Poll: Does taking a year off between high school and college mean 'no college'?

In My Humble Opinion
21

…and then go back when I was ready.

Not exactly the same situation, but the point is that I firmly believe college is a waste of time if one is not ready for it.

I was getting nothing out of college when I went straight out of high school. Didn’t want to be there, and didn’t see the point of making myself do it and learning nothing along the way.

When I returned to college a few years later, paying my own way, I had a “take no prisoners” attitude that helped me really get something out of my education. I tutored a lot of kids in science classes, and have to say that many of them simply weren’t ready for college. I stopped short of advising them to drop out and try again later, but I do believe it would have helped some of them.

Understand, it’s HARDER to do what I did. Way harder in some ways. Our system (in the U.S.) doesn’t make it particularly easy for an older person to return to school. But I definitely wrung more out of my university and grad school experiences than most people I know. Harder road, but it was worth it for me. Maybe tell The Cat that. Hope this helps.

22

i hated school. never studied very hard and was not motivated. took a a year off after high school, travelled through south america and lived the vida loca! had a ball. came home a better person, ready to focus and buckle down. went to my states school (only one i could get in to with my high school grades) and made the deans list. transferred to big name school and finished in 3 yrs. i know the year off helped me grow up alot and allowed me to sow some wild oats. if i had to do it again, i would STILL be in college. some of the best damn years of my life!

the kegmaster REALLY has the power in the fraternity!

23

I took three years off between HS and college. I went when I was ready and pretty sure that I wanted (yep, that’s right, I said wanted) to major in accounting. I wasn’t 100% sure that accounting was gonna do it for me, but I was about 80% sure.

I worked nights at a slightly above minimum wage job to keep my head above water(or myself in beer) and my classes were covered by a scholarship.

I am very glad I didn’t go to university right out of HS. I was so much more prepared when I went back. I do not believe I would have gotten as much out of it at eighteen.

24

What about a compromise? I myself graduated high school and headed off to college that fall, but most of my HS classmates that “took a year off” still haven’t gone back, and we graduated in 1995. That being the main example I’ve seen, I wouldn’t suggest it. However, maybe this is a good middle ground? http://www.americorps.org/nccc/index.html AmeriCorpsNCCC. I was in AVISTA(you have to a: be a college grad or b: have 5+ years work experience for VISTA, which is why I’m not recommending my own program) after college, but I did get to meet people from the other two branches of service, of course, and from what participants told me, NCCC sounds like an excellent program for those not quite ready to decide what they’re going to college for yet. You can look for more info on the page, but basically the “kids,” 18-24 yr olds, live on one of 5 US college campuses, as a team. They do all sorts of projects across the US, especially helping out with disaster relief (I bet that at least one team is in NY or Washington right now.) It’s structured, they get dorm living experience, and some ($4,750) money for college as well as a stipend and paid room and board (lucky them. no other branch gets room and board!) so… my parents encouraged my brother to consider it, but he got into his second choice college.

25

I took the straightest possible path–high school, straight to four years of college, straight to four years of med school. Then again, I knew exactly what I wanted to do when I started, and as luck would have it, I was right. (I am in a distinct minority there.)

I didn’t exactly take the most traditional path, though. I knew I was going to med school, and that all I had to do was take certain core classes, and I could major in whatever I wanted. (I was not the type to major in something just because it “looked good” to the med schools.) I never even declared a major until my junior year, and I flirted with the idea of chemistry, biology, English, and even Theatre. (I never could get my folks to understand that of COURSE you can major in Theatre and go to med school. In fact, considering that the third year is all about Acting Like a Doctor, I can’t imagine better preparation.) I ended up majoring in math with a minor in biology, and a lot of theatre and English credits.

I’m glad I didn’t take a year off at any point, personally, because I think I would have lost a lot of intertia. That said, I know people who are in the same place I am who really aren’t happy with their decisions to become doctors, but who had too much intertia to ever stop.

In short, I’m glad I took the path I did, but I got fairly lucky. It might not work for everyone.

