Taking A Semester Off

To answer your tax question:

I had my dad do mine while I was gone. I made him a list of all the W-2s I was getting, including other forms as well. I left him a copy of my prior years tax return, all of my information, like SSN and bank account number (for direct deposit) and the money it cost me to file.

And for your "new question":

You are definitely not throwing your life away by taking one semester off. (But everyone here knows that, right?) Look at it this way: your major is undecided. You could be wasting time and money by taking classes that might not go towards your major. I bet that once you do come back, you're going to have a hell of a lot better idea who you are and what you want out of life.

You are going to learn so much about life, people, being responsible, managing money, yourself...

Travel isn't as widely accepted in the States as it is elsewhere. It might not be the best thing on your resume when asked to "explain any gaps in employment" BUT I've read about this happening on a thread somewhere here and it's happened to myself: during an interview, when my "gap in employment" came up; once I said as simply and humbly as I could that I was traveling, all the interviewer wanted to know about was my trip. Easy interview. And I got the job. And I'm pretty sure the other poster did too. It's definitely going to make you stand out from other candidates for a position.

You're going to come back more focused, if you're not struck by wanderlust

Every time I travel, I always find myself meeting really SMART people. And a lot of them are educated. Like I told you before, I only have an associates degree, so every time I'm abroad, I dream about going back and getting my Bachelor's. I want to be smart too!

Maybe if you start showing your parents how serious you are, and start preparing yourself for this trip (visas, flights, detailed itinerary-doesn't mean you have to follow it), they might ease up a bit.

Conversely, you could look into study abroad programs for next semester to get your feet wet. And it'd be a good way to warm your parents up to the idea of you traveling. But I'm pretty sure you wanna take off-now. Just a thought.

TheBamboozler wrote:What benefits does traveling have other than the joy I'll get from it.

Teaches you that different cultures prioritize things differently. None is better or worse but it may help you figure out what is important to you. You may even find out there is a better country out there for you than America. I did.

TheBamboozler wrote:Do employers pick people with travel experience over those who don't?

Likely not going to care. However, it can help you if you work for or along side non-American colleagues/supervisors if you've traveled to their home countries. You'll have a better understanding of their culture, belief structures, etc.

As far as taxes. If you drop it off on your parent's to handle you are not demonstrating responsibility. Nor is having them handle your mail, store your belongings, etc. You can file an extension for you taxes that will give you until Oct 15th to actually do the paperwork. You just need to make sure you don't owe them any money and pay them any owed taxes before April 15th. Most tax information you need (W-2, 1099, etc) can be obtained online these days.

Hey everyone. Sorry it's been a few days since i responded but I have been reading your advice, I promise! I love to hear from you guys and get your viewpoint on things. Sometimes I get so stuck on the fact that I could be in Australia in four months, and my thinking isn't quite straight. So you all help fix that haha.

So here are the current things I'm looking into at the moment:

Will my health or car insurance rise if I'm not in school?
Filing my taxes at a later date as one person mentioned.
Short term volunteer opportunities.
Receiving passport and work visa.

I'm working on a budget and have been looking up flights. Somehow I managed to find a flight from Chicago to Sydney, Melbourne to Auckland, Auckland to Chicago, for less than 1500. Is this completely wrong or is that just a perk for buying tickets early?

I used kayak by the way. It gave me new zealand airlines. Is this a bad airline or just budget?

If all those destinations are on that $1500 ticket, you should buy that NOW.

NZ Air isn't bad, from my recollection. And not budget either. I think you've just found a really really really good price. Good luck!

TheBamboozler wrote:Alright new question.

My parents think I'm throwing my life away by taking ONE semester off. What benefits does traveling have other than the joy I'll get from it. Are scholarships available for such a thing? Do employers pick people with travel experience over those who don't? I need to give my parents a good argument to make them believe it's worth it. I hate feeling like they're the only thing holding me back but I also wouldn't want to ruin our relationship over one choice I want to make.

The Gilman scholarship and the Boren scholarship are both worth looking into if you do this though a school program (again, look into independent field studies) If you go with a purpose in mind, or an educational goal, you might get more out of it. You could consider it research into something, like music all over the world or poverty culture or something else that interests you. Then when you get back, compile your research (pictures, journals, recordings). You'll have a considerable body of work, your school will like it, grad schools will like it and your parents probably will too. Try explaining to your parents the educational values of planning and going for an extended trip. I've actually written a few articles on this subject ( you can find them here: http://www.travelpod.com/members/delectableworld).

It's hard to convince parents that what you're doing is the right thing, but if you really want to do it, they'll eventually see the joy and fulfillment ( as well as stellar world education) it gives you and I bet they come around. Best of luck.

