Should I take a Year/Time Off ... Between High School and College???

[Bella_Lass334]

I always set on the notion of going to college right after high school, but recently I've been questioning whether or not I'm ready to go. I skipped a grade so I'll be really young when I go, and I would be the same age as everyone else when I finally do go.

Pros:
-Would take time to see what I REALLY want to do
-Would have time to renergize so I would be really ready for college in 2009
-Would have time to get license
-Would have time to work to save money for college in the next year, and could possibly work at an acting studio to get more opportunities
-Could save money to go to Europe
-Wouldn't have to pay 30 grand, and would save money
-Could have time to do things I've always wanted to do, like take Yoga classes or fencing lessons, and maybe volunteer at animal shelters
-Could take the SAT and ACT again and improve scores significantly to get into a better college than the one I got into this year, and hopefully in New York or Los Angeles

Cons:
-Could possibly feel lazy, like life was passing me by
-Wouldn't see my friends
-Could maybe feel stuck in the house

Sorry for the long post, I just really need an objective opinion. Thanks in advance!

 

[katherine]

You sound like me. I think it depends on the person, but since you're young and all, it'd be good. You can work for the year that you're not in school so not only are you going to have a lighter load, you'll also gain experience for after college too. Another con though is you'll start your career a year later then what you could've but if you're still going to the same school or a better one even it sounds like, you're good.

Like I said, it gives you the time to work and to really explore what you want to do in life. I don't think you'll be feeling lazy at all except if you lay around and make mum clean up after you still. Colleges also will see that you're keen on getting a great education by working as well and that's another pro. It seems like you're unsure about what you want to in life and instead of starting college with a major undeclared, I think it's more beneficial to gain work experience in the real world! That's just me. Good luck with everything.

 

[SHSH]

ok im on a year out as well and i planned it at the last minute heres my advice for you.

Plan it very very very well because if you dont you will be trapped in the house all day, be broke and have gained nothing! but..

- try and get better grades you wont loose anything, NYC are LA once in a lifetime opportunity work hard and set your mind to it, i was going to settle for a really average university and thank god i got offers from top uk unis in London, it will work out for you!

- you wouldnt see your friends as much make this a good time for self development you know being a bit more independent and getting out into the real world

- Learn a new language, travel and definitely start yoga, funnily enough i started doing yoga every week and my friend has just started pole dancing (a gymnastic version version dont worry shes not a lap dancer!) theres so many things to try!

- if you havent got too much studies for the SAT's get a full time job for the year you will be able to save lots of money for when you need it and have an even better time at college, and have the flexibility to go on holiday etc

obviously you want to think about it, but from my perspective its was really helpfull in my experience

 

[adorefaith]

hey bella....

first of all..i think you've done a GREAT thing by drawing up and pros + cons list...these things are so helpful...it's a great way to brainstorm and you immediately get to see the way you're leaning...in this case you have a lot more pros than cons....so that automatically tells you something, i think..

i took a year and a half off after high school and before university and i think it was one of the best things i ever did....most of my friends went to some sort of college or university straight away, but a few also went straight into full time work, spent some time relaxing, or saved up to travel...so i didnt feel quite so alone in my choice....nonetheless i was the last in my circle of friends to head off to university, but after speaking to them, most of them say they wished they'd done the same...and actually, when i look back, i think an additional 6-12 months would have been good too...

as for your con list, here's my suggestion...

-possibly feeling lazy: well, looking at your ideas for your year off [volunteering, yoga, fencing] you'd have plenty of great hobbies to keep you busy....also, you'd probably be working, right?...even if you did part time work, one day a week of volunteering, and then a few days for hobbies/yoga classes, i dont think you'd feel at all lazy....lazy is just a mindset....relaxing and taking time to savour the things in life that you enjoy is NOT lazy...it's actually very sensible, and will most likely make you a happy and grateful person...

-not seeing your friends: to be honest, this happens anyway...even if you DO go to university at the same time as them....people get overwhelmed in their first year, trying to transition and adjust...but you can make time to see your friends in evenings and on weekends, and you'll probably make new friends with your new hobbies and ventures...

