BootsnAll Travel Community

let's say you're on a tight schedule for graduation. if you still decide to take a quarter off to travel, would you sign up for a course that 'only' requires you to have a big ass paper written at the end of the quarter? doesn't require attendance in any classes as this is an independent project, and you can correspond with a mentor/prof via email (for the most part, at least).. would you do it?

i'm thinking about taking spring quarter off. i just had a chat wiht my adviser and he said that if i do that, then i can't graduate for another year (eh, only one more quarter than what i had previously expected). but i figure, why not help lighten my load and sign up for that class? but then again i'm afraid that i'll be too busy getting involved with everything else. well, all i would need is an hour every day or two to read, and i figure i could come back a couple weeks before the quarter ends so i can sit down and grind the paper out.

ok i'm babbling .. so to those of you that this made sense to, would you take the class?

If you think you can get the school work done, get it done on the road. But don't fool yourself into thinking you can if you know you can't. You'll just have to take another course next year.

I'm doing a correspondence course right now - three essays, and a final exam, and it's killing me. I'm not in my normal "study environment", and my parent's house has always sucked for actually sitting down and doing work. I never realized how much work I actually did in my high school (like, physically in the school).

If you think that you can really focus on doing school work, and presenting a well-researched paper, then go for it. Personally, I know there was no way in hell I could do it while travelling.

Stay in school. Get it done. That is your number one priority. Take it from somebody who took "a semester off", and now 6 years later I'm still trying to finish up.

meag - good luck with your class! i still haven't decided if i should take it or not.

billE - i didn't mean to make it seem like i'm thinking about 'taking a quarter off.' well ok i am, but the only reason i am is because i've been going to school nonstop for the past 2 years. meaning, fall then winter then spring then summer then fall then winter then spring then summer then fall and now i'm on winter quarter. i have no doubt that i'll be able to come back after a quarter and hold on for one more year; if other people can do it while taking summer off every year, i think i can get myself to finish uni.

Take a quarter off completely. You'll burn out if you don't anyway. Having one more class to take for one quarter isn't so bad, unless you had goals to start on something immediately after finishing. I should be done this summer but am thinking of spreading it into fall just coz I'll have to be here working to save up money anyways. I just took my first summer off and came back feeling so much more motivated and focused.

Agreed. I've taken (and completely failed) correspondence courses. I've also taken (and utterly passed) courses in which the only grade was the thesis due at the end of term. At under- & post-grad levels. Some while travelling, some while sitting home & working. You can do it, whatever you choose.

It takes a lot more discipline to sit down & write those 30 pages in Bali, though, than it does to write them back at uni.

OTOH, you've been going to school for 8 straight quarters? You're allowed to take a break.

I think it depends on how you study--if you need your room and a certain chair and certain music to write well, being abroad probably won't help. The fact that you say "travel" makes me think it would be somewhat difficult. I've studied abroad three times, and have done "traveling weekends" several times throughout each trip. I always tell myself I'm going to read a book or write something on part of the trip, and NOTHING gets done. That said, I'm trying to get all of my classes done in the fall semester, and "take off" the spring semester to intern full time in DC and write my thesis in the spring. I'm sure I'll have to be disciplined, get on a good sleep schedule, and really keep on track with the work, but I think especially since it's my last semester, I'll be able to stay motivated to finish it up. (It's much different if you have six semesters looming; if you know you just have one paper in order to get out of college, that's a pretty strong motivation.)

If I were you, I think I'd do it if you were staying in one place--if you're traveling every week, it might be difficult. Also consider the availiablity of computers/internet where you're going.

Best of luck! As a fellow thesis writer, I know we need it!