travel etc.
How would this be viewed by (a) the universities I am applying for masters programmes with and (b) future employers? I will be recruiting for London IB. Is this common?
Thanks in advance
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I would say having a gap in your resume to study for gmat is somewhat okay.
From personal experience - I’ve graduated in 2021, worked for 2 years, left my company in Sept this yearto study for GMAT and am now applying for top tier masters. So I will have a gap of 2 months. I don’t see how I would be at a disadvantage, as I have a pretty stacked CV.
I’ve seen multiple masters information sessions (INSEAD from a couple of months ago comes to mind) where people have done this or took a gap straight after Uni to apply.
But it all depends.
If you have no notable internships, then yet another empty gap isn’t going to look good. If you have strong WE and ECs (2-4 solid internships/spring weeks) then no one will care as your CV is going to be full.
It’s also a gamble because off-cycles at the moment are very random and limited in terms of recruiting compared to 2-3 years ago. This depends on your current resume of course, but I would say that betting on an off-cycle internship is unlikely to yield much.
To be completely honest it’s difficult to give you useful advice because you haven’t really provided enough information. It really just depends on your circumstances.
Thanks for the detailed insight. I have 15 months internship experience, (including 4 months in big 4 M&A), head of the investment society at my uni, first class honours so my CV is quite good compared to my peers. All from a non-target uni however.
My plan would be to try find a 3-4 month internship with a small PE/IB boutique here in my city who don't typically hire interns before moving country and working in a bar for a year while studying the GMAT. Seems like the only chance I'll get to do it while also saving money for a masters. I will also be applying for a top masters programme so I want to minimise the amount I will have to borrow to pay the fees.
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