What are the advantages and disadvantages of taking a year off after high school before entering college?

Don't do it unless you are going to do something really awesome (travel through Europe, etc.). Pushing paper or working at a burger joint for a year to earn a few bucks is a pointless waste of time. Think of it this way: what do you think pays more, one year of work at a job requiring a high school diploma, or one year of work at a job that requires a college degree? You'll just feel more distant from your fellow college freshmen once enrolling. If you must take a year off, at least apply and get in NOW, then ask to defer.

Seriously don't do this. I've seen a lot of people do this and end of never going to college. They get too comfortable being outside academia. You'll think "Ahh life is good and I'm still young. I can wait another year." Then another year goes by, and another, and another, etc... Just go to college and knock it out.

adsfsdf wrote:

Don't do it unless you are going to do something really awesome (travel through Europe, etc.). Pushing paper or working at a burger joint for a year to earn a few bucks is a pointless waste of time. Think of it this way: what do you think pays more, one year of work at a job requiring a high school diploma, or one year of work at a job that requires a college degree? You'll just feel more distant from your fellow college freshmen once enrolling. If you must take a year off, at least apply and get in NOW, then ask to defer.

This is 100% right. Why would you? Just to work an average teenager job. Go to college. It will only become harder to get through college after a break. Especially if you start to feel like an adult and knock up the cashier wherever you are working.

adsfsdf wrote:

Don't do it unless you are going to do something really awesome (travel through Europe, etc.). Pushing paper or working at a burger joint for a year to earn a few bucks is a pointless waste of time. Think of it this way: what do you think pays more, one year of work at a job requiring a high school diploma, or one year of work at a job that requires a college degree? You'll just feel more distant from your fellow college freshmen once enrolling. If you must take a year off, at least apply and get in NOW, then ask to defer.

But isn't it very common for European kids to take a year off before college?

If you don't want to go, don't go. You're an adult, or close to it, so what you do is your choice. I didn't want to go, and I was my high school valedictorian, but my parents pressured me into going. I guess that I didn't want to go because I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I would have been better served not going, getting a job, and thinking about it.

Opinion: Don't do it. The feeling of graduating a year after people your age is not a good one. Get college done as soon as possible, then make money.

In general, no advantages or disadvantages. One year is a far too short period of time to make any difference at all. I went to med school 23 years after high school and I found no real disadvantges in doing so either. Some people might have felt awkward around classmates in your own childrens' age - I didn't. Wasn't much of a problem to get the jobs I wanted either.

]Psychiatrist wrote:

In general, no advantages or disadvantages. One year is a far too short period of time to make any difference at all. I went to med school 23 years after high school and I found no real disadvantges in doing so either. Some people might have felt awkward around classmates in your own childrens' age - I didn't. Wasn't much of a problem to get the jobs I wanted either.[/quote]

You lost out on 23 years of attending income and tuition outpaced inflation by 300%. Other than that, no change.

More importantly: Why wouldn't you want to go to college after high school?

College gives you the opportunity for all of the following:

-Learn stuff (some of it interesting)

-Hot girls, or at least a big pond from which to fish

-Live in a community of your peers from which you will probably make some of your best lifetime friends

-Earn a piece of paper that will allow you the opportunity to make lots of money and hopefully get a quality job

Not going to college gets you the opportunity to:

-Get a job, now

-Figure shit out, now (find a place to live, pay your bills, cook your own food, etc)

-Have other people wonder why you didn't go to college

If you are questioning whether to take a year off you should be questioning whether you actually go to college. If you want to go, don't take a year off.

Most kids start school a year later now. So you graduate high school at 18-19.

Take a year off in between, you start college at 19-20.

Mos take 5 years to graduate college now. So you maybe graduate at 23-24.

I started kindergarten at 4, started college at 17, I was out of GRAD SCHOOL at 22 and working already.

Why are today's kids so damn lazy?

go to college with the intention of taking a gap year the year after college and travel before you jump in the 9-5 grind the rest of your life. if you are not passionate about what you plan to do after college the do it. it'll help u figure it out. but if in the course of 4-5 years you have a plan and can't wait to get started on the next phase of your life then skip it. but get the degree first.

