<p>I am considering taking some time off before starting at GW. I got in ED1 and am excited about it and everyting, but I saw that they will let you put off starting by a semester or a whole year and still keep your admssion. I'm on the young side and love to travel, so I could take some time to get more on track age wise and work/travel. Thoughts?</p>
<p>This would probably get great responses on the parents board, or possibly the college admissions section. Lots of people have done this before or have knowledge of good ways to go about deferring a year, so I am sure that someone could give you some great advice and options. </p>
<p>I say why not? You're young, and you might need some time to mature or grow up. GW is a tough place, and you could possibly have a hard time adjusting. Maybe a year could be more prepared socially for GW. </p>
<p>If you are burnt out, then maybe a year off could give you some time to refresh before getting to GW. You could also work some to save up some money.</p>
<p>On the flip-side, however, you are going to be a year younger than the rest of the freshman class. This might not bother you, but it's something to consider. You might feel out of place due to an age difference.</p>
<p>It's for me to recommend things to do with your year/semester off. There's several programs for students your age. You can also independently travel, however, why not just study abroad and get credit at the same time at GW if that's your goal?</p>
<p>Good luck with whatever you do. You have plenty of time to decide. Again, congratulations on your GW acceptance(I'm excited too!) and remember to post this on a more active(and knowledgeble) board like the Parent's forum.</p>
<p>hi. i applied to george washington regular decision so i haven't heard back yet. i know right now that i am definitely taking a gap year.
i'm doing an exchange program- rotary- and they say that a year abroad matures you three years. this may make it harder to relate to other freshmen when you get back, but i think that everything you will gain from a gap year will make up for that. as for me, i want to become fluent in french, (i've already studied it for years in school) so that i can focus on a more difficult language (maybe chinese or arabic) in college and possibly study abroad again in a different country. also, many college study abroad programs don't offer host family stays, which i think is very important in truly understanding any culture. those are my reasons, but i also think that gaining independence will also be helpful later in college.<br>
one thing that i must warn you about is working during time off. many people whom i have spoken to say that kids that work get used to the money (despite how little it may be) and become reluctant about going to college, or decide not to go at all. in my opinion, you will have the rest of your life to work after college, so i'd take this opportunity to do something you might never have the chance to do again.<br>
lastly, if you are serious about this, you should really start looking into the options right now because even if you don't go through a program that has application deadlines, there will be much to plan for extensive or long-term travel.</p>