Dr. J

26

If I remember, last year when I applied to universities, some of them offered what they called a year off. The student was admitted, but could take a year off to do other things. Maybe you can suggest that to your daughter?

27

I must concur with those who have stated that going to school immediately, if not quite ready, is probably a mistake. Since we all see things through our particular frame of reference, I can only say what I have known.

I went to school right after high-school and was pretty aimless, graduated in 5yrs and have a well-paying but not very fulfilling job. (I’m in sales)

My brother took 2 years off after high school and probably spent most of his time sleeping in, getting high, and attending community college to pass the time. Then he underwent an unforseen but very positive change. He started to set goals for himself, he started to see what he might be able to do and then he went to State Tech U. , became educated in a very good industry and is really happy and successful.

The way I see it, if the time off allows for the individual to mature and grow and become self-motivated, then it is a good thing. Too often, as in my case, I went because it was what you were supposed to do. I am happy, but I think that my bro. might have taken the right path. (Although I’m sure that his slacker-days put a few extra gray hairs on the old man’s head)!!

28

I didn’t take a year off before college, but I wish I had…I only mainly went straight out of high school because it’s what my parents talked about all the time - (neither one of them went to college.)

I graduated after 3 years at the community college 7 miles away, with an Associates degree, which I feel was an incredible waste of money and time. I don’t appreciate having it and can’t get a decent paying job around here with it.

I’m going back to school in October 2002. I’ve been working full time since I graduated from high school in 1997, but in the past year and a half since I graduated college and am just working, I’ve had lots of time to think about what I want, so when I go back to school, it will be for me, not my parents, and I’m positive I’ll appreciate it more.

29

I didn’t go to college directly from high school, either. I found my career quite by accident, went to technical school for a year, and am doing remarkably well financially at it.

This spring, I’m planning to enroll in community college to finish my bachelor’s degree in health information management. Fortunately, it’s a major that attracts a lot of older students, so I’m not going to be the oldest one in the class.

Perhaps Cat can take a year off, but still attend some community-college classes to see what she might like to do if/when she does go to college? Or perhaps she might attend technical college? Her high school counselor can be a big help here.

Robin

30

This is why I love the whole CEGEP concept.

In Quebec you finish high school when you’re 16 (grade 11). If you want to go to university, first you have to go to Cegep-- it’s basically a pre-university college that lasts for (normally) 2 years.

And it’s designed for students to bounce around and figure things out. I swapped programs several times before finishing with a DEC in Creative Arts (taking 5 English classes in my last semester). I started in Pure & Applied Science because that’s what I was good at in high school. I didn’t like sciences that much, but they were easy and I did not know what else existed. In Cegep, with way more in the way of resources than my high school, I could mess around with various outdoor clubs, sports, and eventually became editor-in-chief of the school newspaper.

If you do go the get stoned and flunk out route, it’s also a lot easier on the pocket book. Stupid, but cheaper.

When I did get to university, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I also met people in my classes who were much older than me-- anywhere from 5 to 10 to 20 years older.

31

Karl, it’s called deferring or “deferred admission” and I also suggested it in my post. Personally, I think its the best compromise between taking a year off/staying on track, and receiving the benefits (mentioned in other posts) of applying while still in HS.

I also think joining the Americorps would be a productive use of that year off, since you earn money for college (the money must specifically be used for education), do good for your country, and have some amount of structure.

32

I personally took a year off in the middle of university. To be exact from Winter quarter Junior year at Northwestern to the following year. My parents were absolutely heartbroken, but I had come to the end of my tether, and I made my decision. It took me forever to convince them that I had no intention of quitting school, and I’m not thoroughly convinced they were sure of me. Anyhow, I got a British work permit from a cultural exchange program (BUNAC or something like that,) worked in Scotland washing pans for a few months, went to Slovenia and volunteered on a muscular dystrophy camp, then went to a village in war-torn Croatia on a medium-term volunteer project. When I finished I was reenergized and ready to finish school. And I did, racking up by far my best GPAs after the break. Before I left, Winter quarter I racked up a 1.7 GPA. First quarter when I came back, I got a 3.65.

