What are the pros and cons of deferring University to take a year off after you finish highschool?

Wow, I could have written that myself.

I graduated with a BS degree in mechanical engineering in 2007. I started university at age 17. I got a full-ride scholarship to go to school so deferring was not a realistic choice for me. The first 3 years I spent floating around, not sure what I was doing there, not sure I wanted to be there, not sure where I was going. I didn’t like school – except the social scene and freedom – and I didn’t do that well. By my last two years I realized the grandness of the opportunity I had been given and buckled down a little. I got by and got out. I then worked for two years (couldn’t afford to do anything else), made a good amount of money (going to school was a great investment for me, even if I didn’t take it seriously), and recently quit because I being tied to a desk in an office was suffocating. I don’t think I want to continue what I am doing, so I’m reassessing.

If I didn’t have that scholarship, I never would have gone straight to university. I would have got some menial job and floated for a while, saved money, then traveled the world, just like you want to. I have always wanted to take a 5 or 10 year world trip, and have not gotten around to it yet. I may have been in the same place I am now, maybe not, I’m not sure.

If you already know what you want to study, I say go for it. University – in the states anyway – is quite different from high school. You will be surrounded by intellectuals that will fill your head with new ideas. You can always take a break after your first year. You can always study abroad. I just wouldn’t want you to turn down university now, and never go back.

If you aren’t sure about engineering, I’d say take the break. Use the time to figure out what you want and learn more about who you are. Give yourself a deadline and stick to it. Make a pact with your mom about when you’ll start uni.

We want to see you, A!!!!!

Ok, now that I’ve said that, I can answer the question. Well, you’ve talked to me (and the rest of us) before and I’m just going to say what I already told you. I wish I had taken some time off before I started school. After being in school since I was.. 3? 4?.. I’m suffering from burn out and frustration. I want to go new places and live somewhere new. I’ve lived in this place my whole life. I’ve traveled and I want to do more of it. I completely understand how you feel about wanting to get out for a bit. Plus, ”hold on to my uni offer but then reapply for scholarships for another chance next year.”, that sounds smart.
I know there are going to be other people who tell you to go to school, so I’ll let them have that schtick. I’m going to be the one who tells you you should travel and see other places while you can. After school it’s working. Yeah, THAT sounds like a BLAST. (No, seriously, I’m really looking forward to it.~)
Also, I don’t think the wanting to see friends, or what your parents want you to do should be big factors. Sure, they count, but don’t put too much emphasis on them. Do what you want. Things will work out, A! Have fun.
I love you. <4

Pros——1. Gives you time to think about what you really want to do in life.
2. You can travel, explore your possibilities——something may open up as a new opportunity.
3. Allows you to rest and take a break from the routine of school.

Cons——1. If you are away from school too long, you may get lazy and not want to go back to college or university.
2. You lose your study habits and skills that you acquired, so when you do go back to school, it’s harder to get into the routine of studying.

Overall, if you want to travel after school and do something different for a change, I say go for it. You might even come back refreshed and ready to start school with greater energy. And you can never be really too old to go to school. I went to university for a total of 7 years. Life’s not a contest, and there’s no race, so take your time.

After i graduated high school I decided to take a year off. I found it beneficial. My reason for waiting was due to the fact that I just wanted a job. I got a job at a Frito-lay factory and made good money there, but it helped me realize that I really missed school and the fun i had. Now I’m on my way to be an RN, and once all is said and done, I’m glad i took the year to figure myself out, because I’ll still be young and ready to take on the rest of what life has to offer, and have school behind me and a career ahead of me

Oh and don’t worry about being with your friends. One year won’t make a huge difference and you’ll make tons of new friends.

I always wanted my kids to take a year off after high school, and for various reasons, none did. But I thought it would bring some perspective, a year of growth and maturity. I guess I would have loved it as well. I went to France the summer after I graduated—and it would have been fun to have spent the year as well. And then I also would have been a year older (I graduated when I was 16) and that would not have been a bad thing either.

I did not take a break between high school and college. I am happy about that.
People I know who did take a break, ended up taking years off, instead of a few months.

Two complaints I’ve heard from my daughter’s friends are being older than their classmates, and getting back into the swing of studying. Your age addresses the first, and is a pretty good reason for taking a gap year. Taking a gap year and doing volunteer during that time could actually lead to scholarships.

Have you thought about being a winter start? If your school offers that option, that is. I knew several winter starts in college, and they were all happy they chose that path. You still get to go to school soon enough after high school that you don’t lose the edge, and you also get to travel. And the winter starts all ended up as good friends to each other – it’s a little built-in group of interesting friends. Wish I’d done that.

I think a “gap year” is a great idea. It’s not very common in the U.S. but I know it has been in England. I think a chance to get away from the academic environment and see other things would be an invaluable break, especially since you say you are on the young side anyway. I say, “Go for it, shrubbery!”

I’m in my second year of an engineering program, I did not take a year off. For many reasons mentioned above taking a year off can be a great idea, but I just want to mention a few things.

Motivation can be tough. I find that the first year of engineering can be very general, and it takes a bit of time for it to pick up the pace and get interesting. (Read: second year).

Travelling is an amazing opportunity, and if you have it I can’t help but say to go for it.

Scholarships are your friends, anything that takes the stress off your bank account can be a good investment. The less you have to worry about money the lighter your head will be. This is very important, in my opinion.

I think there’s no such thing as keeping math fresh in your head unless you literally never stop. Most people forget math over the course of two months, and get it all back really quickly. If you save your notes from school and keep them handy it shouldn’t be an issue even after a year.

