<p>I'm currently a college freshman, and I might take a leave of absence. Don't get me wrong, it's not because I have bad grades or disciplinary problems---in fact I have near a 4.0 for this fall semester (A-s count as 3.8s...=/). I just think that it wouldn't be a bad idea to take an extended break from school, since by the looks of it, my spring semester is going to suck. I took some classes, which, although I adore, happen to carry heavy workloads---think around 10 hours a week for ONE of my classes. I don't want to suffer from burnout.</p>
<p>So yeah, any ideas?</p>
<p>Taking some time off is not for everyone, but if you feel that it is the right choice for you, go for it! Keep in mind that it may be a lot harder to make the transition back to the academic world a lot harder, but at the same time you may be chomping at the bit to go back to school. If you do decide to take some time off, I would strongly suggest doing something worthwhile during that time, such as volunteering or getting a job, rather than simply relaxing. </p>
<p>Also, how long of an "extended break" are you thinking of taking? Is the summer just not long enough?</p>
<p>I'm sorry if I have little sympathy for you, but I have a least 19 hours of class a week and about 7-8 hours of work for my 8 classes, in addition to a varsity sport, school regiment and some extra academic programs.</p>
<p>I would suggest not taking the break because, in all honesty, your life isn't to hard right now, once you get into the real world, you will be expected to pull off long hours on almost everything and you won't be able to take breaks. Not to mention that it is a good idea to graduate as soon as possible so you can get out into the real world to earn money and make a life for yourself.</p>
<p>Look on the bright side, you aren't humping around 50 pounds of equipment in the middle of the desert for hours every day with a constant threat of death.</p>
<p>This is totally typical to feel this way for many freshmen especially around this time of the year. You've just finished a great semester- worked very hard to get that great GPA and had a great campus life. Now the "honeymoon" period is over and this is for real. That's what you're feeling- "Wow, I have another semester to go?! Mannnn." 3 1/2 years does seem a while away but once you get through your freshmen year and get in the rhythm of life on campus, things will go smoother.</p>
<p>Burn out doesn't happen too often actually. A real burn out means just absolutely NO motivation or desire to continue doing what you're doing and you can't get yourself out of the runt for a semester. So go back to school this semester and get through and see what happens. If by the end, you're just losing it all, then you can ask for a leave of absence though you'll be surprised how the summer vacation's length can do wonders for a college student.</p>
<p>I thought about doing it too AND thinking of transferring. I needed a break and a change of scenery and planned to apply as a visiting student a local university during my time off just to keep me fresh. So I applied for a transfer to one school and was accepted though interestingly at the same time things were looking up on campus that the decision was pretty difficult. Now looking back, if I took a leave of absence just to take a mental break, it would've been a VERY stupid thing to do because I was actualy ready to go back to the books in September and who knows if I would've been able to have housing on campus...</p>
<p>So my thoughts to you are that 1) It's college time, baby. No more of the Animal House or American Pie stuff, this is real work. 2) Just wait until you have a mental breakdown... actually you should go to the psychological services and talk with them about your attitude and feelings. You're just experiencing a bit of freshmen blues.</p>
<p>Also as the above poster said, real world is very different. You might not be able to get a plain 9-5 job but more like odd hours as my friend had to do in her semester off fom school. She didn't like being home as much as she thought- "it was great for a month or two... but by October, I was ready to move out!!!" Did she regret it? A little but it helped her to figure out what she really wanted to get out of school.</p>
<p>I understand, but it's not even a case of the freshmen blues. So my first semester at Harvard, I enrolled in several classes, and one in particular is one of the most difficult and intense undergraduate math courses in the nation. I am pretty sure that class alone consists of more work than three other classes...combined. It's a heavy workload.</p>
<p>And it wasn't only that, but I visited a friend a few weeks ago who was in SIX CLASSES at MIT, not far from Harvard, and he told me that he had not been outside in over a week. I mean outside as in "I haven't gone out of my building" outside.</p>