Do you need to have your major declared for this grant?

TheBamboozler wrote:Alright new question.

My parents think I'm throwing my life away by taking ONE semester off. What benefits does traveling have other than the joy I'll get from it. Are scholarships available for such a thing? Do employers pick people with travel experience over those who don't? I need to give my parents a good argument to make them believe it's worth it. I hate feeling like they're the only thing holding me back but I also wouldn't want to ruin our relationship over one choice I want to make.

When I did it, the benefit was going back to college with my head in a better place, better able to handle all the work and stress and keep a good attitude. Before I took the semester off I had nearly been put on academic probation, I had one truly awful semester and just couldn't imagine going back to school and facing it again. The challenges I handled and and the independence I gained from my semester off gave me the confidence to go back and do well. I heard the same thing, parents insisting that I wouldn't make it back to school (it was one semester, I had a plan for what I was going to do, and I was even registering for the next semester while still abroad!). I think it might be true of people who take time off with some vague purpose -- "I'll go back after I save some money/decide what to do with my life/etc" -- but if you have a specific amount of time in mind and actively plan your return to school, then it's not a huge risk, you aren't going to wander off and forget how to get back to school unless you find something way better than school to support yourself.

I can't remember whether you need to have a declared major, but it's worth looking into or asking.

You ought to be commended for valuing your relationship with your parents. And it's wise of you to listen to their concerns too. Just don't let that be the end of it - find answers to their questions, give the answers respectfully and invite them along for part of the journey;-)

Mama-to-many wrote:You ought to be commended for valuing your relationship with your parents. And it's wise of you to listen to their concerns too. Just don't let that be the end of it - find answers to their questions, give the answers respectfully and invite them along for part of the journey;-)

Going into this, I thought "Theres no way they'll go for it. They can argue anything I say immediately."

But the more I think about it the more confident I feel it'll all turn out right. I'm working on a notebook of the exact plans, budget and paperwork needed for the trip. I don't plan on sticking to the plan but it's a start to show them.

I'm going to tell them I have no idea what I want out of life, and unlike most kids my age, I'm willing to admit it. No matter what they tell you, very few teens actually know what they want for their lives, except maybe a select few. I'm going to tell them I need to break away from the routine for awhile and try to do things on my own, or I'm going to lose my mind. I've had a job since I was 14 and I'm more responsible than any teenager I know, so if anyone can do this, I can. And if I can do this for myself, I can do anything. This might be the one chance I get to do this before I have too many responsibilities.

I'm not going to say that I'll learn about myself and get a sense of purpose from it. As true as this is, it's a little too "deep" and I think it'll just weaken my argument by not making sense to my parents. So I'll just stick to the facts instead of discussing what I feel.


Solid argument?

Hi,

I have been searching something like this. I am also planning to travel from quite sometime. At least now I can feel quite encouraged. Will soon let all u know my plans....

Taking one Semester off wheather you have an amazing trip or not is hardly "throwing your life away." Im sure they have only your best interests at heart but you have to know when to go with your own instincts and do whats best for u. Even if it doesnt all go to plan then atleast you'll have learned something from it.

Just a thought here, but check out how many CLEP and DSST exams your college allows you to apply towards your degree. Most schools allow at least 12 credits from these sources. The exams will only set you back around $100 or so and can give you 3 to 6 credits per test. Knock out a few of the general studies exams (they're easy with a bit of study) and then approach your parents with, "Check it out, I just saved a few thousand dollars and picked up a freshman's worth of credits at the same time... now can I go? I'll still be on track for graduating on time." Depending on what their worry is, this may help allay the fears somewhat. Just an idea.

Either way, the benefit you'll get from travel (especially at that age) is tremendous. Travel opens your mind to all sorts of new thoughts and perspectives. It's an experience that stays with you throughout your life.

Best of luck!

TheBamboozler wrote:But the more I think about it the more confident I feel it'll all turn out right. I'm working on a notebook of the exact plans, budget and paperwork needed for the trip. I don't plan on sticking to the plan but it's a start to show them.

And that's exactly right. Having a daily itinerary to show that I'd thought it all out is what helped put my parents' mind at ease. (And it didn't matter that I threw the whole thing out the window by day 10.)

I'm going to tell them I have no idea what I want out of life, and unlike most kids my age, I'm willing to admit it.

I'm in my mid-twenties now and I'm realizing how many adults there are that STILL don't know what they want!

It's been a few weeks since you've posted in the topic... I'm curious to know how it's going now?

And I promise... so long as you don't elope with a random Aussie and head to Bali, one semester away will NOT matter in the end, just as high school doesn't matter once you get to college.