[Uncle Erik]

I sorta had to between undergrad and law school. Thanks to AP and a few college courses I took, I managed to get out of undergrad in seven semesters. I graduated in December, but law schools only enroll in the fall. So I had nine months off. I got qualified to be a substitute teacher and nearly started, but swung a paralegal job at a law firm downtown and worked there until I headed off to law school. It was a good time, made some money, and got some experience. However, I don't recommend interrupting studies if you can help it. If you have to, try to get a job in the field you're interested in. It'll help you later on.

 

[Nocturnal310]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Actual /img/forum/go_quote.gif Taking time off from school during undergrad/grad school seems to be more common now than ever at least between my friends and our parents. I will be taking a year off from school this year after two years of undergrad but am not really sure what to do to be honest. Would love to stay in school but in order to change my major I have to take time off to apply to a different degree program. What did you guys do? Travel, work, independent study? Combination of these or something else? What type of perspective did your time off give you? Did you find yourself returning to school with a leg up on your classmate who "stayed on track" or did you find yourself behind or having trouble concentrating?

If you feel you need to take a break then do go ahead...it ll help you discover yourself & what drives u.

remember...great leaders & winners never followed anyone.

u know Steve jobs rite? he deliberately got out of school..he spent few years roaming around learning stuff..eventually we know today what he is... a living legend.

My friend also took a one year break after high school before joining college.

i also took up a course in Accounting & Finance instead of entering Degree programme...basically a break.

i learnt hell lot of stuff & today i have a Gaming portal in formation..i couldt have learnt all this if i was in College/school occupied with burden of studies.



Life is all about discovering yourself & your strengths.

 

[chesebert]

unless your reason is to work, for money or experience, taking time off school is not recommended.

 

[FrederikS|TPU]

I took a year off worked for a computer manufacturer, it was great meat a lot of nice people and learned a lot about how to run a business. It depends a lot on who you are, but generally I think that it is a good idea to take a break from school and experience other things.

In two weeks I will be starting school again. And hopefully I will get my master in civil engineering "design and innovation" within 5 years. I don't plan taking time off during the study except if it is to study abroad.

 

[mofonyx]

ditto travel

ditto work

why don't you do both? Work in Japan. There, you can get all the raw denim you'll ever need!

 

[britishbane]

I took a year off after graduating from college. I worked, it sucked. I realized I liked school, so I'm going back. Grad school in Italy...its gonna be awesome.

 

[Sherwood]

I did both of these things: a year off in the middle and a year off at the end.

The year in the middle was hell. I worked 60 hours a week as a commission salesman and I made money. If you take it off, it has to suck worse than college to be worth it.

The year after school I packed up and moved to Turkey to teach English. Got back one month ago, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I visited 11 countries, learned a language, lost 20 pounds, generally lived a wonderful life. Now it's back to school.

My advice, from someone who did and someone who didn't: wait until the end for fun, either way your next year should be hard work.