Do I take some time off??
 

I'm stuck ... trying to make decisions, declare majors and figure out what I want to do and where I want to be in life. For those of you that have been through college, is it okay to take a semester off... kind of a find yourself semester to do whatever, travel.... relax etc. I have saved some money up and I'm thinking of taking of next fall semester to do my own thing. Would you reccommnd something like this? I have ambition to finish school, so that's out of the question... but I don't want to feel like I'm bailing out when I'm on a roll. Helpppppppppp.

Study abroad. It's like taking a semester off.

I took all the semesters off so I guess one is alright

I've known many a person who just, "took a semester off" and never went back.

Nose to the grindstone and be done with it.

Some people say when you take time off of school it's hard to get back into it. But I took a year off of high school and still went to college.

On second thought, maybe skipping school isn't such a good idea.

I'd say don't do it. Don't know what everyone else would think but I'd say no. Kind of a risky move, a lot of people say they're going to take time off and never properly get back into it.

I wouldn't do it. You never know what might happen during that semester off.

I know (From personal Experience ) What could happen


http://parsonscorner.8m.com/fetus.gif

Aren't you going to be a teacher? I like teachers. They make you do it over and over until you get it right.

If you are on a roll, don't take a semester off, you might get on a roll doing something else and not get back into it until its too late.

Stay in school qt, don't put it off. Getting back in the swing of things is tough.

Thats not why I didn't finish school, but I will say that the pill and patch are not my friend.

That's what I was talking about. But hell you can do that either way.

15 years ago I took a little time off before going to college.

Not that the lack of college is hampering my career, but if your career of choice requires that piece of paper don't take time off. Finish up with a promise to take 6mo off afterwards. Reward yourself for completing, don't reward yourself for being unable to finish.

Just go and get the shit done so you don't have it hanging over your head.

My advice is to not leave, seen to many leave and never go back. If you are doubting your major then depending on how far along you have been in school should decide that. And unless you are going into a specilized field (medical doctor, lawyer, etc.) more than likely your degree may play a part in the first job out of college but that is about it. After that it is who you know and what you have done 90% of the time.

Besides isn't Spring Break coming up? Take some time off there and go wild. Come back refeshed ... Oh and take picures :D

I took a semester off and it was the best move I made.

I went back the next semester refreshed and actually did a ton better in my classes.

Do it.

I guess the real reason for wanting a break is wanting to get out of Sonoma County. All the schools I would like to transfer to the deadlines have passed. I'm ready for chnage... not necessarily getting out of school.... as going to a Community College wouldn't be out of the question for fall... it's not school as much as it is a "break" from this area. Because I have more recently come to the conclusion that I want out... I'm sort of stuck...so to say... in attending another university in the fall. I would have to start Spring. So...say I stay in school (Fall2006 Community College) then Spring 07 University... would that make a difference in the whole time off thing????

Cute... very cute. :p

Sometimes you need a break, you will come back refreshed if you are determined to finish school.

Sweet! My second chance tonight to pimp Austin! You should transfer to UT and enjoy more Texas fishing! Are you looking to leave California entirely or something less drastic?

I am completely. Life's just kinda thrown me for a loop and I want to get out and see new things. I guess coming from a town with the population sitting at just below 2,000 and start to look around at all these lifers and think... I want something else...something different...something new.

FHSU...then we can become friends. Maybe even friends with benefits..but I don't know if we will have enough time. :)

I'm actually all applied to UTPA for fall 06 and was planning on moving there in June to be with my (ex) boyfriend again.... however shit hit the fan. So... now everything is chaotic.

Trust me I did it for a semester and it was nice to not worry about schooling for a bit, considering ive been nonstop. Yeha you kinda don't want to go back, but if you are not a lazy person to begin with you will go back and continue it like you were, but alot better and focuised, just please take advantage of the time and make use of it and relax and have some fun!

That's what I'm thinking.

What are you looking to study? I wouldn't think UTPA would be my first choice... way too limited on your choices and EDINBURG TEXAS??? That is WAY too small of a town.

Plus, if you like college football... UT (the REAL one) is hard to beat on game day. (of course U-M is still the absolute best)

Alot of students come here and go to ACC ( a damn good community college) then transfer to UT... UT and ACC have worked out a system to match up classes for exact 1-1 transfers of credit.

Otherwise... I would suggest San Diego... good town but expensive.

--Kyle

Study a broad?

Like a broad woman?

No thanks - me would stay in school.

Actually, for me it had nothing to do with lazy either, it had to do with the fact that I got the job I wanted to do, and none of the classes left had any interest to me what so ever.

