Taking a Semester Off?

<p>I'm sort of at the end of my rope. I'm not sure if I want to go back to my school in the Fall. I've tried to persist through it as much as possible. At the risk of sounding "elitist," most of my peers are frustratingly unmotivated and just not on the same level as I am academically.</p>

<p>I have plans of trying to transfer in the Spring to a smaller, more challenging school, but I'm really starting to question if I can wait it out that long.</p>

<p>I'm starting to consider taking a semester off this Fall to go back home. I would probably get a job, and work on transfer applications in this time. Maybe do some volunteer work. However, I'm not sure if this would appear as negative to adcoms when evaluating applications. I'm looking mainly at Top 40 LACs. (Oberlin, Wesleyan, Reed, etc.) </p>

<p>Does anyone have any insight?</p>

<p>EDIT: Also, if I were to do this. How would I go about getting a college official's report/letters of rec?</p>