<p>I just finished my freshman year at Cal (UCB) and to be honest it went over very badly. For personal reasons I spent my first year in an apartment and so I didn't make any friends at all. I pretty much failed my whole year (although my GPA didn't tank too badly since I took most of them P/NP). I feel like I either chose the wrong college or I just went because everyone else in high school was going to college even without knowing what the hell I want to do with my life. I'm in a major I don't want to be in, I didn't take to the environment very well and the thought of going back next year makes me so stressed out. I know I got very lucky to be accepted to a prestigious school, but I've felt multiple times throughout this whole year that it's just wrong for me. I was thinking of dropping out before my sophomore year and doing some internship, foreign exchange, working abroad, getting a temporary job for experience, etc. before maybe applying to another college that is more laid back.</p>
<p>I was restricted a lot during high school, my parents had total control over all the classes and extracurricular activities I did, and pretty much all my life I was forced to study inside 24/7. Now I don't know what I want to do because I never had the chance to really explore my passions - to be honest sometimes I don't even know what I'm passionate about. I tend to lean toward the creative side (music, art, film, etc.) but I've never really developed skills in that area, and as a lot of people know, it's extremely hard to make a living in any creative industry. The only other area I might consider besides those listed would be some type of Asian/Asian American studies/languages. </p>
<p>A lot of people scoff at me when I say I want to take some time off to discover who I am. I've been advised to just suck it up and choose any "tolerable" major so I can just get a job afterwards. But I feel like I'll be wasting my time/money if I just continue to torture myself through something I just can't stand. It's gotten to the point that I have zero motivation to study or finish my work at all, when usually I can get things done very fast and thoroughly if I have a genuine interest in it. As silly as it sounds I want to do something that I love, I just haven't found it yet.</p>
<p>However I'm having problems as to HOW I am going to spend this "gap year" before applying to another college when I still don't know what I want to do. Should I just go back to my local CC and complete the GEs? I want to go traveling and such, study/work abroad but not many places will take you with only a HS diploma right? Are there any ideas of what I should do after dropping out? I feel like I wouldn't accomplish anything taking another year of college if I don't know what I want to do and my parents have been pressuring me about our financial situation. I want to get out there and do things instead of studying something just to "get by."</p>
<p>Hey bumblebee blue! I’m a junior at Cal right now and I’m actually taking a break right now so I totalllllly know what you’re thinking and what the environment at Cal is like so I can offer some advice</p>
<p>So I can’t tell you what you will do during your gap year, itll be up to you. If you do decide to take a break though, some things at the beginning i can say: I would say maybe spend a few months really resting your mind, destressing because Cal can be so crazy and using those months to figure out what you want in your life. I read what color is your parachute for teens and it really helped me to look at what I wanted to do in my life, what would fulfill me at least for now. I left hs and automatically went to the best school I got into which was Cal, not really thinking about what I wanted out of life, what I really wanted to major in (started with rhetoric, wanted to switch to nutrition but they told me it was too late so I was at a cross-roads and left this past spring) that way, you can decide if you want to take CC classes during your break. I would say maybe think about some internship opps that will get you some experience and get out of the house during the summer for example without academic stress. </p>
<p>As far as what other people are saying, if they are not your family or anyone who is close enough to you they could be like your family, don’t worry it they judge you, if they think it’s stupid to want to take a break. Their opinion doesnt count, who are they?! Lol This is your real life, we pay almost 13000 for tuition + housing we deal with some of the toughest competition and biggest classes at the #1 public uni in the world! It can be tough, especially when you don’t enjoy what your learning (like me lol) and you still aren’t sure of what you want to do like I was and i am. I hope this helped a little, I’m a cal bear who ended up not enjoying it because i wasnt prepared, didnt know what i was there for besides the reputation, and not taking my happiness seriously enough until my 3rd year. </p>
<p>you’ve only gone thru one year so you still have tons of time to really take the time to think about what you want out of life an study and everything and get your degree:) i would say really listen to your gut,
Listen to your family or people who really care about you and think about the responses you get. Enjoy the journey, I’ll say a pray for you and Go Bears:)</p>
<p>Sorry one more thing lol i Re-read a part of your post and I wanted to say that as I’m learning more about myself and what I want for my future, I’m starting to look at new schools as well so I would say it wouldn’t be a bad idea to look for new schools but make sure you’re looking for new schools based on a knowledge of what you really want. (smaller, more majors less majors, more intimacy, more anything lol) that’advice I’m giving to myself too, so I don’t make the same mistake twice:) and plus, whether you transfer or not, you were smart enough to get in to Cal! Lol good luck with everything:)</p>
<p>Wow. This is tough.</p>
<p>I think a gap year is almost a necessity for you to recharge, because you are definitely burnt out.</p>
<p>See if you can travel/study abroad. See if there are any community service programs out there (one program I’m considering is Americorps, which is free).