-stuck in the house: again...if you get out there and try new things and meet new people, i dont think you'll feel this way...sometimes going to college makes you feel stuck in a small space anyway, because you spend so much of your time writing papers and researching.! so i wouldnt worry about this...it's definitely something you have control over...

from your list, i'd say go for it...taking time to relax and rejuvenate, and to figure out what you want your next step to be, is a really important thing...

 

[gius]

hmm i have gone through this ...

from my experience

i think you could just take short courses/workshops that you find interesting
a variety of topics
like if you wanted to take some art courses ...

eventually you will click with something

this way, you don't spend so much money on a whole school program (without knowing you like it 100% in the first place)
and also it gives you time to do the other things you'd like to do ..like yoga , etc.

i lived in a small town when i took a year off
so there was nothing much for me to do
i just ended up going to school

 

[Ronchamp]

I come from another education system, so I had one or two more years of school than you before I went straight into university... I'm not regretting it, but I feel like I could have taken the time off to "regain energy", if you know what I mean. The pressure of school and all the time and energy you have to put into it can get overwhelming... Especially after 10+ years of school, AND going into the most important (well for now!) stage of your life!! Some people dropped out after the first semester to take time off... others are staying in school just 'cause they feel like they have to finish what they started.

All in all, I don't think a year off would hurt, but if you do it, do it because you want to, not just because you can. The important thing is to do what feels right for you!

 

[educo]

I didn't finally go to college until i was 22, I traveled, took short courses ( I knew what I wanted to get a degree in, I just wasn't sure I wanted an actual degree), and had life experiences. And, I can only speak personally here, it helped me handle college in a mature way, something I'm not sure kids out of highschool can understand.

 

[dior_couture1245]

I'm definitely taking at least a year off.

This is how I see it.

Firstly, I'm only 17 (I'll be 18 in July), so I'm still young and I don't feel like I'm ready to fly off to live in some far off place and try to survive. I feel that by staying here at home, yet at the same time developing adult independence by getting a job, experiencing paying taxes and bills, etc., I'll be far better equipped to hand a completely independent life when I do finally go off to school.

Secondly, by getting a part time/ full time job I'll be able to save up quite a sum of money to help me when I do finally go off to college. And because I really want to go to Central Saint Martins, the more money I have the better (with this HORRIFIC exchange rate between the dollar and the pound!)!!! Either way, if I get in or not, financial security is something that will definitely ease the load when I'm finally off to school.

Thirdly, I've not been able to take many art classes for the past two years because school has become so hectic. Because I want to go to an art school, I MUST have an excellent portfolio, and at the moment, I don't. So also during my year off, I'm planning on taking plenty of art classes to build up an impressive portfolio to send off to colleges.

And finally, and in a way, probably the most important, is that I need a break!!! I cannot tell you how stressed I am now! I've only got about 10 weeks left of school, but I'm so desperate to graduate!!! I come home everyday exhausted, depressed, angry and irritable. I'm so unhappy. I feel like I'm paralyzed by senioritis and I just can't concentrate on anything anymore. I need to take a break from schooling and spend the time doing things I want to do. Revitalize and recharge myself...because at the moment I feel like I'm falling to pieces!


I strongly suggest taking a year off. You clearly have more pros than cons, and that should be a red flag right there! I wish more people would take at least a year off before they went off to college. I still consider myself a kid, and I consider most of my friends kids, too (not that we're immature, I just feel like we're too young to be adults yet!). Two of my best friends are literally leaving the day after graduation off to college and I'm besides myself about it! I can't picture myself at college yet, so therefor, I don't think it's smart to go yet!

I know you'll make the right decision!

 

[eli marie]

wow dior couture 1245 you sound exactly like me! I'm 17 also (turning 18 in september) and completely miserable in school at the moment. I am desperate to graduate and to experience the 'real world'. I'm taking a year off and despite the crazy looks I get from everyone I tell, I'm really looking forward to it. I have -no- idea what I want to major in college and I don't want to bum around for four years hoping I'll stumble across my calling. I'm so happy I found this thread! It's so encouraging

 

[gius]

i'm feeling the same as you two so incredibly burnt out + still have to keep going ... but ... i am about to finish college & afterwards , i'd never consider it "taking a break" but i am going to work more on my portfolio as well... and then travel east for a mentorship rather than more conventional schooling

 

[notbeth84]

I did and i would highly recommend it, although you have to be committed to go back to school, you do get lazy.

