So Im about to finish my two years in community college. My goal was to get an aa-t and transfer in two years and that’s exactly what I did. I’m approaching summer and I’m getting the thought of taking fall semester off and applying for colleges for spring session because community college was basically highschool. I’m going to be living alone in college once i transfer in an apartment and I want to be able to grab onto life skills that i seriously lack. I’ve never worked a day in my life and I’m honestly basically still a child. I’m 19 years old. How should I go about this. Is this wise? Can I take a semester off? Are my chances for transfer slimmer in the spring? I’m taking one class in the fall because it’s a csu requirement to take a gov class so I figured might as well but I don’t think that makes a difference. I’m also a person who suffers from anxiety so maybe a semester off would be good? Will this ruin my future i mean I am 19.
First - congrats on your progress so far. Nice Work.
Unfortunately, few colleges in CA are accepting Spring transfers so, a semester will turn into a year.
I think you are selling your life skills short. Getting through CC on schedule tells me you’ve organizational and planning skills nailed. Boiling water to make Top Ramen is a piece of cake. Thousands of kids will be in the same boat - honestly, there’s no better way to bring your skills to the next level than diving into an away college campus. If you really aren’t comfortable starting with an apartment, most schools have some transfer dorms.
My son is a sophomore in college. He didn’t know anything about cooking/cleaning/shopping when he left home. Of course he made mistakes, burned some popcorn, set off a smoke alarm, etc, that’s all part of growing up. He’s into a groove now that works for him.
Trust me, you can do it.
You will definitely not be ruining your future by taking a gap year at 19. Lots of students graduate a year or two later and take 5 or 6 years to finish.
Honestly, no harm can come from a gap year or gap semester as long as you have a clear goal of what you want to accomplish. If you are planning to work to save up some money or travel, I would encourage you to do so if it would help you relax and clear your head before getting back into the school grind. However, if you think there’s a chance you may end up just hanging around without anything on your schedule, it wouldn’t be an effective use of time.
Just think about and research where you want to finish out your school and take their policies and schedule into account.