Taking a gap year in the middle of college

firecrotch

firecrotch

Active member
Has anyone done it? I took one before college and it was amazing, now I am finishing my sophomore year and I feel like i'm burning out and I gotta do something else for a while. I haven't really written out a pros and cons list yet but I probably will soon because if I decide to do it I should start talking to my advisor.

The main negative about the gap year is that I would graduate later than all of my friends and have to bail on the kids I am planning on rooming with next year. The main negative about staying for another year is that I haven't been feeling at all stoked or motivated to do school work.

I'm out here spiraling back and forth and pretty much 50/50 on what I want to do. any thoughts, stories, advice, or anecdotes would be mad helpful
 
I also wanted to take a year off in the middle of college but was talking out of it. People told me if I did it would be way harder to get back into it. If you're lacking motivation now then who's to say you won't take a year off and then never finish.

I'm graduating this year and I'm hyped that I stuck with it and will finally be done!
 
You either become a ski bum and never go back to school or you learn a lot that motivates you in school. It could be pretty motivating to live on the minimum wage budget for a year.
 
Anyone who says "stay in school" is just a big wuss who is jealous they didn't take a gap year. Fuckin do it man, don't wait until you're old to ski bum. Graduating at 23 or 24 isn't going to disqualify you from life or anything.
 
13914320:Quaff said:
Anyone who says "stay in school" is just a big wuss who is jealous they didn't take a gap year. Fuckin do it man, don't wait until you're old to ski bum. Graduating at 23 or 24 isn't going to disqualify you from life or anything.
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I'm 28 just getting back in school. Going back to be a land surveyor. Stay in school. Trust me, it's much harder getting back into the swing of things.
 
13914263:obi_juan said:
I also wanted to take a year off in the middle of college but was talking out of it. People told me if I did it would be way harder to get back into it. If you're lacking motivation now then who's to say you won't take a year off and then never finish.

I'm graduating this year and I'm hyped that I stuck with it and will finally be done!
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Why were you thinking of taking a year off and why did you decide not to eventually?

13914320:Quaff said:
Anyone who says "stay in school" is just a big wuss who is jealous they didn't take a gap year. Fuckin do it man, don't wait until you're old to ski bum. Graduating at 23 or 24 isn't going to disqualify you from life or anything.
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Yeah thats what I've been thinking. But I also kinda just want to grind out the last two years then take off. So I dunno

13914437:JoeF2661 said:
I'm 28 just getting back in school. Going back to be a land surveyor. Stay in school. Trust me, it's much harder getting back into the swing of things.
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Did you go to school and then drop out for a while or did you stop school after high school? What is the hardest part of getting back into it?
 
Taking a gap year in the middle is way more difficult than before. A few things I can think of:

Its harder to bring yourself back

Your school may make you re-enroll after being off a year

It may be hard to get back into your specific major/college

If you have loans, you will have to start paying on them after 6 months

My degree did not allow me to even take summers off. Just push through it. Its worth finishing quickly. College is super fun and some of the best years of your life, but, being out of school and having a job and getting paid to work instead of paying my school to have me do school work is way better.
 
13914446:firecrotch said:
Did you go to school and then drop out for a while or did you stop school after high school? What is the hardest part of getting back into it?
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I took a some time off time. It was a pain in the ass getting in the swings of things again. Student loans didn't go anywhere and automatically I had wished I had just stuck it out. Your missing nothing by being in school. I know I sound old and like a parent but stay in school and if you are fortunate enough to have the privilege of a college education take advantage of it.
 
Truthfully I don't know a single person who took a "gap" year or "year off" mid college and ever returned. At best a couple of these folks scrambled to complete community college a few years later or are just going back now (8 years later). Why are they going back? Because they realized that factory or restaurant work or Daddy's business wasn't in their best financial interests or they wanted more out of life.

I can think of 10 people off the top of my head who left college for a year to "take a break". Only one of them is successful and is now a restaurant manager 6 years after leaving college.

If you leave college now can you still be successful? Absolutely! Will you return a year later? Probably not.

Don't leave school bud. Chances are you have a four year degree you're pursuing. Man up and grow a pair (unless you really don't care that much about getting any specific degree). College is a blast aside from the schoolwork, that let's be honest, most majors aren't that crazy challenging or work intensive anyway. Go to class the few hours a day you have classes, and get fucked up and hang with your buddies on the weekends. You don't need to study everyday either to pass either, if you're trying to go down the minimal effort route.
 
