BootsnAll Travel Community

I recently finished my first semester at college and am itching to leave academia and just do something non-academic related for once in my life. Even before college started I had the strong desire to do the gap year but decided to give college a shot. All throughout the semester I kept thinking of what I could be doing or where I could be traveling. Classes were meaningless and my outside opportunities were limited (rural ohio). I now have an incredibly strong desire to just do something for an extended period of time, just as long as it's not academic related. I need to clear my head and do something exciting. My dilemma is that I'm not sure whether to take a leave of absence, work, save up, and travel on my own for an extended period of time or do a study abroad program with my school and most likely have my financial aid cover it. The problem is, I don't want to do anything academic or anything that involves studying. On the other hand, I'm afraid that due to my lack of travel experience, a vagabonding trip for a few months may be too ambitious or too much to handle and that maybe a study abroad program would be a nice way to get my feet wet. I am utterly confused! Thank you for any and all advice.

Hi there, i can relate with your feeling as i was at the same shoe before. i took a shot to travel and do non-academic travel & adventure both at the same time. that was Fun and really change my prespectives.... i did it with a Gap-Year Activities program Abroad, unluckily it goes a bit rocky... but that part of the experience i guess!!!

Haven't regret it, finally luck still smiles on me when a fellow traveler rescue me and took me to the right Org. that makes my travel abroad experience a life -changing one.

"just returning the favor" incase you might want to know the Org. who help me with this memorable experiece in Southern Asia. drop me a line i can give you their contact details. argearion87@yahoo.com

Good Luck!

cooltravel

do it!! taking breaks from school to do cool things has been one of the better lifestyle choices i've made.

where are you going to school? you might find oberlin or antioch more exciting and conducive to adventures as well. good luck!

oberlin, eh? That's where I attend. The people are adventurous but the setting isn't exactly conducive for adventures. I just need a break from academia. What do you know about Antioch? That was one of my top choices but it never worked out. And thanks for the encouragement! I think I'm gonna do this.

I always think it is great to pursue something you want.

Small caveat...it is VERY hard to go back to school after being out of it for a while. (just think how hard it is after summer break) I am sure you have already, just think hard about that. Getting a degree is important (others may disagree, I'll disagree right back at them) , and it is way easier if you already have that momentum going.

Travelling is important, there is no denying that. Perhaps you can do a semester abroad, that way you are keeping the school momentum but getting out of the direct school setting. Pick a major you are interested in (in the long run, most of the time what matters is that you have a degree, not necessarily the subject matter), and pursue it. Do what it takes to get it over with in 4 years. Once you're done, you are armed and competitive to enter the work force when you're ready, you have the experience of uni under your belt, and you can travel without worrying about having to go back to school.

i have a friend who went to antioch and loved it- up until they axed his area of study, at least. i honestly don't know that much about oberlin or antioch, but they're two schools that i've heard are at least comparatively unaverage in ohio. nevermind on oberlin though, i guess.

to add to anniebanannie: school can be harder to go back to, it's true. however, it does depend hugely on the school. i'm lucky enough to go to a really nontraditional school (evergreen) where classes are highly enjoyable and fulfilling (and usually have travel components anyhow!). i spent fall semester at a typical school in my hometown and wanted to claw my eyeballs out every day. if your school is fundamentally one that works for you, coming back isn't so bad- honestly, i'm able to get far more out of classes now that i've had major non-school experiences. there's also one in vermont (for the life of me i can't remember the name) that let's you do long-distance studies. it seems pretty workable with whatever you want to do.

that's a good point. It would be hard to go back if I didn't like my school and in that case, just getting my degree first would make sense. In my case, however, I don't dislike Oberlin. I just need to take time off to clear my head, get off on my own, and have an adventure! I love the people at Oberlin, the classes are not bad, and with some added perspective, I think some time off could add some perspective to my experience there. I know I'm going back to finish my degree. I'm just goin to do it. I'll take a leave of absensce, buy a ticket for China, and carry the Communist Manifesto around with me in case I get in trouble.

ITA there are always extenuating circumstances. I am saying this with hindsight. I am almost 10 years removed from college. I loved it while I was there, but know now that if I had taken a break, I wouldn't have gone back. You start getting the thrill of adventure, or the thrill of making your own real money (not just the part-time type money)...well, makes it tough.

Much luck.

Do it take a break from college. I did it between my junior and senior year. I know finding the $$ for a trip is hard, but if you have student loans through a private lender (i.e. Wellsfargo or the like) just take out a really big loan and put some of the money to the trip. I took out an extra $3,000 and spent a month in Ireland and Scotland. I was on a shoe-string budget but I had a great time, and when school started again I was ready for it.

Good luck, and go on that trip. you can always go back to school.

Why don't you study abroad for a semester? Or a year? I would advise very strongly against taking a break. I wanted one SOOOO bad in college. I felt just like you. I had the itchiest feet in the world. I just wanted to GO. ANYWHERE. I was the one talking to friends in the middle of the night, trying to convince them to just start driving to Area 51 right then, just for the hell of it. (No one with a car wanted to go, so that didn't quite pan out). But I sucked it up, stayed in there, and actually graduated early to just get the hell out. I wanted to take a break, and my mom kept telling me if I did, I'd never go back. And she was right. Here, I've been toying with the idea of grad school for years now, not a step closer to going back. (And I'm someone who always did well in school) I think a lot of people have similar experiences. I have a lot of friends who ended up going to school part time for whatever reason, and they end up not going, skipping semesters, etc., but not really making much progress. If I were you, I'd study abroad, do an exchange with another school, find someway to explore. Travel on your school breaks, take advantage of all the opportunities. But just don't stop going to school. You'll be relieved (and free) when it's done.

quote:

Originally posted by anniebanannie:
Small caveat...it is VERY hard to go back to school after being out of it for a while.

Ditto.

Do what you need to do, but consider studying abroad or travel after graduation. That way, when you land at home without money or a job, at least you have a degree.