<p>I know this is long but bear with me. Here is where I am at right now: I am a sophomore at UMass and I am/was strongly considering a transfer after this year. I’m not trying to toot my own horn but I have gotten very good grades (3.9ish GPA) and after this semester my GPA should stay in the 3.8 range. I sucked in H.S. but have really made a lot of changes and have refocused and thus gotten good results. Anyways, I was intent on applying to Top 20 undergrad business programs (my list consisted of NYU, USC, WUSTL, etc.) during winter break and I thought I really wanted to go into Finance, and if not that, Management. After doing a lot of research I am not really sure if I am ready to commit to a major and to my future. I know a lot of college kids go through this uncertainty, and it just recently hit me. Honestly, I know I have all the tools to be very successful in business but I am not sure if I am really passionate about learning Finance right now, or even learning in general.</p>
<p>Now, I really want to get away from this school and returning here next year is pretty much not an option for me. Last year I really enjoyed academia but lately I’ve been increasingly bored of academic work (I think mainly stemming from my indecisiveness and uncertainty about what to study and my overly relentless work ethic aka “burnt out”) and have gotten the itch to take a year off a do some “real world” learning. Cliché, I know, but I have been learning academics for the past 14 years… I’d like to see what else life has to offer. I don’t know what sparked it but the last month I got a huge urge to just forget school for a while and live, travel and have a good time in Europe for a year. This idea has really engulfed me, and I fantasize about it pretty much everyday… I’ve never felt a stronger “do it” conscience in my head in a while. Why now? Well I know I will go into some form of business at some point, and anyone who knows about this field realizes that either you go to grad school or you get hired right out of college, so this may be my only opportunity to do something like this at a young age. Hell, most people work for 40+ years out of college, Im really beginning to see no reason to rush myself into a career. I will only be young once... I read a thread somewhere that asked adults what they wished they did when they were my age, and most of them regretted not travelling... another thing that struck me. Also if I am going into business, I could only see how this experience could help me as I would learn a lot of life skills and communication skills (The closest thing I know to a second language is broken French), and hopefully a lot about myself. Anyways, I have some contacts and the necessary funds to live and travel Europe for a year (it could be less) but I am wondering if: A. anyone else has had a similar experience and/or has done something like this B: will this severely screw my chances up for transferring and mess up my whole college education?</p>
<p>Any thoughts on this? Who thinks this is a good/bad idea? I am still considering it and maybe this urge will pass but I have to decide whether or not to fill out applications pretty soon. If I do decide to take a year off should I not fill out transfer applications? If I go through with it I would definitely be returning to finish up my degree at another school. Say I got accepted for Fall ’07, would schools allow me to defer my admission to a year later? I’m assuming not. If not, would a year off reflect badly and really hurt my chances of transferring? Or could it even help as I would be doing something most people don’t have the balls to do? I know I’m asking a lot of questions, but this is pretty important.</p>
<p>I know plenty of adults who did things like that during their college years. Indeed, when you're young is the best time in life to do something like that: You have your health, you don't have a mortgage, kids or job to worry about.</p>
<p>Your plan would give you more sophistication about the world and more insight into yourself, making you more aware of what careers and majors would best suit you. I believe that these things would be an asset if you were to transfer or decide to return to your current college.</p>
<p>I'm impressed that you appear to be planning to fund your travel yourself instead of expecting your parents to pay. That shows maturity, too.</p>
<p>Why a whole year? It's great that you have money for a whole year (more or less), but if you're a typical kid, who's only had near-minimum wage jobs, paying for a whole year would take most or all of the money you have. If I were you, and had an irresistable need to go pretty much right now, I would go from, say, February-June. Five months will let you see a lot and not drain all your savings. Do the transfer applications for Fall '07 and turn them in by New Year's (just so they'll be done), hang out and relax in January, be in Europe from Feb. 1st-June 30th, and then come back in July to work and be with friends & family before going to your new school in August. That is what I would do, but you are not me and you may hate this idea. It's only a suggestion. This is close to what I plan to do after I graduate from college in December '09 (taking summer classes to make that happen). I'll graduate and then work January-May '10 to save money for Europe and grad/law school in Fall '10. Then for all of June I'll be running around Europe, and will be back in July to see friends, make a little more money, and prepare for my post-college education that will begin in August '10. I also really want to see Europe while I'm young and don't have anything tying me down to the US, but if I went right now, I would NEVER go back to college. I like college, but it would be like "I've moved on from school, why go back?". So, I'm staying put until after graduation, then I'll spread my wings and see the world.</p>
<p>Traveling seems like something you really want so I wouldn't avoid it just because it means deferring admission. </p>
<p>I agree never to spend all of your money to travel - do it for a few months with part of your money, then go back to college hopefully somewhere new.</p>
<p>There's a professor at UMD (Maynard Mack, Jr.--who also ran the honors program for a number of years) whose new career goal is to have every student take a year off to "get out of the system for a year. </p>
<p>I'd say that if you really want to do it, and can pay for it--the experience will be unforgettable.</p>
<p>In the 25 years since I've graduated from college I have never met a single preson who regretted taking a gap year (although some acknowledge that it didn't always turn out as planned) and I have met many, many (myself included) who wish we'd done it when we could. If you feel burnt out and aren't quite sure why your making the effort in school, that's all the more reason to go. </p>
<p>On a more practical note: Traveling gets old after a few months and can be expensive (depending on where you go). Consider working your way around the world-3 months in one place, 2 months in another. And there are tons of international gap-year volunteer organizations that pay little or nothing, but provide room and board. You'll learn more about a culture and a place, more about yourself, and perhaps even discover some interest you might never have developed otherwise. </p>
<p>Also-practical note again-taking a year off right after college is often more difficult because you lose the advantage that your career planning and placement office provides (on campus interviews, etc...) and the network and doors that faculty can offer you, if you've impressed them. Not that everything evaporates the minute you graduate, but relationships get more tenuous. It's just easier to use the network that you've cultivated and paid for while you're at school.</p>