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 Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 4:27 pm
I am currently a freshman in high school and the school year is almost over, meaning I need to get my schedule for next year all up and finalized ASAP. Here's the trouble:
I've been thinking about getting all of the credits I need during sophomore and junior year so I can graduate early and take senior year off before going to college (taking more classes during where lunch or chorus might normally be). From what I've discerned, most people think this is a bad idea because statistics show that people who wait a year before going to college (either finishing early or simply waiting) often don't go back to college.
I don't plan on getting a job here and working out of my parent's house, as that kind of rut seems to drive the Don't-Go-Back-To-College Train, but after talking to my counselor it seems colleges need a good reason for taking off for a year. I was going to go around, explore. Get used to being on my own. A friend of mine might be doing the same thing so we were thinking about heading around together. Then head back and get our noses back on the grindstone once a year is up.
So I suppose my question is: What does anyone else think about this?
A good idea? Or just a child's folly?
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Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 4:39 pm
I personally think that it's wayyyy to early. Sure it sounds like a crap ton of fun, and it is, but it forces you to grow up too quickly...I lost friends like that my senior year and I missed them.
You do have to realize that it's extremely difficult with this economy that it's hard to live on just a small amount of salary. I lived on my own for 6 months, had a job, paid for my room, the electricity, water, cell phone, internet and by the end I actually had no money to have the fun I really wanted. I ended up losing my job, and moved back with my parents. I didn't like it, but it gives me time to save money, and have any fun I want without having to worry about "big bills"
When I saw all my friends having fun in college I found out that they were in deep holes of debt from all the student loans they took out.
And for you being so young you can't take out any loans, get a credit card, or even drive yet.
As for people saying that it's hard to go back to College once you take a semester or year off. It's not necessarily true, if you have the motivation and the willingness to go back you will. I took off a semester and I'm slamming a math class and english class for the summer and fall at my college. It's a bad idea, but I'm making up for lost time in order to get into the Radiology tech program.
It's just a phase sweetie. Enjoy what you have now before the real world comes to bite ya. heart
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Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 6:19 pm
Well, I wasn't exactly planning on settling down and getting a job. The plan isn't really finalized yet, or at all. But it was a plan.
I was thinking about going around in a van or something, so that I wouldn't have to pay room and board and all that jazz. It sounds very romanticized, and it kind of is. But would something like that maybe work out?
I keep rethinking this and the more I do, it sounds silly. But then I rethink it again and it seems like it could work and probably help me out later. It might just be a phase, and if it is I'm still grateful for the advice, but it's a direction that I need to decide for now if I'm going to do it at all.
I can switch to a more conventional track later if I want, but to have the option, I need to set things up now.
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Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 8:13 pm
I think that sounds like a bad idea. For one thing, it's true that most people who say they're just going to take a year off don't end up going to college. For another thing, traveling and living out of a van is not usually free or easy. You would need to buy a van, you would need car insurance, you would have to pay for gas, you would have to pay for food, you would have to pay to do your laundry, you wouldn't be able to bring a whole lot without you (especially if you need room in the van to sleep and to have a friend with you), you might have to pay to park your van in some places (free parking or free overnight parking is hard to find in some areas), you'd need to find somewhere to shower and brush your teeth (which may or may not be free), you'd probably want a cell phone (especially in case you broke down), etc. All that adds up. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if that all added to be at least as much as settling down and renting anyway. So how could you afford all that without a job, and yet, if you got a job, you couldn't be traveling very far or for very long in a van. Not to mention that that kind of lifestyle can get very dangerous very fast (what if you got a flat tire in the middle of nowhere, what if someone smashed your windows while you were sleeping, what would you do if you had no money for food?). And you might not even be able to get a hotel room on your own if you really needed it if you'd be under 18 when you were travelling. Heck, I don't even think you can get your license if you're under 18 anymore where I live. I was 17 when I finished high school, and I finished on time. So I only would have been 16 if I finished a year early.
So I highly recommend going to college right after high school. Whether you finish high school early or not is up to you. It's not a probably bad idea if you're sure you can handle it and do well in all your classes. It may show colleges that you are motivated and can handle a lot being on your plate. You could go part-time, or take a lot of fun classes your first semester, or get a fun part-time job or internship, or travel during summer vacation, etc. if you want to keep things kind of casual and have some fun.
If you really don't want to college right away, then at least don't travel around in a van for a year unless you have a lot of money that you can spend and not miss.
Don't forget that if you can get a well paying job after/instead of college, then you'll get time off, and you'll be able to afford the occasional vacation, and you'll be able to be a lot more safe and comfortable during that vacation than you would be in a van anyway. So it's not like the year after high school will be your only chance to do that stuff.
