Thoughts on taking a year off?

Question

I'm a high school senior right now. I'll be graduating in June. I want to go to college, but I'm considering taking a year off. I just want to get a taste of the "real world", like getting a job and paying bills and stuff like that. But I've been told that it can be hard to get back into the swing of things.

Another thing is, I want to go to college for Creative Writing/Journalism. So this year, I took College Prep Writing. Now, I'm so tired of writing essays. I'm questioning if I should major in that course when a do go to college. Any thoughts?

Answer 1

I joined the navy right out of high school, so that gave me 4 years before I started college. I started classes right after I got out of the service, then I took a year off.... Then another... Then one more........ I'm 27 and I haven't finished my degree yet, I have a year and a half left for my BA. My advice... Knock it out as fast as you can, because your mid twenties are going to be the years you "experience life" and "find yourself," not when you are 18 and 19....

Take your general courses that are required and will equal up to about 2 years work first, because those are going to be the easier classes that most likely don't require as much of the essays you mentioned being burnt out on :)... Plus it gives you two more years to think about what you truely do want to major in!

Best of luck!

Answer 2

First, I would say do not take a year off. It is unbelievably difficult to pick up again when you stop. It's not just that way with school, look at any sports or activities you might have done, anything you stopped and just could not pick back up? It is so difficult to get back in the swing of things and get motivated once you took some time off. So please, reconsider this for your own sake and just go on to college.

Second, at most 4 year schools/universities, you have the first two years before you have to decide on a major. You can take prep classes or other intro classes to just about anything. If you know what you want to do then go for it, if you are having second thoughts, try out other courses in that major or even a different one.

The best thing to do is go to school right away after graduation, at least give it a year, take intro courses, meet new people, live away from home, you could take out loans so you are paying your own bills (that real life experience you wanted) and just try out higher education. If you don't like it, you don't have to continue and you can try and find a job then.

Best of luck.

Answer 3

My college and career teacher talked about this last year! I haven't walked through that path yet so what I voice may not be completely reliable (still a junior in hs). But my teacher said he took a year off after he graduated. He said it's a good way to learn more about your own interests (trying different jobs and stuff like that) and at the same time provide you more time to think about what you want to major in. It's not a wise choice to just enter college, feeling doubtful about what you want to major in. First, it wastes time and second, it wastes money (tuition). When you want to switch majors, you have to petition and all that (got that from another teacher).

Oh! I also read in an article that some students claim that taking a year off is a great way to release the stress accumulated during the years of high school. That way they could start college anew with a rejuvenated spirit and eagerness to learn. That actually might be true, because I've noticed how motivated I used to be, but now, after three years of high school, I feel myself wearing down (not just physically but mentally as well). I don't shoot as high any more, and I find myself thinking more and more about sleep. Perhaps I should also consider taking a break...

And about what you said: "it can be hard to get back into the swing of things," I guess it depends on how well you adapt? I have trouble adjusting to new environments so it might be hard for me if I take a whole year off. But if during the year I really do manage to liberate myself of high school stress and if I start missing school, then whatever it takes to adjust, I will probably do okay.

About your major, you should ask yourself whether you're willing to spend your whole life with writing. If it tires you out now, it might tire you out in the future when writing becomes your job. I love drawing, but I realize when I draw too often, I get tired of it too. I think doing something way too often will always get tedious and tiring, even if it's something you like. Although I get tired of art sometimes, I still want to do something related to it in the future, because I know I enjoy it.

Answer 4

On taking a year off, do what your heart tells you. From a logistical perspective, if you use this time to gain experience in your chosen field, it is absolutely not a problem. If you don't get lazy and just wither away in your time off, it will not be hard to get back into the thing.

And, college essay writing is so different from regular essay writing, so don't write them off totally! Plus many colleges give you leeway in the choices you take to complete a major so if you'd rather take more poetry classes than essay classes you can and still in the end get a journalism/creative writing degree.

Good luck!

Answer 5

Taking a year off will make it very difficult to recover later. By taking the year off you will forget a lot of the material you been studying all this time to prepare you for college. You may consider going to college part time, but even that will be a waste of time. I trully encourage you to go to college full time, and take your time to decide on your major. Maybe get a part time job, and trust me paying bills and the real life is not all that great. :D

Please enjoy your school and college life because you will have the rest of your life to live the real life, with bills, and work...

Try not to grow too quick.

Answer 6

I think that if you are taking a year to do something specific, that's fine, and you will know when the year is over and it is time to go back to school. If, however, you just want a "year off", it is very easy to fall into a trap of doing nothing, and harder to get out of it.