Gap semester concerns

Parents Forum
1

<p>So here's the situation. I'm a freshman in my second semester of study, and just this past Thursday I realized that my current career path is all wrong. I'm pretty sure that I want to do engineering, a program that is not offered at my school, and either way, I would like to take the next semester to reevaluate my goals in life, get some work experience, polish my spring transfer applications, work on being better prepared for college when I return, and maybe even write the novel that's been swirling in my head for the past couple years. Had I not missed the boat on transfer admissions to schools within a feasible geographic radius, I probably would not be taking this route, but I really dislike my current school and I honestly want out as soon as possible. I have been extremely depressed and dysfunctionally anxious this entire semester and I feel like it is most important for me to do what is necessary to take care of me.</p>

<p>So, I am planning to talk to my advisor about withdrawing at the end of the semester, which should be relatively simple and and of itself. However, I do have two considerable concerns that I'm not sure how to address.</p>

<p>One, I do have some perkins and subsidized stafford loans from this year totaling $4,900. I think that I may have some money left in my student account that could potentially be withdrawn (seeing as it is in excess of tuiton, r&b, and other expenses) to help pay for that. Basically, my main concern is that I know I have a 6 month grace period after I leave my current school, but that grace period, if I'm not mistaken, ends before I would re-enroll in school. Is the process essentially not reversible once you are expected to commence payments, or does that expectation stop once you re-enroll in college? That is, if I have to make a payment or two during that gap semester, it should not be a huge problem because I intend to seek full-time employment. However, I am concerned about my ability to continue making payments while in school, if the process does not have a shut-off valve, so to speak. </p>

<p>Secondly, I am concerned about the health insurance issue. I am willing to accept being uninsured for a semester, but I am concerned about resuming coverage once I return to school. Will most insurances generally resume covering a student under 21 if they return to school, or is it a matter of once you're off, you're off?</p>

<p>Thank you so much in advance for your responses. My family doesn't have much experience with college at all, let alone somewhat unique concerns like this, so I really appreciate all perspectives.</p>

2

<p>Julie, sorry I don’t have the answers but I’m wondering what’s happened to make you leave. As I’ve helped a friend research schools for her DD your post seemed so positive for your school. Friend’s DD is probably headed there, do we need a heads up?</p>

3

<p>If you are sure you want to switch to a school that offers engineering and your current school does not, taking a year off to regroup does not sound like bad idea.</p>

<p>1) See if you can take a leave of absence from your school instead of withdrawing. Just in case you change your mind.</p>

<p>2) During your year off, you might consider staying -on paper- a full time student by studying something at your nearest local technical college. If you do just enough to be considered full time, I think that this will keep you insured and keep your loan payments at bay. (Don’t go a semester without health insurance.) Ever had an interest in learning to fix computers? do something graphic/artistic? maybe there is a short program with little or no homework you could enroll in that you would enjoy. A program like this would leave you with enough free time to do the things you are planning to do. The classes won’t transfer but that’s okay - you are taking a break - and you might pick up some skills that will help you in an later career. (Even if you enroll in a two-year program and only finish the first year of it.) It might be interesting and fun. Another option - easy to do - would be to take community college classes that you know not be difficult for you; classes in areas that you have a good background in from H.S. but have no college credits in, or intro level classes in subjects you enjoy. Some of these will transfer, even.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

4

<p>hmom5 - I did feel that I was having a positive experience earlier in the year, because I’ve honestly had horrible experiences with friendships in the past and I actually seemed to have people around who liked me. But what inevitably happened was that it slid back into the old pattern of high school, where people only wanted me around when they had problems, wanted a paper proofread, wanted to do a group study, etc., and when I really needed support or someone to talk to, most seemed to maybe pretend to listen but all in all were more concerned with their own affairs. I’ve also become really disheartened with the academics here. The honors program is wonderful and I will vouch for that, but in most of my other classes, students are utterly checked out. This is to the point where a professor literally asked the question, “What is an article of clothing that isn’t a shirt?” and nobody would answer. This might just be a problem with my major, though, because I felt that standards really weren’t high. I also felt really invisible as a low-income student, and being picked for the second year in a row for verification as a low-EFC student made me feel discriminated against, a sentiment which I know may not be called for but I felt it all the same. </p>

