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You’re a senior in high school and it’s time to apply for college. All your friends are caught up in the frenzy of writing college essays, talking about first choices, early decision, etc. and you’re just not sure. School has been a long road for you, and you’re exhausted. You are not sure if college has a purpose for you as you do not have any career goals at this time. You feel implicit pressure from your parents to continue school. What is your job?
You have a range of options:
Live at home and work for a period, while you save money and grow up.. I know, your parents say, “If you don’t go to college now, you’ll never go.” Not necessarily true. The median age at community colleges is twenty-seven years old. Working is beneficial because it gives you an idea of what’s out there with just a high school diploma. After doing this for several years and experiencing the “ceiling,” you may suddenly see a reason to attend college. Whatever you do, don’t let parental pressure force your decision. From everything I’ve seen as a college instructor, parents can pressure you to sign up, but they can’t force you to participate. In the end, the coerced students fail and the parents’ tuition dollars go overboard. Sit down with your parents and have a calm conversation about the benefits of working and putting off college for now. (In the meantime, you may want to consider applying now and deferring admission if you’re accepted. Sometimes it’s easier to “get in” with the application process while everyone else is doing it. In fact, it may ease your parents’ anxiety about your acceptance. free time.)
Do internships. Connect with employers whose fields interest you and ask if they accept interns outside of high school. Sometimes employers just want college interns, so you may need to use your powers of persuasion and offer your services for free to get your foot in the door. While this is an expensive option in terms of lost income, it is often a very worthwhile investment in one’s future. Having several internships gives you an idea of what interests you, but what is just as important, what is not. Internships allow you to learn in a “hands-on” way, which is especially helpful for those who learn better by “doing” than sitting in a classroom. If your search for an internship fails, an alternative is to ask if you can “shadow” someone in a field that interests you. Seeing what a day in the life of a public relations manager is like, for example, gives you the basis for judging whether it would seem like a fulfilling career. Finally, if you find a good match and impress an employer, the relationship may result in a job offer in the future. After all, if an employer is looking to hire, isn’t a reliable “known” number better than a stranger? In a competitive market, internships are one of the best ways to secure future employment.
You can travel. Even at a low price, this is a luxury option. However, if you have money saved (or your parents are willing to finance it) and you are independent enough to care for your own needs, this is an incredible opportunity to experience new people, places and cultures that will broaden your horizons beyond your own world Traveling requires taking responsibility for all your own needs and can result in increased maturity.
Take time to reinforce your academic skills. If you haven’t done as well in high school as you would have liked, your academic and study skills are probably below average. In this case, enroll in a part-time continuing education program (no credit) or developmental classes at your local community college. Work to improve your reading, writing, math, and study skills, so you can start college with confidence, possibly avoiding developmental courses.
May connect with a gap year program, either through an educational institution or a private agency. Gap year programs may include a supervised residential program, along with beneficial work experience. A well-run program will offer guidance, counseling, and maybe even college credit; it’s a good springboard before venturing out on your own for the first time. This is a great option for students who want to attend a residential college but lack confidence in their independent living skills. This type of program reassures parents that they want their teen’s first experience away from home to include some degree of supervision.
There are several advantages to taking a gap year:
You can grow. Taking time off to work or travel gives you a real-life experience that can translate into further maturity. This will come in handy when faced with the social and academic pressures of college. A gap year can also narrow your focus on what you eventually want to do. Students who enter college with a goal in mind find it easier to endure courses in which they have little or no interest because they view them as a means to an end.
You will have time to find yourself. Students who take a break and explore various career fields often discover what they want to do for the rest of their lives. Just as important, they often realize what they don’t want to do; the advantage of this is that they haven’t wasted tuition dollars on a major, only to find out in the end that they don’t care after all.
You will have the opportunity to prepare yourself mentally and academically for college. If you weren’t a “student” in high school, taking time off gives you a chance to “reschedule.” Think about why you lacked motivation and what will change when you go back to school. Enrolling in a study skills course and taking it seriously will ensure that you know how to prepare for exams. Students who take time off and are a bit older may be more “financially” thoughtful. They may find that putting in minimal effort results in failing and retaking courses and, at best, mediocre grades. While they may graduate, will their transcript earn them a job that pays well enough to offset the dollars spent on tuition? Will they have accumulated an academic record that allows them to purchase enough income to live independently and pay off any student loans they may have acquired? If taking time off results in better preparation and more fiscal responsibility, it’s well worth it.
You will appreciate the university. Once you enroll in college because it’s your wish, not your parents’, you’ll be more motivated. Throw in a few years of maturity, and you have an equation for success.
Google “gap year opportunities” for an extensive list of options.
All students flourish on their own schedule. If, for whatever reason, you’re not ready to go to college immediately after graduating high school, that doesn’t mean college isn’t among your options. It may very well mean that you need a quality break for some introspective thinking, something a gap year can provide.