Me is wondering if you is teh ghey. :hmmm:

Semester at Sea.

It would be pretty easy to get busy working and never go back.

Why can't you take a trip during the summer? You've already got three months off at that time, assuming that your school doesn't do one of those weird trimester systems.

I say suck it up and finish school.

I think you're probably just pouting about the bf thing.

If you were a dude, I'd say "walk it off".

Stay in school. Just get 'er done. It gets harder as you get older. If it is the bf thing just "walk it off".

I really don't know all that much about transfering undergrad schools. Though it does seem that schools can be a bit picky about which credits transfer. In particular later in school and community college credits.

I seem to remember you having pretty good grades. Maybe take a semester off and try to upgrade what school you are at while moving somewhere else at the same time?

How far away are you from graduating at your current school?

Best advice right there. Go somewhere and learn a foreign language- something that will be useful no matter what career you enter.

If you want to do it, do it. If your heart isn't in it, it's hard for your head to be. Why ruin your GPA? Use the semester off to find out what you really wanna do with your life, as you mentioned, and clear your head. Then go back, and do it. You'll be fine.

Drop out of school, become a stripper, take lots of pictures, get a website domain [godaddy.com], and launch your new career this semester off.

I mean, LOTS of pictures.

That's a great idea. I kept putting it off and never did it. I really regret it.

best thing to motivate you to get an education

i grew up in a town of 4099... well, it was 4,100... but I had to go. Peace out, Small town.

Personally, I'd stick it out and graduate first. You never know where life may take you. You never know where you'll end up or for how long. Things happen. Life happens. I'd go wandering after I got my diploma. That way, if you find someplace you want to stay (or someone you want to stay with), then you don't have to worry about going back. It'll be done. Then you won't end up with the woulda coulda shoulda syndrome.

All of this is just my $.02. We're two different people. I tend to follow my head instead of my heart. Whatever you do, do what makes you happy.

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.

I think you should try out for the Chiefs cheerleading squad. You don't have to have any brains or looks to land a job there. You'll get to see the world and experience lots of things like stalkers and stalkers and sometimes an ocassional stalker.

**** no, keep going you seen the movie van wilder??? Well I have been going to college since 98, Take as many classes as possible that you can handle and be done with it... Shit, I only take one to two classes a semester and wish I could finish now.. Granted I only five classes left, then a masters to work on.. Man I will never be done..

This probably didn't help...

I think it's possible to go back.

mostly because you'll see how shitty your options are without a degree and feel forced to go back.

but it can be quite a financial setback

Study a broad. Why is that funny coming from you? :p

No get to work!!!!

Dave

ROFL

If you take a semester off....get a job that sucks alot.

Maybe spend a semester as a yard monkey at a local junk yard.

College will never look better to you, than after you've spent a summer in a nasty, back breaking job.

Off topic, but I occasionally get resumes from new graduates where they hammer hammer hammer the fact that they've traveled. Maybe it's just jealousy on my part, but when I see that, I just think "spoiled rich kid", which is probably not the image they're trying to communicate.

Just the opposite in my case. All the traveling I have done has contributed to me never establishing a real career or having money or medical insurance. Of course that has been my choice so I am not complaining.

Upon further review....

Quit college. Let someone else, have those college loans and get out in the workforce and start paying taxes!

Buy a house....fix some roads, pay for a school.

I took a semester off, and now I'm 30 and still have till December for my bachelors, then however much longer to get my masters before I start my career (teaching). Once you are out, you do so many things that make it hard to get back in, gaining debt being one of them. I've known far too many people who have done the semester off thing and never returned.
I find myself, almost nightly, laying in bed hating myself because I'm 30 and still at least 1.5 years from starting my career, while my fiance is already insanely succesful at hers.
Bottom line... stick with it, get it over with, and make the big decisions after you graduate when you have far more options for change.

ROFL
I have a job... and coach on the side AND pay taxes...so there! :p

Are you kidding me? Those bitches may have field level views but there's no way I can tack a smile on my face for three hours with my back turned away from the game the whole time.

You get to watch some of the game.

What do you coach?

6th-8th grade Volleyball

Yeah and the 90% I don't get to watch... get replaced with the view of drunk fans. Think: cheering while some fan... like Delt for example sitting front row drunk and rowdy. Not my idea of fun unless I'm throwing them down with him.

You can sit next to me. I'll even buy your beers for you.

I'll be 21 in one month... I can buy my own....... wooooooooooooohoooooooooo!

Ummm OK but if I buy, the beer would have been free.

Never seen a woman turn down free beer before. Wow.

I wasn't turning it down but I get free beer at Arrowhead... well the one time I've been there I did. :)