<p>Ultimately, I think it depends on your major. If your friend’s daughter is interested in Park or HSHP, I would recommend Ithaca, because it really is tops in these departments. I’ve also heard the director of the honors program say good things about the biology and spanish departments specifically, though I can’t vouch for those personally. Otherwise, I think there are better educations to be had elsewhere for less money. I can say that the majority of students do seem blissfully happy with their lives, but there is a really significant subset who find Ithaca very disappointing. </p>

<p>As for the suggestion of taking classes, I don’t really think that it is feasible because I don’t have access to transportation (my family does not have a car), and the public transit isn’t terrible, but it can take about as long to bus some places as it takes to walk there. I also am reluctant to pay out of pocket to attend classes because I don’t know if I can earn enough to save up for a beater and pay for class at the same time, especially if what I’m doing won’t transfer anyway. I’m not exactly sure what the fiscal realities are exactly, but I do know that my parents can basically afford to feed me and not much else, so whatever I do needs to come out of my own wallet.</p>

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<p>RE: Loans. You will have to start repaying after 6 months, but once you re-enroll in school, you just need to send documentation from the registrar that you are re-enrolled as a full time student (that was the case with S’s loans - I’m not sure what type of loans they are). </p>

<p>RE: health insurance: If you’re working full time, your company may provide health insurance. You can buy health insurance privately. It’s expensive; my estimate would be about $150.00 to $200.00 per month for someone your age. It’s medically underwritten, which means that the insurance companies have to approve you. If you’re healthy, it shouldn’t be a problem, but if you have a medical history, they can deny you a private policy. Look on any of the major insurer websites and you can get an estimate (Aetna, Blue Cross). Some have high deductible plans for young people, which may be worth it if you’re healthy and don’t plan on using your insurance costs.</p>

<p>I’m not sure about this, but I think that once you are enrolled as a full time student, you can get on their student health plan. (Again, I’m not sure about this).</p>

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<p>If you are thinking about engineering, see if you could find a job that somehow exposes you to what engineers do.
Taking a gap time can be a really good idea. You might want to consider a whole year instead of just a semester. I agree with asking your current school for a leave instead of quitting… you aren’t transferring to anywhere yet, so you aren’t asking them to send on your transcripts. Plus, you don’t want to burn any bridges just in case you change your mind and decide that your school does offer something that you want. </p>

<p>Perkins loans will go back into “student” status when you re-enroll, I don’t know about Stafford, although your fin aid department will be happy to spell it all out for you.</p>

7

<p>re: dragonmom and Baystate: Well, both of your suggestions ultimately come down to, pretty much, whether I can get a job at a specific place. My mom works for a company that both offers health insurance and employs many engineers. The company is expanding (surprising indeed!) and she hopes that she will be able to get me employment there, hopefully in the office, but if not, on the floor. She thinks I’d be bored by the repetitive nature of the assembling, but I’m really not picky when it comes to a job. I also thankfully have been blessed with relatively good health, so I shouldn’t have any concerns about preexisting conditions. </p>

<p>Thanks for the suggestion about the financial aid office. I imagine, or at least I hope, that they would know a lot more about this than me. :slight_smile: I think I’ll also get a little more insight into the situation after I see my advisor tomorrow, because I’m sure I can’t be her first advisee to leave the school before. If not, I’m pretty close with another professor that has a lot of experience and knows me really well, so hopefully she’ll be able to help, but I’ll have to wait until after class registration because right now is a really busy time for advisors. </p>

<p>Thanks for the advice. :slight_smile: It’s sad and scary to be leaving school like this but I really feel in my gut that this is the right thing to do.</p>