Splendid

This discussion may be geared towards those who've been part of the American university system, but any shared advice or stories on taking a year off of college would be appreciated.

My situation is this: I'm a sophomore at my local community college (Shasta College). I was the salutatorian of my admittedly tiny graduating high school class, I scored a 29 on the ACT'S in high school, and currently have a college 4.0 (I don't know if Europeans are familiar with the 4-point grading scale. 4.0 means all A's), having completed 39 of the 60 units required to complete my general ed.

Currently, I'm a prospective Economics major, but a combination of increasing interest in literature and an even more rapidly increasing distaste for math in any form has seen me re-think the focus of my studies. In fact, I'm fairly certain I want to switch to a namby-pamby literature or cultural studies-based major. The problem is I've already applied to UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Davis as an Econ major. Most people advise that I finish with my Econ prereqs and then switch majors once I'm at university, but the problem is that my poor form in Calculus will probably detract from my bid to be accepted as an Econ major at the schools I most want to attend (namely, Berkeley). But as an English or American Studies major, I'd be pretty much guaranteed acceptance at Berkeley.

So I've been contemplating taking the 08-09 school year off, applying at Berkeley for the Fall 09 semester, and dedicating 08-09 to working in the fall, traveling in the spring, and procuring a full-ride scholarship with NROTC.

So does this sound like a reasonable option? Will I ever go back to school if I opt for a gap year? Do any of you feel like you've gained or lost out for substituting a year of travel for a year of school? Lay any advice/abuse on me.

Andy Jordan

you've already taken two "gap years."

stop being a vagina. suck it up.

Splendid

Where have you gone, ffs?

finneys13

Lost you at 'sophomore'. Isn't that a type of tree?

Jonny "Kid" Pilko

tbh finneys I thought something along the same lines

Splendid

Zacchaeus climbed very few sophomores, iirc.

Splendid

btw, it's year two of college

Jearm84

sycamore?

had 2 'gap years' in education <not consecutively> both enforced not chosen, worked in one, took the other off enjoyed neither tbh would have just preferred to get on with it

Rb

I personally decided not to take any gap years. This I have regretted somewhat, but I currently think its been a good thing, as otherwise I doubt I would have bothered to go to university.

theis

Personally I haven't had a gap year. tbh don't know how much I'd have used one. Might have been cool to go of trekking in South America or something. But I'd have probably wasted any time out I got so all for the best that I've just cracked on with my life I guess.