I don't know what the economy will allow nowadays, but I'd highly recommend working for a year, which is what I did. In addition to saving money, building some experience and knocking out a chunk of IDP hours (remember to do those!), I had a much firmer idea on what I wanted to do with grad school. I felt a bit more grounded after working, and it was able to put the stuff I'd learned in school in a proper perspective.

Of course, it's probably highly dependent on a lot of other factors (aside from the economy, which is probably the biggest one). I tend to be a more technical person, so I was the sort who felt that my undergrad education was lacking a certain 'meatiness', so to speak. Working helped me feel as though I were something more than an arbiter of taste or a style consultant; it put an actual purpose to the skill set I had learned. Your mileage may vary, depending on how you feel about your education's progress so far.

Also, if you're able to work for a year, I think schools sometimes like a bit of experience under your belt; plus, you can get some time to beef up your portfolio, which is what grad schools tend to look at most anyways.

sounds good.. its a good advise thank you Mixmaster!

sounds good.. its a good advise thank you Mixmaster!

My advice is to check and see if you can defer admission to grad schools, and if you can to apply to them while applying for jobs. Many people with a lot more experience than you have been unemployed for a long time now and getting that year of work might be quite a bit harder than you are thinking now. So what I'm saying is try both options at the same time, if possible, and go from there.

makes sense as well. thanks given!