Seeking 'Parent Views' on gap year

Parent Cafe
21

<p>Tough decision! Sounds like you get energy from your research and your ECs. Since you wouldn’t be in school in a gap year, would you have any kind of social life? If you are living at home, how will your parents treat you? Same with grandfather. If you live somewhere else, can you afford to support yourself? Can you work full time doing research or would you need a “for pay” job. It sounds good to have a year off, but you may find yourself bored or unhappy if you don’t have friends around or end up at home too much. 18 yos and parents (or even grandparents) tend to clash when the 18yo doesn’t have enough to do. You may also feel left out as you watch your friends and classmates go off to school and you are left behind at home. </p>

<p>How are your parents on this plan? Are finances an issue (other kids to go to college?). </p>

<p>I think you will find that being at Columbia will be very different from being in high school. Yes, you will still have to go to class and study, but taking 4 classes is very different from spending 7 to 8 hours straight in school. You will meet other students who share your passion and your drive. </p>

<p>As some have said, life is a marathon, but if you want to go to medical school, you have lots of school in front of you. Some kids take a year off between undergrad and med school to study for mcats, do research or just recharge. It may be that you would want to do that instead of taking a year now. </p>

<p>I also agree with those that say much of what you are feeling is normal. </p>

22

<p>I too am a fan of gap years and glide years. Best gift we can give to our kiddos is the gift of time.</p>

<p>Some of my 5 kiddos took gap and glide years. Middle son took a year between undergrad and med school. Granted he filled it with more school, (just because…different institution, different degrees) and is taking another year between MS3 and MS4 to complete his MBA. He wishes he would have taken the year after high school to do some things he didn’t get a chance to in undergrad (write and publish) but as a D1 athlete he couldn’t afford to train outside a university setting. Instead he did some of those things during his glide year while also learning to play golf and learn another language!</p>

<p>Trust your gut and listen to yourself. If you have an idea of what you would like to do and can swing it financially then you have your answer.</p>

<p>Same son’s college roomies at princeton had taken gap years before they got there. Some for athletics, playing a world circuit, others for language immersion, others to sail for the year and others to write code and program and another to sell and transfer his business (2 gap years for him).</p>

<p>However, same son turned down an offer for study abroad for a year because he did not want to be away from campus for even a semester…too much to do, too many classes he wanted to take. He kept a list of all the classes he wanted to take along with some professors he really wanted to attend thewir class.</p>

<p>Made his pre-med advisor CRAZY taking classes not in his major, not in his field, might lower his GPA…Too many risks, too many classes. Son went with his gut and was excited to attend class every day.</p>

<p>The best gift you can give yourself is to truly take advantage of everything Columbia has to offer. Don’t short-change yourself or your education if you don’t feel ready. Get the course catalog and READ IT. Visit again and figure out what you don’t know and what you want from your experience. Going to college isn’t just about class, and work but about your peers, professors and all the activities available to you. Clubs, ECs, shadowing and research for med school…the lists will be big. Learn and prioritze what you will need for med school and balance that with what you NEED for you to be educated, to drive your education.</p>

<p>And once you make up your mind, don’t drag your heels. Your hunger for education won’t disappear, hopefully it will be more directed and focused.</p>

<p>And you will be calmer because you made the decisions, not a time line.</p>

<p>Son’s med school interviewers and b-school ones always have tons to talk about…his decisions on what to do and when provide tons of conversation material. And then resonate because he lived them and believed in his decisions.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

<p>Kat</p>