Gapyear???

Yes you should take a gap year. I think it should almost be mandated.

People don't appreciate school at all until they are in the real world.

You probably don't also appreciate the value of an education either. I mean if you really want to go crazy, get an apartment and try to survive on whatever job you can get with a HS degree. If you combine that wiht trying to run, you wouldn't have time to be lonely as you'd have no time but for work and running.

When I was coaching at Cornell, I had a guy who got wait listed so he took a gap year and reapplied the next year. I think he helped out with his HS team and what not, got some sort of part-time job as well. Worked out well.

Thanks! Yes those are some of the reasons I want to do it. Now I need to figure out what kind of job to get/ something to do.

Went to big time program as poor kid. Too much pressure after first year dropped out and joined army for two years got out went back to school (got another scholarship) and ran pretty well. Met an Aussie girl moved there. It kinda worked out for me.

Do it! Live at home, work and save the money that you make, and spend that year putting together an incredible aerobic base. It will make you a better runner and a more grounded person.

1) Many teenagers who take a year off from school after high school never go to college.

2) There are areas of academics that build on continuous study. Time away from higher math may be an issue. Time away from studying a language may be an issue.

3) O.P., you stated you intend to attend to d-3 college. Most d-3 colleges are private, so in-state tuition most likely will not be an issue. If one takes a gap year and one intends to attend a public university, in-state tuition may be in jeopardy due to traveling.

I’m going to agree with keeping school continuous. While you may sound a little lost/don’t care much, I think being away from school often just makes me want to be there even less. It was much easier to keep studying for breaks that were 2 months (summer) Rather than the entire year. You got into a great school, you run fast, I suggest you keep the ball rolling

It’s only a decent idea if you come from the very least an upper-middle class background or higher where during your year off there is no pressure to work and pay bills. I’ve seen too many kids take a gap year and end up not going to college instead settling for that 30k per year job because when you’re 19 that seems like decent money. That is until you move out and realize rent and cars don’t pay for themselves. Then they got stuck not being able to go back. Another alternative, don’t kill yourself year one. 4 classes per semester is full time, you can compete and not have a killer course load. I’ve never understood the 18 hours per semester mentality

issues with gap year wrote:

1) Many teenagers who take a year off from school after high school never go to college.

That's a good thing. That means they realized they didn't need to go to college.

Rojo’s right. It definitely worked out well. Best decision I ever made. 18 is really young to know what you want to do. I ended up majoring in English at Cornell after starting as a mechanical engineering major. Had I gone straight to college after high school I think I would have realized too late that math and physics weren’t really my thing, despite being good at them.

I worked a little at a catering company and assistant coached my high school team. I kept training and focused on making junior nationals. It was good to have a goal for the year. You can’t train aimlessly. And we can’t take redshirt years at ivy leagues or D3 schools, so you gotta take every advantage you can get !

issues with gap year wrote:

2) There are areas of academics that build on continuous study. Time away from higher math may be an issue. Time away from studying a language may be an issue.

We aren't talking about taking five years off between finishing undergrad and starting a PhD in theoretical physics. Dude is taking a year between high school and college. No higher math involved, and it's a short enough timeframe that any skill from high school could easily be maintained with a little bit of effort. Hell, the guy could even do his gap year in a location where his foreign language skills would be greatly improved if he so desired.

I started med school ten years after graduating from undergrad. Getting back into the swing of school wasn't really that difficult. If ten years between college and med school is doable, one year between high school and undergrad shouldn't be that bad.

Do it 100 percent.

Back in the '90s, my dad encouraged it, but I was a follower. Plus, my mother and I had a terrible relationship. But my freshman year at college was MESS.

Most colleges will let you defer, and there's no difference between graduating at 23 vs. 24, etc.

Personally I don't think a gap year is a good idea right after high school. As someone mentioned earlier, it is very common for people to never end up going to college because they think they're doing fine during that gap year and don't need college. Hopefully you're going to college for a useful degree. Sure there are jobs where you can make $40k-$50k without college, but a useful degree and you can do a job that is high demand and helps the country function and get paid more than that. Also if you take this gap year, there's a good chance you'll lose the drive to run because you're not on a team, and running might not seem as important. I think it's worth while to keep that fire for running going and enjoy your college team experience to its fullest extent.

