Taking A Break for a Semester

Student Lounge College Life
1

<p>I am a current sophomore at my State U (3 hrs away from home). After having tremendous success in high school, I have had a much more difficult time in college. My first semester went fairly well, but things went downhill from there.
In the second semester my GPA dropped considerably (still passing but not good at all), which caused me to lose most of my financial aid. The third and most recent semester my GPA rebounded, but my self-esteem and excitement for school has dropped. I am a very quiet person, and have had trouble adapting to college life, coming to an extreme by having to live on my own at the dorms.</p>

<p>I want to take the upcoming spring semester off to refocus and get motivated again before going back. My plan is to seek professional help (a counselor to help me through the changes) and to get back in physical shape (I overate the last 1.5yrs to cope with stress), but I don't think I should get an internship or a job, as I also do not no what area of study I am going into). I am confident that I would be able to go back after a semester off and achieve more that I am doing so right now. I am just very nervous that going back right now will be a waste of money if I am not focused and motivated to succeed.</p>

<p>My parents have said that they will support me in the decision that I make, but they strongly feel that I need to go back now, because they feel I won't be able to go back after taking time off. They are concerned that after spending more time my family, that it will be harder for me to go back in 6 months than it will be for me to do so now. </p>

<p>I disagree with them on this because I believe that taking a break for a semester will allow me to cope with moving into adulthood, and allow me to be more successful than before. I also understand the value of a college education, as I fully realize that me career options and with it, my quality of life will be much less without the college degree.</p>

<p>Any help, advice, or recommendations will be much appreciated. If there are any questions about my situation, please ask! Thanks-</p>

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<p>Who is going to financial support you during your break?</p>

3

<p>If you’re going to take a break for a semester, you should probably get some form of a job. You can think of it as a different form of motivation- after working at a minimum wage job for a semester, you’ll be much more enthusiastic about getting a degree.</p>