Support from friends is key, but keep in mind that it can be incredibly easy to make great friends in university. I don’t know how it is over there, but here, engineering has a great community spirit attached to it, and I find that some of my very best friends are fellow engineering students.

Good luck!

Take the time off! You sound as though you need the time off . It is very common for students to change their majors or career paths in school and the time off will give you a year to explore yourself and what you really want to do with your life. When you are ready to go back to school perhaps start at a community college to get yourself back up to speed before heading to the university. You sound as though you have a good plan…just do it!

I took a year off before college and mostly it was just miserable. I worked shitty jobs, never had enough money, wasn’t old enough to go to bars, and was in a different place (life-wise, not physically) than most of my friends.

It was tough watching twentysomethings go out to dinner and go shopping and enjoy their lives when I was constantly panicked about being able to make rent or buy food for the day. I remember walking five miles to a friend’s house because I didn’t have $1.50 for the subway.

But your experience might be very different from mine. If you do take time off, make the most of it and enjoy it. And if you go straight to University… make the most of it and enjoy it :)

I took a year off. I worked a bit and just had a bunch of relaxing and chill time, kind of a celebration after 13 long frickin’ years. I would recommend it. During this time I got a few books from Chapters on Calculus just to brush up a little bit on the dirty spots.

Pros:
You have time to brush up privately and without being graded on subjects you’re not sure of.
You give your brain another year to expand.
More common sense as you get older.
You could save money for tuition costs.
You could spend time reflecting on what you really want to do, even if you have a good idea now.

Cons:
Sometimes gets boring if you don’t keep yourself busy.
You may not want to go back.

Just remember, that no matter how much money you are making living with your parents working a full time $8.00 job, once you move out you will be screwed. I’ve seen many friends who have given up because the glamor of rent free living and getting $2000 paychecks. They now are not returning to school and I’m scared for what may come of them in the future.

I started right away, had just turned 17 (dropped out of high school). I was much too young, emotionally. I had a lot of other things going on…but I did do quite well my first year. All A’s and B’s, and working full time. I went straight into community college though (much different than a University..)

If you do go straight in, do NOT feel pressured to choose a major. I see you already have one lined up…but I’m just saying, things can and do change when it comes to life dreams.

Taking a year off might be great for you, if you can afford to actually take time to yourself and travel. But, most 17–18 year olds don’t have big funds saved up, and you’d need to just work all the time to make ends meet. It’s really not as exciting as it sounds. But, you would get to see what life is like without a college degree, and it may motivate you to do the best you can once you get started with college.

I wouldn’t let your mother stress you over it. If you do want to take a year off, let her know why, and explain to her that you do intend to go, but you need the year to yourself.

My husband started college right out of high school, and he flunked out. He was in a different state and just completely messed up. College is not always the best thing for kids right away, maybe if he had waited, he would have been more responsible and understood the impact his actions would have on his future.

Good luck!

I took a year off. It was quite a clear choice for me. I had been studying for 12 years straight, and I felt it was time to get to know the world. When you think about it, school is a pretty artificial construct. Where else do you really remain—for so many hours a day—together with people of your exact age range?

I spent the year in China teaching art/music in a village that I had visited while I was in high school, as a sort of study tour. I fell in love with the village, knew I wanted to go there.

Here’s an article I wrote for a magasine before I went about what that place meant to me.

I learnt things there that I could never have had I immediately gone to university, including a lot of patience, and love; dealing with the media, fund-raising, functioning in an unfamiliar language, being alone, etc, etc.

I’m on my way out of the door right now but when I have time, and if you have the interest, I will tell you a bit more about it.

On the other hand, I’ve had friends who have bummed around for a gap year, and did not feel that fulfilled. I guess it’s about knowing what you want, and going with your gut. It wasn’t even a rational decision for me.

I went to college as an adult. My classes were mixed some adults, some right out of high school. The adults, paid attention, did the work, and completed assignments even though most of us had other jobs and families, The kids joined fraternities, or sororities, partied and drank a lot even though they were underage.

My conclusion is except for some very special students, college should be deferred until after military service or a stint in the Peace Corps.

Further, college students should have better government support. State schools should be very low cost of free for residents, private college students should have state support.

The better educated the population, the better the country.

This is a really tough question.. especially since we all want to see you Ali!
I was lucky in that I got a lot of traveling in before graduating high school. I had the chance to travel most of europe while in boarding school…. really all over the world before the age of 17. So taking a year off was never really an issue for me. Add to that the fact that I had a very specific goal and didn’t really waver at all… straight to University was the way to go for me. I do however feel that having traveled so much helped broaden my horizons, helped me be more open minded and helped me understand what the world can be like outside my comfort zone.

I can see how taking a year off can be a positive experience (especially since you are young for your group. And being the smart, responsible girl you are I’m sure you’d do very well. The only thing I worry about is being rusty as far as Math and Sciences.

Your experience while off from school could vary from amazing (if you catch some lucky breaks) to very taxing if you have to work a lot and have trouble saving for your travels. Also… having your friends go into university with you can be a great source of strength, but going in on your own can also be a positive learning and growing experience.

I really can’t help you decide… ultimately it comes down to what feels right for you. But both options have great positives and possibles negatives. Either way.. you’ll do great :)

@shrubbery:
cons: some people never go back
pros: some people never go back

Thanks for all your answers guys, sorry I hadn’t gotten back to you yet. So I’m taking a year off, working as much as I can to save up and then go travelling around September hopefully. Thanks again for taking the time to answer this!