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by npp 5747 days ago
One could say a number of things, but I'll just say this: I would suggest that you consider working for a bit in between undergrad and grad school. If you had a strong chance of getting in directly from undergrad, then it will remain so after a year and a half (when you'll need to apply), especially if you keep in mind from right now that you should keep in touch with your advisors / rec letter writers. Two years of work is reasonable; one is usually too little to get into the swing of things and three starts to get a bit long and it will become harder to get admitted.

This has a number of benefits: worthwhile non-academic experience, better sense of whether you really want to do a PhD or whatever else, usually more focus when you do go back because you have had time to reflect on what exactly you want to do and get out of it, some general maturity that comes from working rather than just being in school, less pressure in making a big decision right now, and so on. Since you aren't hell-bent on becoming a professor, it is good to see both some academia (your undergrad) and industry before jumping into a long-term thing like a PhD. It's also more comfortable applying to grad school from a job you already have rather than as an undergrad, since if you don't get in anywhere you like, you can simply stay at your job and even try again the following year. (This also all applies if you decide you just want to do an MS.)

Basically, you have to make your own decision about this, and this is a fairly simple (and productive) way to make the decision easier.