[A] Time Away That Shapes Careers
　　[B] Faculty Weigh in
　　[C] Admissions Impact
　　[D] No Regrets
　　[E] Help Students Develop Strategies to Mingle
　　[F] Finding Opportunities
　　[G] Build Strong Sense of Responsibility
　　Data from the National Science Foundation indicate that over the last 25 years, there has been a fairly consistent 1- to 2-year time variance in the interval between an undergraduate degree and a Ph.D. So where does the extra time go?
　　Part of it is the “postbac”: recent graduates often take between the bachelor's degree and graduate school. “Postbac” time allows recent graduates to mature, gain some perspective, and learn new skills before starting out on a long graduate program. A short hiatus before the long road, students and faculty members say, is almost always good.
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　　Most faculty members agree that if students have a clear idea of what they want to study and what their goals are, they can make a successful direct transition to graduate school. “For the great majority of students, some time off is a good idea,” says Deborah Goldberg, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Michigan. Students with more life experience often have the maturity it takes to persevere through a Ph.D., she says. She has observed that students without that experience are more likely to feel burned out and to drop out of their Ph. D. programs than are students who take time off.
　　2. ____________________
　　Faculty members agree that 1 to 2 years away does not hurt a student in the graduate-admissions process. But relevant work—especially research experience—often has a better-than-neutral effect on admissions prospects. As he considered graduate programs, Gries was able to discuss his research in one-on-one interviews with faculty members, and all of them, he says, considered his year of work an advantage. Maturity and life experience are the main selling points for “postbac” time, but the details of what you learn can matter, too. In addition, many faculty members appreciate the perspectives students with added life experience bring to their classrooms and laboratories.
　　3. ____________________
　　Individuals we spoke to who had completed a “postbac” expressed no regrets about their decisions. Sarah Walker sees only advantages to the time that she spent in the Peace Corps and working in Africa. After she finished her undergraduate degree at Smith College in Northatmpton, Massachusetts, in 1994, she worked as a biology and mathematics teacher for 2 years in Lesotho. When she returned to graduate school at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, in 1998, Walker found that her experience in the Peace Cows made teaching assignments easier. Her experience in Africa shaped her career goals: Her thesis research in environmental science examined the impact of land-use changes on ecological systems. Walker says her relationships with faculty members were also improved by her time away.
　　4. ____________________
　　Finding a postgraduate position outside of organized programs such as the Peace Cows requires undergraduates to mine a diverse network of resources. Talk to as many people as possible, Goldberg says; faculty members might know of colleagues who are looking for research assistants. Regional and national meetings present great chances for undergraduates to scout for positions.
　　5. ____________________
　　After completing the core requirements for her Ph.D. in 2005, Walker took a job at Winrock International, a nonprofit international development organization in Arlington, Virginia. Her job —advising projects that help limit carbon emissions and deforestation in the developing world-builds on both her Peace Corps experience and scientific expertise. Unsurprisingly, she's a strong advocate of the postbac. “Taking 2 years [off] has zero negative impact on your ability to continue on in school,” she advises. It allows you to grow as a person and have a better sense of what it is that you want to do.
(此文选自Science 2007年刊)