 

[adorefaith]

i found that when the time was right i wanted to go back to school. i think you get to a point where you feel like you need more stimulation and if you've found something you're excited to study, and you feel like you've had as much time off as you need, you actually feel motivated to go back. of course it might take a little 'push' to get started but i think for the most part when you're ready to go back, you know you're ready. and you actually do a lot better because you want to be there. at least that was my experience.

 

[espritDEcouture]

I was in the same boat last year (well, September). Some schools (ie Princeton) are encouraging their students to take a year off so that they can gain more insight and maturity. Plus, if you're taking a heavy courseload you might be feeling a little burnt out, which is obviously not a very good way to head into college. I'd definitely take the year off (and I sort of regret that I didn't). Use that year to learn a new language, community service, travel, basically something that will help you grow as an individual. It's advantageous as you won't have bothersome details to worry about like projects, etc, etc.

 

[scatterak]

i swear you've read my mind!

i have been considering taking a year off as well. i'm a junior right now and my parents were considering moving to pakistan for a year after i graduate. i'm excited for the chance to be somewhere else, take in new people and sights, breathe a little. i'm taking the most challenging classes my school offers, plus extra-curriculars, plus a job, so i hardly even have time to sit down and eat.

i'm hoping in that year to make lots and lots of art, practice my photography, read as much as possible and improve my french and persian.

what i was wondering was: do i apply now and defer a year or wait to return and then apply?

 

[adorefaith]

personally i'd apply now and defer, unless you think your chances are terrible and are going to be significantly better next year [although from the sounds of things, you'd be very attractive to universities right now]..

 

[justlooking]

you know i'm in my fifth year of uni and i only just feel like i'm 'maturing' in the sense of being really ready to be genuinely (cr ap, i've forgotten how to spell that word) interested and absorbing information. It made me think i should have taken a gap year.

But a gap year will only be useful if you truly make it useful and do something productive. You have to have a plan, whether it be travelling and volunteering or getting a bit of work experience. Learning a language, etc. Whatever your interests are. There would be nothing worse than it being just an extended holiday. But it looks like you've thought about that ...you just have to ensure that you stick to your plans but then you've also thought about the cons.

on the otherhand, taking a break can work against you...you become used to not being in a regular, academic routine. Some people find it hard to refocus. But then again, if you're exhausted from your school experience so far, you can defocus anyway.

Maybe you could go one year and if you felt like you really do need a break, you could defer for a year and go back the year after.

If you really want to travel, I just want to say (which i'm sure you already know) that you can always go on exchange during your studies and use that time to meet new people and explore new places while studying (perhaps even taking a lighter load) at the same time. I had the best time on exchange and met fantastic people while still progressing through my degrees.

It's a tough choice but you're approaching it in the best way possible! good luck!

 

[Blondes]

I think taking a year off is a good idea if one really does something with that year that will be valuable for ones future education and career. I know too many people who took a year off because they "didn't know what they wanted to do". After a year of working at the local grocery store or laying on a beach in Thailand, they were none the wiser, and in many cases that year has grown into two or three.

Also keep in mind that the year you "loose" in terms of career, retirement savings etc, is not your first year out of college/uni, but the last year before you retire - when your income is likely the highest. In Sweden it's becoming an issue that people from my generation will not have decent retirement savings, because they don't enter the workforce until they are almost 30 and won't have enough years to put enough money in.

