Should I Spend an Extra Year in Undergrad for a Better Chance at a PhD Program?

[Legion81]

I have two options right now and I would like to hear what you would do in this situation.

I don't have any research experience to put on a grad school application. If I take the GRE this fall, I will just be starting QM, so I probably won't be able to solve many of the QM questions on the test (same for Nuclear, Solid State, and Statistical Mech). I don't think my chances of getting into a phd program would be that great, but I know I could get into a masters program. If I extended graduating another year, I would have research experience and be able to score higher on the physics GRE.

My problem is trying to decide if spending the time and money for another year of undergrad would increase my chances of getting directly into a phd program, or if I would be better off spending that year in grad school and then applying at the beginning of my second year in a masters program.

Option 1-
Graduate next spring (2011) and start on masters degree in order to apply to a phd program the following year.

Option 2-
Spend an extra year as undergrad to score higher on GRE and have research experience hoping to get into a phd program and have the masters program as a backup.

What would you do?

 

[R.Mesri]

I would personally opt for Option 2. Spending the extra time and money to gain research experience and a higher score on the GRE could give you a better chance of getting accepted directly into a PhD program, rather than having to take a roundabout route through a masters program. It would also give you more time to prepare for the GRE, giving you the best opportunity to get the best possible score.