Depends on how close you are to graduating. I graduated a non-traditional student, after laying off for nearly SEVEN YEARS :shake:, I don't recommend that. If you do take time off to take a break be sure not to get stuck in a rut that would keep you from going back. In retrospect, I would have probably been better off had I finished much sooner then I did, however, it did give me some perspective and afforded me some time to "grow up" a bit.

Welfare and food stamps will keep ya goin', so no need to worry about finishing school at all.




However, better advice is probably more like: Stay focused, learn to postpone this reward and in the long run you will probably be glad you did.

Going for the "gratification now" decisions has been problematic for some people in their lives.

Good luck.

FWIW, Bob Dole took 8 years off and still managed to finish.

:thumb:
It is possible. :)

To quote Van Halen, "C'mon baby finish what you started".

Took me 20 years to get my bachelors. I'd definitely do some things differently if I coulds do it all over again.

I knew several people who 'took time off' during college, but can't remember any that came back.

Stick it out and graduate.

It took me 10. The only people I saw do it in 4 were the ones that had their folks paying the bills.

Yep; once I had to invest some of my own $$$ I was much more motivated to finish.

This answer to this question really depends on your circumstances. You sound like you are planning to switch majors and or schools. It is likely that you will lose a semester just by doing that, plus the semester you plan to sit out. Depending on your circumstances this could be the right decision or a waste of a year. As you finish this Spring semester, you really need to narrow down your career choices. Based on that you will find yourself in one of two camps:

A. You need to have specialized training at the UG level for your career choice. If your current school does not offer this degree, or is of questionable quality, changing schools might be the right choice. In that case, since you missed application deadlines for Fall Semester, you might as well sit out a semester.

B. Many types of UG degrees can provide entry into the field of your choice, or you still have no idea what you want to do. There are many examples of this, law school for one. Just finish your degree where you are now. View it as chore that needs to be finished so you can get on with what you really want to do. Study abroad for a semeter if you need a fresh scene (these also have long lead time application deadlines). The main idea is to get the UG behind you. Now you can take some time to relax, travel, try out some different jobs. You may need to go to grad school to get the training for your dream job. You have to have your UG finished to do that.

I wouldn't change schools without a real academic reason for doing so, and I definitely wouldn't change schools or sit out a semester without a firm academic plan leading to a career of high interest. The costs and risks are too high to undertake without a tangible benefit.

I kinda get the feeling that this is being brought on more by personal issues than academic issues. Forgive me if I'm completely wrong, but this is my take:

You broke up with the bf... life seems like it's in the dumps.... a little depression sets in... bf has moved to TX and makes an attempt to resurrect old feelings.... that doesn't work.... a little more depression... Feelings of getting away and starting over set in...

In this type of situation, a change of location always seems like the best solution at first. The whole "grass is greener" idea... But make sure it's really needed, and that you're doing it for the right reasons. I would take some time and seriously think it over before taking a semester off and/or move away. You may need less time to get over this than you think...

I'd recommend sticking it out there.... or at least ponder the situation over spring break before making any decisions.....

Taking a semester off is a bad thing. Tough it out and get through school. You say you want to finish school but after 7 months of 'finding' ones self, getting back into the groove is going to be terribly difficult and I'd say the vast majority never go back.

Don't take the time off. I also know several that decided to take another semester off, and eventually never went back. If your tired and unsure, take some classes that you will need anyway no matter if you change majors,
go half time and work.

Don't quit!!
Take it from someone that quit 3-4 times...it's a real bitch to go back. After having the time off, it's really hard to get back in the swing of things. :shake:

me too, most people i knew in college who took some time off never came back...

hell, one of my sons took a semester off and never went back...

Depends on ones personality; it was actually easier for me to get back into the swing of things once I did go back. I think it was because I was a bit older and had a chance to mature, but like I said that was nearly SEVEN YEARS later, and I don't recommend that long a lay-off.