 

[baBidoLL]

I graduated from high school a year early and well, it really all depends on how you utilize your time. At first you may feel so excited about this whole year ahead of you to reach all these goals, but in reality most of those things probably won't get done. You may think you're going to spend it productively and do all these things but mostly it'll just make you lazy because you have nothing you NEED to do. You can easily skip volunteering or yoga. No one is forcing you to do anything so unless you're very disciplined or your parents force you to do things, you will probably end up sitting at home most of the time. You will see less and less of your friends and probably drift from them because school is very convenient for seeing friends everyday, or for those going to college, you'll hear about all the fun they're having and all the new things they're experiencing and feel like you're missing out. When you're not in school the only way to really keep in touch with friends whom you're not extremely close to, as in call/text them everyday, is through Facebook, in my opinion. This is how I've stayed in touch with some friends that I don't even see anymore, even though we're in the same city..it's just that I don't see them everyday at school, eat lunch with them, or even see them in the halls so there's nothing really to talk about.

I think the best thing to do if you're planning on taking a year off is to get a full time job and stick with it this time you're taking off is productive. I mean how often can you take yoga classes or fencing classes or volunteer? And how many hours would that even fill up in a day? I don't think you're gonna want to volunteer or take classes every single day so you'll have a lot of days where you have nothing to do. Although it's going to be difficult to find a full time job because, as I found, no one wants to hire 17 year olds without any experience and the only jobs you can really get are hostessing at restaurants. Right now during the day I usually help my parents out at their restaurants and volunteer but still I have a lot of time on my hands.

About taking time off to study for the SATs, I said the same thing to my parents, that I would take time to study for the SATs I'd be taking in November, but really, how much time does that involve? A couple hours per month maybe? More often than not you will see the SAT book but choose to get on the internet or watch TV (if you're like me). You don't even realize how much time you have until you're trying to fill up the hours in your day.

Good things- I've been able to travel whenever I want to, basically do whatever I want when I want, i.e. if I want to go shopping at 10 am on a Monday, I can, better relationships with my parents since I'm with them so often.

All in all, I'm glad I graduated early just because I didn't want to go to school for another pointless year, but that was my main reason for graduating early and your reasons are different. Sorry this sounded harsh but I'm trying to give you the most honest opinion I can so you can learn from my experience.

 

[Diorlover]

I left school in September, I had applied to a university, and had goten my place and everything. But at the last minute I decided not to go, I just had a realistaion that I was taking out **** loads of loans, to go to a university that I wasn't particularly fond of, to study a subject I absolutley hated.

Luckily a week later I found a full time job, where I have been working ever since. Its not the most fulfilling job, but i'm glad I didnt go to university, all my life i've been pushed to study subjects i despise, and to pick a career that would bore me to death. I've taken this time to really think about what I want to do, I want to go into buying, and have applied to an access course at LCF that takes place in September. But now I think I could do a foundation degree, but I would have to apply for that this September. So I will probably go to uni when I am 20. Which I have to admit I am a little freaked at, as I dont want to be the oldest there.

I am a little sad that I didn't get to go uni with my friends, who all went straight after school. But most of them are not happy with the sujects they are studyig. None of them really thought uni through, they didnt think about the money they are wasting, or about the jobs they want to do in the future (most of them want to do jobs, that have absolutley nothing to do with their degrees). Every time ask them "hows uni going" they say, "i cant wait till its over". MOst of my friends like me arn't the richest people in the world. So I think if they had taken a year out working, they would be in much better financial positions too.

 

[Cicciolina]

Taking a year off between highschool and uni - it's probably something more common in Britain and other Commonwealth countries (we call it a Gap year) and I wish I had done it myself.

It's great that you've drawn up a list of pros and cons. Personally I wish I had done it myself - so I had time to mature a bit before plunging myself again in serious study, and using up precious time (money, and grades!) muddling through what I really wanted to do!

As others have pointed out, you really need to plan your year though. A year sounds like a long time but it will go very fast. Spending time at home just 'relaxing' and having a rest sounds good and all, but when that one day becomes a week, and then a month, and then next thing you know it's almost gone. I've heard a couple of stories about that - friends of friends who have taken a year off before uni with the aim to travel and broaden their mind, but in the end they stay at home and find a receptionist job, and don't feel like they have achieved anything they have set out to in the start.

So definitely write up a plan of what you would do in your year off - travel, job, SATs, etc, and what you want to get out of it when you've completed it. Good luck