If you are genuinely concerned about burning out to the point where it will affect your education- not just grades, don't forget why you are there because I did and let me tell ya, it sucks to pay for useful information and forget it- fucking do it.

Life is long, and I would much rather graduate at 25 having taken advantage of everything you can in school than be 22, forget most of what you learned, and then struggle to find a career you're happy with because you never really figured out what you want to do with life. I'm currently about to take a very expensive victory lap because I burned out but thought I could push through until shit hit the fan. It's a snowball effect that sneaks up on you, so be careful.

BUT, if you're just bored, may as well get it over with if you aren't legitimately struggling.
 
14016689:ZippedNicer said:
Taking a break from studying is important, believe me. We all need to relax and clear our mind at one point. If you feel like taking a break, then do it as soon as possible, so when you get back to college, you'll be ready to study hard again. Things will get better once you order a thesis writing at http://www.essayontime.com.au/ in order to be ready for exams.
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Eteeth, please ban this bot.

But I really regret not taking off a summer to camp at Mt. Hood. I think a gap year would be pretty hard to come back from, but a gap summer is doable. That being said, I’m in school for another five years but no longer have the option of taking a summer off.
 
13914437:JoeF2661 said:
I'm 28 just getting back in school. Going back to be a land surveyor. Stay in school. Trust me, it's much harder getting back into the swing of things.
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he's taking a gap year not a gap decade
 
I dunno I'd rather just take off 2 spring semesters and ski and make up the credits in the summer/fall and not fall too far behind. Graduate in 5 years or so with 2-3 spring semesters 'off' sounds ideal.

Granted thats going to a college that isn't fun hypothetically like OP is hinting at. I went to a bomb ass school that was insanely fun I wouldn't give it up to bump chairs and life in employee housing.
 
A "gap" year would traditionally be taken at a gap, either between highschool/secondary and university or university and career. Taking a gap year in the middle of university is called dropping out.
 
14016762:PeppermillReno said:
I dunno I'd rather just take off 2 spring semesters and ski and make up the credits in the summer/fall and not fall too far behind. Graduate in 5 years or so with 2-3 spring semesters 'off' sounds ideal.
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If you were going to, best way to do it. That way you stay enrolled with a plan, get the best skiing without the BS. Gap year should be the year before you start college, gap in the middle will lead to dropping out what’s the point cuz then you have student debt on top of being broke.
 
About to graduate after 4 fckin years of university and would honestly say stick it out. Work hard during the summers so you can go on ski vacations during your reading weeks. Leaving for a year during the middle is prob not a good idea but taking a year before you go is always an option. Once I graduate I'm hoping to move out west for the winter season and shred/work.. but now that schools outa the way I won't have to worry lol
 
I was kicked out of school for a year and worked a minimum wage job and if working a minimum wage job doesn't motivate you to hit the books I don't know what will.
 
Guess it depends on why your taking the gap year. If your burnt out because your not interested in your classes and need time then I would not recommend it. If you enjoy your classes and just need a break thats different.
 
14554983:namfaseru said:
I don't know, I wouldn't recommend it.
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Yeah, pretty sure OP was still staring at his pros and cons list hoping somebody would bump this with some advice.

Be at peace OP, you can finally make a choice now
 
13914263:obi_juan said:
I also wanted to take a year off in the middle of college but was talking out of it. People told me if I did it would be way harder to get back into it. If you're lacking motivation now then who's to say you won't take a year off and then never finish.

I'm graduating this year and I'm hyped that I stuck with it and will finally be done!
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Yeah this tbh. During Covid I wanted to take some time off from school, but my parents convinced me to at least just take classes part time and get it done. Graduating this fall and tbh- glad I got it done. I would have been miserable coming back to school while my friends all moved on with thier lives.
 
Probably best to think about the benefits a year out would give you in relation to your study versus just getting it done. I studied my degree in The Netherlands and there a few of my classmates did take a year out in the middle of the degree. Some of those students came back super motivated to resume and better their studies, some just didn’t come back. At the end of the day there isn’t an objective answer. Try to take a step back from the situation, run it past family and friends, and make the decision that you feel is right.
 
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