It worked for me, at least. But I do want to stress what some of the other posters were saying…I would definitely say you need some sort of plan. I wish in retrospect I had been given the opprotunity to take a year off between high-school and university; though at the time I don’t think I would’ve taken it. Americorps is a wonderful idea, I think, but it’s up to her. The thing is, your daughter is 18. I’m not a parent, but I think it’s time for her to start taking responsibility for her actions and, honestly, I think the time is slowly coming when she’ll know what’s better for her than you or your husband do. I’m not saying she’s at that point yet, but I’d be very careful about shoving college down her throat. It is not for everyone. I mean, yeah, everybody needs a kick in the ass sometimes, but I would sit down and seriously explore her reasons for deferring. If they sound valid, if’s she’s honest and forthcoming, I don’t see any reason not to do it.

33

I took a year off and worked, then went to college and really partied. Then I flunked out. Then my dad stopped supporting me. THAT was the point at which I grew up and learned the meaning of the dread word “RESPONSIBILITY”. ( Which my dad always used to sing at me. Annoying, that, more so when you discover he’s right. ) I worked part to almost full time and re-took some of the classes I failed. Once I was metriculating agin, dad resumed funding college. I was a business major until I ran smack into Accounting I, which I hated with a passion. I swiched to History, my first love, and discovered that a straight History degree w/o the teaching classes attached leaves you 30 credits short of graduation, so I added a degree in Poly Sci. 7 (total) years down the line, I graduated. Would that I knew then what I know now ( in the REAL WORLD you have to WORK ), I would have picked up a 3rd degree. :wink:

Oh, and *kinilou? 3K for health insurance for an 18 year old female? That’s nuts! Your point is valid, but health insurance what I sell. $1500/year, tops- less if all she wants is a hospital policy, and really, what else do you need at 18?

34

Jeez, I couldn/t wait to go to college! I had practically been counting the days since I was in second grade.

That said, I agree she should apply now, and then defer her admittance–for all the reasons stated above. Even if she just works a crappy job and hangs out, then there will still be a definite end date to her “year off.”

35

I really wish I’d taken a year off before college. I went from high school to college without being prepared for how hard it was going to be and for the freedom after 18 years with very strict parents. Then I worked my butt off for four years, entered the workforce the day after graduation in my chosen career field, and now I’m here 5 years later taking my “year off to explore what I really want to do.”

Other poster have given GREAT advice, and I think you are a fantastic mom to your daughter based on your other posts and the fact that you would consider giving her some room to grow and not try to push too hard. Encourage her to tour schools that she is interested in, to take the SAT, to get the steps for college preparation - AP courses, teacher recommendations, etc. out of the way now when she’s still in high school. High schools are set up to make this easy for her now, but it will be a pain in the ass to get this together a year from now.

She can apply to schools now and defer enrollment for up to one year.

I would not let her take a year off to just loaf and do nothing, or to work at a minimum wage job, although that would make her really appreciate college when she gets there. If she wants to take a year off, ask her to make up some kind of plan for how she will use her time. Look into month or year-long volunteer or foreign language study programs. Ask her to set some goals for herself - in the year off, she will learn to play a new instrument or learn a language. Taking basic transferrable credits at a community college is also a great idea.

A quick Google search :stuck_out_tongue: turned up this site for volunteer programs in the U.S. and abroad with the Forest Service:

http://www.fs.fed.us/people/programs/volunteer.htm

She could volunteer with the Red Cross:

http://www.redcross.org/faq/youth.html

Or go to Guatemala for three months and help post-Mitch reconstruction and relief:

Something like that would give her enough structure that she won’t have “wasted” a year, and help her bring some experience and maturity to college when she does go. It will also help her sort out vocation and gain some practical skills. It’s important that she be enthusiastic about something like this, and it’s not something y’all push her into instead of college or she’ll end up hating it. But there are tons of extremely interesting and affordable volunteer and work-study opportunities out there for young people if you know where to look. The Council for International Educational Exchange is a great resource.