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Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 8:52 pm
I wouldn't take a year off after high school then go to college. Why not take AP classes or by your junior/senior year when you don't need as many classes take a night class or two at the local community college. Or look into a middle college high school to get college credits. Another thing, do you know what you want to major in while at college? I found it's better to know what you do want to major in rather than just take classes then later find what you want to do. You could also get a part time job when you are old enough to work so you could save up to eventually move out when you are an adult.
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Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 10:24 pm
On the contrary, I think that waiting before starting college is smart because of a few reasons. First, you have time to really think about what you want to do, instead of just going to college for something and finding out later you really don't want to do it. I think it's very important to really be passionate about what you'll be studying and to really look into it. Maybe do volunteer work if possible.
I didn't go to school for almost 2 years after I finished High School, and while I still ended up doing something I ended up not wanting to do, I did work in the field a bit before really figuring that out, and I'm going back to college (if all goes according to plan) this fall.
You don't want to waste money, especially because with loans you have to pay that back with interest.
Not to mention taking that time to get to know myself as an adult was really beneficial, and I was able to concentrate more on school rather than do what a lot of kids I know did, which was partied and experimenting with things WHILE they were going to school.
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Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 1:02 am
I sit on the fence, because I've been on both sides. I graduated high school in 2004, and immediately started college in the fall. I've been fortunate enough to have my education paid for, so I was able to experiment and take whatever classes I wanted because I didn't yet know what I wanted to do.
I did 2 years of college before I moved away from home for the first time. I missed the intake period for the local university (they only had it once a year), so I had a year off while I worked and waited for the next year's intake period. I don't remember if my family freaked out, because at the time it kind of couldn't be helped.
I did 1 year of university before I moved again, originally planning to do some distance education with a different major before that had to be scrapped, due to the university cancelled the distance education courses I needed to take. I had another year off from school at this point, and this is when I remember my parents freaking about me potentially not going back to school. (There's a long story behind this that I won't go into.)
When my parents found another university closer to home, with the program I wanted to get into, I moved once more and finally finished my post-secondary education.
Throughout the course of my post-secondary education, I was in school for 5 of the 7 years after my high school graduation. I switched majors twice, going from general studies (college) to psychology (university #1), to social work (university #2). I am glad that I had the breaks that I had, because both were instrumental in me deciding what I wanted to do with myself. Part of it came from exposure to what was available to take in terms of classes, and part of it came from life experience and this guild, actually.
There are pros and cons to taking a year off before going to college, including:
(Pros)
- If you can work and save money/get the money from another source, you can experience things while you are still young enough and have fewer responsibilities to do so.
- You might experience things that give you an idea of what you want to do with yourself in college.
(Cons)
- Colleges/post-secondary institutions/future employers may question why you took a year off between high school and post-secondary.
- You might not be able to make the money needed for traveling/living on your own if you are not able to get a better job (one that would come with more education). This would depend on where your education funding is coming from though. (Such as in my case, I didn't work for most of the time I was in post-secondary because my parents were paying for my tuition.)
- You might lose the motivation to go back to school.
There's more, but it's late and that's all I can come up with at the moment. The final choice is yours, of course. All I can suggest is that if you do decide to take a year off, and you have an idea of what you'd like to do in college, try to keep doing something related to that field during your year off - volunteer work, something online, work with an organization, etc. Then post-secondary schools and possible employers can see that you are still dedicated and willing to take your education seriously.
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Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 4:19 pm
Thank you to everyone for their advice about this! (And to those who might voice their ideas later.)
I'm still not sure what I'm going to do for now, although I do have a much better (and appreciated) sense of the BIG picture. I think I'll set myself up to do this for next year, but not too much that I can't handle in case I decide to do all 4 years and graduate with my class. Decisions, decisions....
Ah mi. I'll just have to wait and think it over some more. After all, I've got two more years at least, right? ^^
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Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 11:12 pm
SK233 Thank you to everyone for their advice about this! (And to those who might voice their ideas later.) I'm still not sure what I'm going to do for now, although I do have a much better (and appreciated) sense of the BIG picture. I think I'll set myself up to do this for next year, but not too much that I can't handle in case I decide to do all 4 years and graduate with my class. Decisions, decisions.... Ah mi. I'll just have to wait and think it over some more. After all, I've got two more years at least, right? ^^ Oh that's right, you're grade 10 now. So yeah, you're right, you have 2 more years to think about it. 3nodding I don't know how it works down in the US, but grades 11 and 12 are the years when marks really start to count, especially grade 12. So you never know, something may happen between now and your high school graduation that will help you make your decision - maybe you'll get good enough grades to get scholarships to a college/university of your choice; maybe you'll do an exchange program and travel abroad; maybe you'll decide to work after high school to save money for where you want to go/what you want to do. It's hard to say, since it's still a couple of years away as you said. But at least there's no major pressure in the immediate future. Best of luck to you and whatever you decide! Keep us posted?
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