Will an interruption of studies affect my graduate studies/job applications?
Hi there,
I am studying for a four year geography degree at a very good university and have completed my first and second years with no problems, getting firsts in almost all of my courses and prizes in a couple of them too. However, I got really ill at the start of my third year and am having to take an authorised interruption of studies to concentrate on getting better. This will show up on my transcript as a 'gap' when I come to apply for postgraduate cousres or graduate jobs when I finish the degree, and I'm worried that it will be viewed negatively, especially as I also switched degrees before settling on geography.
I wondered if anyone else has had this experience, and how it affected their applications after uni? Is it seen as lack of commitment or a 'problem' i.e. they might be taking on someone who is likely to get sick again? I should say, I'm hoping to either apply for the civil service fast stream or go on to study social research methods at a postgraduate level.
Thanks!
I am studying for a four year geography degree at a very good university and have completed my first and second years with no problems, getting firsts in almost all of my courses and prizes in a couple of them too. However, I got really ill at the start of my third year and am having to take an authorised interruption of studies to concentrate on getting better. This will show up on my transcript as a 'gap' when I come to apply for postgraduate cousres or graduate jobs when I finish the degree, and I'm worried that it will be viewed negatively, especially as I also switched degrees before settling on geography.
I wondered if anyone else has had this experience, and how it affected their applications after uni? Is it seen as lack of commitment or a 'problem' i.e. they might be taking on someone who is likely to get sick again? I should say, I'm hoping to either apply for the civil service fast stream or go on to study social research methods at a postgraduate level.
Thanks!
Original post by ebedin
Hi there,
I am studying for a four year geography degree at a very good university and have completed my first and second years with no problems, getting firsts in almost all of my courses and prizes in a couple of them too. However, I got really ill at the start of my third year and am having to take an authorised interruption of studies to concentrate on getting better. This will show up on my transcript as a 'gap' when I come to apply for postgraduate cousres or graduate jobs when I finish the degree, and I'm worried that it will be viewed negatively, especially as I also switched degrees before settling on geography.
I wondered if anyone else has had this experience, and how it affected their applications after uni? Is it seen as lack of commitment or a 'problem' i.e. they might be taking on someone who is likely to get sick again? I should say, I'm hoping to either apply for the civil service fast stream or go on to study social research methods at a postgraduate level.
Thanks!
I am studying for a four year geography degree at a very good university and have completed my first and second years with no problems, getting firsts in almost all of my courses and prizes in a couple of them too. However, I got really ill at the start of my third year and am having to take an authorised interruption of studies to concentrate on getting better. This will show up on my transcript as a 'gap' when I come to apply for postgraduate cousres or graduate jobs when I finish the degree, and I'm worried that it will be viewed negatively, especially as I also switched degrees before settling on geography.
I wondered if anyone else has had this experience, and how it affected their applications after uni? Is it seen as lack of commitment or a 'problem' i.e. they might be taking on someone who is likely to get sick again? I should say, I'm hoping to either apply for the civil service fast stream or go on to study social research methods at a postgraduate level.
Thanks!
If you can explain the gap in your covering letter/CV in a positive way, it shouldn't be too much of a problem for most employers/ postgrad courses. I wouldn't have thought they would view you being ill negatively, and if it is something that is likely to reoccur, you will probably be covered by anti-disability discrimination legislation.
That said, some jobs, including some civil service jobs, have very prescriptive application forms, which may not give you a proper chance to explain the gap. In these cases, it might raise a question mark or possibly be viewed negatively, but if the rest of your application is strong, then hopefully you'll get the chance to explain.
Ultimately, your health is the most important thing, and I wouldn't worry about how this will be viewed after your degree right now. It is definitely less of a negative than if you had struggled through and received a low degree grade.
Good luck and I hope you are better soon.
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