<p>Not to echo that one dudes post who isn't really ready for college yet, but did anyone else feel that you were not ready for college when you graduated high school? I sure know as hell I wasn't and now here I am at 27 went in at 23 ready to graduate. I still don't know if I am ready?</p>
<p>I couldn't agree more</p>
<p>as of now i'm 20 and don't plan on beginning college until next fall - 2005. I will be just turning 21 by then.... :D</p>
<p>but of course, everyone is different. I was very immature when I graduated high school and had no idea what to major in.</p>
<p>now Im ready to begin my undergraduate studies and have chosen my major.</p>
<p>Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I find it funny that you are heading into college at 23 and 21, respectively, while I am contemplating graduating college when I'm 19. I suppose it shows that each person marches to the beat of his own drum. Good luck to the both of you.</p>
<p>I was just talking to some students in one of my classes today. They took a year or so off from college because they were tired of school. So was I but taking a year was never something I considered. One guy actually took three years off. He is 21 and has been running a restaurant (working 60-80 hrs per week) since he was 17. </p>
<p>I really hate school so I wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. It will take me 5 years (1.5 more to go) to get my BE in mechanical engineering and add a few more years on down the road for grad school. I will get my BE when I'm 23.</p>
<p>Have taken a year off before college to study in France ... so far I'm having a blast. Definitely a good choice. I'll be 19 when I start college, but I will also have lived in three different countries. It all works out pretty well.</p>
<p>Well, I didn't put off college, but it almost seems like it. I had only three classes senior year, so it was pretty close to vacation, then I got admitted for the spring semester, so I am having 7 months of true vacation right now.</p>
<p>I took a year off before going to college as well - I lived and worked in China for a year and studied Chinese, which is what I'm now studying at university. I think that a well-planned gap year is the kind of thing that you never have another chance to experience... So yeah... I mean, it's not like you ask people their ages before you go up and start a conversation! Out of the 15 other people studying in my Chinese class, I think only about 4 DIDN'T have a gap year. I guess it's just more common in the UK...</p>
<p>In Japan people usually take a year or two off studying like mad for enterance exams, which is 100% responsible for your admission to a particular university. Crazy.</p>
<p>well, i didn't take a year off between high school and college, but i plan on graduating a semester early and be near my bf and see what it is like to teach (probably substituting mostly) and then take 2 years to do teach for america before i start medical school somewhere. hopefully, that plan will work well for us as one of us will at least be making an income at any given time in the future, and i'd have at least 2.5 years of less stress coming out from an extremely stressful environment and going into another.</p>
<p>i wish i were in japan : /...only worrying about a standarized test. -_-</p>
<p>Anyone recommend any good reads about gap year ideas or alternatives? lillybbloom, can you tell me about your gap year in France? How much of it is schoolwork, and how much time do you have to enjoy the sights and learn outside the classroom or library? I would not want my gap year to be a grind or overly stressful. No offense to anyone, but my parents hear anecdotes of kids coming back from Europe all messed up- drugs, booze, smoking, returning extremely jaded on the American way of life. Obviously depends on the kid, but anyone with comments on this?</p>
<p>I have 18 hours of classes a week, which is VERY light in terms of actual class-room time, and the homework/studying isn't too bad.</p>
<p>Unfortunately for me, I'm around a lot of Americans, Brits and Swedes, so we obviously speak in English most of the time ... and I have a few mexican friends with whom I speak Spanish. I do of course speak outside the classroom with french people but it would definitely better if speaking English and Spanish wasn't an option. </p>
<p>I'm having a great time ... the foyer (boarding house) I'm living in is fantastic, the city (Angers) is cute and post-card like and an hour and a half from Paris on the train. </p>
<p>I do not smoke or do drugs and the most I drink is one beer. I haven't encountered any pressure to get into these things ... as for 'jaded on the American way of life' ... no. Just no.</p>
<p>can you pleasegive a website of the French School you're staying at lilybbloom, I am kinda interested in doing that too.</p>