Taking a semester off is an enticing idea, especially if you are stuck in the middle of tests, term papers and heavy reading assignments. However, before you make a decision to take a break from your college life, it is important to realize that taking a semester off can sometimes hurt your chances of succeeding in college and in some cases can actually help you. Taking a semester off will either help or hurt you depending on your motives and the way you take the break.
The first question you have to ask yourself is why do you want to take the semester off? Do you just want to goof off? If this is the case then taking a semester off may hurt you, because you may lose the momentum and drive that it takes to finish college. You might skip the semester and never get back on track and then find it difficult to get into the groove of college life again.
Perhaps you want to take a semester off because you are in a "rut" and need a change of scenery. If you are already doing well in college, but feel somehow stifled by your environment, then a semester spent elsewhere could give you the mental break that you need, and you may end up coming back to campus with renewed energy and zest for completing the rest of your college semesters.
Going even deeper, maybe you want to take a semester off so that you can find out who you really are. If you spend a semester in serious introspection and accompany this with travel abroad, learning new languages, meeting new people and learning things that you wouldn't have learned in college, then this will help you to mature and not only succeed in college but in your career and life after graduation.
Along with this, if your semester away from college enables you to get a better understanding of who you are and what you should do with your life, then you will probably be a much better student when you hit the books again. Lots of students are simply not motivated to work hard in college because they do not understand why they are in college in the first place. The person who takes the semester off to find him or her self is likely to come back as a better student.
Finally, maybe you want to take the semester off so that you can do some social service or do your part to make the world a better place. Should you choose this path, there are lots of volunteer opportunities available in the United States and also abroad. A semester spent helping others will give you a new perspective on life and this can be a perfect way to start the second half of your college career.
So, examine your motives for taking a semester off. If taking the semester off will help to regenerate your enthusiasm for study, equip you with new skills, help you to find your purpose in life or allow you to serve others, then it could be the most valuable semester of your college years. However, if you only want to take the semester off for partying and goofing around, then it could be detrimental to your academic future. Consider your options carefully and then make a wise decision.
Author Resource:
Andrew Marshall is a freelance writer whose interests include online degree programs, online colleges , and distance education.
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