Lastly I'll say that you can take this equivalent 'gap year' after college. Go move somewhere far away right after you graduate, you can use your new degree as a way of more easily obtaining a job in some unique place. You can possibly use your degree to work a part time job and gain some experience, but live in a new place and have some time to explore it. So do the 'gap year' right after college. Any job you get right now right after college will likely have much lower income than right after college with your degree so you'll just be wasting your time right now.

Hike the Appalachian or Pacific Crest Trail! I did this after finishing college before Grad school, excellent physically engaging experience that will give you new perspectives on life and your fitness (or lack there of) in the mountains hiking.

Just go to school my man wrote:

I’m going to agree with keeping school continuous. While you may sound a little lost/don’t care much, I think being away from school often just makes me want to be there even less. It was much easier to keep studying for breaks that were 2 months (summer) Rather than the entire year. You got into a great school, you run fast, I suggest you keep the ball rolling

I can't believe the support for a gap year. This sounds like a great way to start drifting and go the route of living at home with a crappy job until you're 30. If you dont want to go to college for a year then you should get a job and support yourself. But traveling on your parents dime isn't going to teach you anything and is going to continue your dependence on them. Which is probably too much already if they're supporting the gap year idea. Time to start acting like an adult.

Laying around watching TV and partying is a good way to drift but, no one here has suggested that. Everyone in favor has talked about having some structure during that time. Now, there is no harm in taking a class or two at your local community college. Math and language are good choices for continuity and the credits can be applied at your university. You might also find that it changes your desired career path so that you won't waste two or three years worth of tuition "finding yourself". A former athlete of mine took a couple of coding classes during a gap year and then promptly abandoned his planned path to be yet another faceless and "dime-a-dozen" state university grad with a B.S. in Business. He's making great money now with his useful degree/skills while his age peers struggle with massive student loan debt and entry level salaries. Had he just schlepped off to college for a partial ride and stuck to the plan like a good little drone, he wouldn't be where he is now.

Set a hard timeline like you set a running goal. Keep your mind engaged. Have structure - a job, a class or two, and a training plan will do this for you.

People do military service or religious missions and then go on to good academic and athletic performance. There is no reason that a gap year automatically derails success. It's all about the individual. You are only young once. You have many, many years of adulting ahead. Only a very select few can retire or take a lengthy sabbatical while they still have the youth to fully enjoy it.

There's nothing adult about going into debt, living in dorms, eating in cafeterias, and partying. The only adult skill you're forced to learn is laundry.

Most people in European countries take a gap year. I think it's great and people do better academically than if they didn't take one. You can also see a big difference in graduate school between people who came straight from undergrad and those who worked.

If you don't have burning passion you planned to pursue at college, no harm in waiting. But don't be unproductive. Look into an Americorps program or one of the many conservation programs around the U.S. They're geared to young people 18+ through mid 20s and you'll have a chance to do/see a LOT while surviving on a stipend and communal living. It will give you some perspective on the world and pay you a nice $5000 Education Award at the end too.

You're 18 (most likely). There is wisdom that cannot be found sitting in a classroom or on a running track. I took 3 years off after HS, found myself a stable trade job, and spent the the time dating, socializing, exploring my nation (Canada), learning French, and went back to University with an actual understanding of what I want in life. I'm able to define myself and everything I want. I will complete my math degree next year at 25, which some consider rather late, but as I look at my peers and take interviews, I realize how little they understand beyond exams.

Don't be one of those kids that rushes through school because it is what you're suppose to do. Take the year off and enjoy yourself. As much as traditionalist Americans flaunt against, there is a joy to having no responsibilities as a youth with a simple job. The school is going to burn down if you don't go asap. It'll be there when you're ready

Definitely do it. I highly recommend Guatemala and Central America. I spent less than 1000 USD a month (including flight ticket) while there. I learned to scuba dived, volunteered, studied Spanish, worked in a hostel, explored everywhere, and met dozens of other 18-26 year olds doing the exact same thing as I was doing, helping me realizing there's an entirely different world out there than the one I was deluded into believing was "real-life" back home.