See if you can get some internships. One of the best ways is to leverage family connections (ask other family members or family friends).</p>
<p>You really need to find out what you like to do.
Also, to help you figure out what you want to do in the future, it really helps to do some job shadowing. Basically you ask someone in an industry that interests you if you can follow them around on a typical day (or several days) of work. Typically you ask family friends, extended family. You can even go further and cold-call/solicit firms for this opportunity. Or you can ask alumni (this is more likely to succeed).
Based on what they do on a daily basis, you can figure out if you like this. (It’s best to observe several days in case they have a particularly sucky day).</p>
<p>Before you make a decision to take a gap year, make sure you will have the discipline to start up again (or to do something productive).</p>
<p>I like your idea of going to your local CC and finishing your basics. It will be cheaper than being where you are now and you will be able to live at home. Just make sure that you can give your parents some boundaries at home and let them know that you are not going to be regulated like you were in high school.</p>
<p>The nice thing about a community college is that everyone can go there. You will meet people of all ages and interests. Also, there is nothing wrong at all with going to school part time and getting a part time job. You should get a job so that you are not totally dependent on your parents for money. It shows that you are more responsible and can make your own decisions as well. You could take just two classes and work for as many semesters as you want to.</p>
<p>I would also recommend that you take some classes just because they interest you. Don’t just take your basic requirements, go for something that you are curious about. If you take something just because you want to it will make your school experience very different. It will help you to find some interests as well.</p>
<p>You should totally take a gap year - it’s a great idea! Our daughter took a year off after high school and it was one of the best thing she ever did. She arrived at college a year later, totally rested and excited about school. She had a good idea about what she wanted to major in, and she pursued it, and has loved it. She lived abroad in two different countries, learned a new language, and worked for part of her time. check out [Interim</a> Programs - Gap Year, Service Learning and Study Abroad Programs](<a href=“http://www.interimprograms.com%5DInterim”>http://www.interimprograms.com) for some good ideas.</p>
<p>Bumblebeeblue, I don’t mean to pry about what your personal reasons are for choosing an apartment for freshman year, but if it’s at all possible I’d recommend moving into a freshman dorm when you start college again, whether or not you decide to take a gap year and whether or not you decide to return to UCB. There’s a reason freshmen are housed together at nearly every residential college – everyone is in the same boat and it’s easy to make friends. Colleges know that finding a social group is crucial for most people.</p>
<p>Hey Bumblebeeblue, I just graduated from high school, and although I don’t really have much personal experiences with college life, I thought I might share some (maybe) helpful suggestions. Your idea about going to your local CC could work out well for you. Since you say you never really enjoyed the opportunity to pursue your passions, or even figure out what your passions are, perhaps you could take a class or two on things that interest you right now. You could even take a class on something that you think isn’t all too intriguing, just to see what it would be like. You never know, you might just fall in love with something you never even considered giving the time of day! I’d also like to say, don’t be too down on yourself. It is true, though, that you probably should have opted to live on-campus your freshman year, as valereee pointed out. But you can’t change the past, so just look to the future. Don’t even pay attention to whoever is scoffing at your plans; you have to do what you feel in your heart is the best for you, not what your parents or your friends, or anyone else thinks. Look for the positive in your situation, and don’t give up hope. Once you discover who you are, forge ahead my friend. I am sure you are destined for greatness! :)</p>