36

From a college admissions point of view, one important factor is whether or not this year off comes with a plan.

We do see some students who took a year with no particular plan of action, and enter as freshman the following year and do well. Certainly this works for some people, especially if they are self-starters. Sometimes this is the only choice for people who are funding their education without aid from family. As several people have already posted about their experiences, it’s clear than some people can do this and enter college and be very successful.

However, there is a case to be made for those students who plan to do something specific with their year off, and in my experience, these students enter college with greater frequency. Elfkin already mentioned America Reads – I think their year between senior HS and freshman college program is called Teach for America. There are some private foundations, mostly religious, I think, that also offer a structured year of service activities for people in this age group.

I was just talking to one student who interned (unpaid) at a veterinarian’s office for a year before coming to college as a biology major. Her parents were still her primary financial support, so in addition to the internship she worked part time at the mall for spending money and to save up for college. This worked because the parents were willing to continue her support, so while she was expected to hold down this part time job, she didn’t have the pressure of completely supporting herself.

She mentioned that there was another intern at the vet the year before, who completed the internship and realized he didn’t want to work with animals as a career, and became a drama major. Even if the internship makes the student realize that he/she WOULDN’T like this career, it’s still an excellent environment for learning things like time management, professionalism, and all sorts of other adult world skills.

Just one more thing about deferred admission, which has already been suggested. Shop around on this, because some schools charge a non-refundable fee that may or may not be applied to the freshman year tuition. So you should be clear on what the individual schools are offering while the Cat is thinking about this option. Read all the fine print.

But I do like Mr. Goose’s suggestion of putting together a list of 6 or so colleges, even if part of the discussion is that the Cat is not sure if she wants to attend any of them next fall. Part of deciding not to go to college immediately should be to look at what she would like in a college in theory, with the understanding that it might change in a year.

As long as I’m already rambling on, I might as well say something else about a casual internship. Most decent colleges that offer internships work closely with the place of business to make sure that the young person isn’t being treated exclusively as a maid or a coffee delivery service. Since this year would be on her own, the Cat would have to do this sort of monitoring herself. She should be prepared to talk with the manager/businessperson at the beginning of the project about expectations on both sides.

37

I forgot to mention the obvious fact that if she does participate in one of these wonderful volunteer programs, her application to the college of her choice will be that much more competitive. If she is concerned that her grades and boards won’t get her into the college of her choice, these kinds of activities will help enormously.

MR

38

I really really wish I had taken a year off. I am now a 2nd year student that’s transferred once and attempted (and failed) to transfer again.

A large cause of this aimlessness I is because I had no idea about what I wanted to do during high school. I went to college just because that’s what you do. By the time I did get things figured out it was too late to go back and start over again.

I’ve known plenty of people who’ve taken a year off and then gone to college. I’ve also known many people who’ve gone to college, hated it, dropped out, and not gone back at all. It doesn’t seem conducive to anything to have someone go to college when they don’t want to, and often times, it does harm.

39

When I was graduating high school, my folks could not afford to send me out of state to live n a dorm like all of my friends (except Dawn). Dawn and I went to the local community college and fussed around for a while, getting our freshmen and sophomore credits out of the way before transferring to university. I changed majors a couple times, but six years later I graduated with double BA.
Of my eight girlfriends who went out of state to school, 100% of them were lonely, got boyfriends, got pregnant, got married and NONE of them finished school. Don’t assume Cat Who Walks Alone will get pregers only if she stays home.
I really recommend the community college, it’s cheaper, you can get all of the art and survey classes you want to take.

40

When I graduated high school I had to take what I thought was only going to be one semester off. It ended up being two because of financial reasons. But I did get to college after that year off. I’m currently on my second year (of about 5 or so, no pressure state is paying for the schoolin’) and I feel that I didn’t miss out on anything by taking that year off. In fact I don’t know if I could have handled jumping into school again after high school. My brain needed time to detox and realize their is more than just school. It’s helped me to keep a sane attitude about college life in general.