If you have really unique opportunity to travel, become a professional athlete (e.g., minor league baseball contract), or start a job with some unique career training opportunities, or something similar then that's worth considering deferring college. Unfortunately, there aren't that many unique opportunities like that to most HS graduates--especially for employment opportunities. If you take a year off, your study skills (especially in math and science) will get rusty, and some classes/majors may not be valid options for you after a year off. If you aren't sure, try going to a community college near home and see what transfer agreements they have with 4-year schools. You could go to school part-time and work part-time as a compromise, but the college classes (leading to a degree) will be more of an investment than an entry-level McDonald's/Walmart type of job.

If you do it right, I think taking a year off can really work out in your favor and can give you a leg up on your college peers as far as preparation for the real world outside of college. It really depends on what you do though, and your maturity level.

I wasn't too hot on the idea of college after my first semester. I dropped out, to say my parents weren't thrilled would be quite the understatement. But I think those six months off really helped me develop as a person. My parents made it clear that I wouldn't be living at home and they wouldn't be supporting me financially.

I got a room in a house for $450/mo and started working for the census bureau making $13.75/hr. It wasn't much, but I got by and to be honest I really enjoyed the independence. I trained a lot during my time off, basically ran a "season" of road races and re-enrolled at a different school the following fall.

I came back to college with more focus and a willingness to learn. I graduated with a 3.5gpa (my first semester was a 2.2 before I dropped out). I would say that taking a year off before school, if done right, will really help you develop as a person and you will learn a lot about yourself. I feel that even those short 6mo made my transition into the "real world" after college quite smooth.

I think one of the things that is lacking in the current education system is adequately preparing college students for life outside of college. Do it up man. It will have it's ups and downs but you will become a better person because of it.

Further more,

I would say that taking time off before college could give you a chance to see firsthand the type of career field you might be looking to do post college. For example, if you are looking to get into medicine, take an accelerated EMT course (3mo), and use the following 9mo to work as an EMT to get real world experience. It will give you a glimpse of the field you're trying to go into and provide some much needed experience that will build your confidence for later on.

The same path could be followed for say, engineering, get a job in construction. Meet new people and make connections. Learn new skills. You don't have to be in college to learn shit. Basically just have ambition and go out and be independent. Develop yourself as a person.

Logical Man wrote:

Opinion: Don't do it. The feeling of graduating a year after people your age is not a good one. Get college done as soon as possible, then make money.

Good lord. You people are so insecure and stupid. Everyone isn't the same age. The age of a freshman can range from 17 to 19.

Who is responding here? HS kids or adults? Most people take 5 years to graduate. No one gives a crap how old you are. Maybe frat guys who try and maintain some social standing but the truth is most people just don't give a shit.

I would recommend going part time. Or go to JC and run there. There's many paths to your career.

[quote]The Donger wrote:

Who is responding here? HS kids or adults? Most people take 5 years to graduate. No one gives a crap how old you are. Maybe frat guys who try and maintain some social standing but the truth is most people just don't give a shit. /quote]

The Donger poses a relevant question. Do you want advice from adults or from from people like Hdh374 and logical man, who thinks that money is life's most important thing?

Gap Year wrote:

I'm really thinking about doing this, but my parents are worried I'll then never go to college. They want me to go to a prep school instead of just taking a year off to work.

Don't do it. If unsure about where you want to go or what you want to do, go to your local community college and take a minimum full time load (12 hours?). Take classes in different areas and see what floats your boat. Get a cool part time job, maybe at a running store. Even if you take a part time load of two or 3 classes while working some decent hours, you are that further ahead than taking a complete year off.

Can you do both?

Will you have 3 or 4 or more AP credits?

Start in January or take a light course load.

June through December is plenty of time to learn you don't want to go through life with only a HS diploma. Or if you only take 2 or 3 classes a semester, you have plenty of time to work enough to earn enough from June through the next August to pay for a solid if not flashy car.