How does taking a break work in college? You always hear about gap years * before * starting college, but what about gap years in the * middle * of college? I’m curious about how this works in the UC system ** and ** the community college system.
Can students take a break at the quarter, semester, or year long mark while attending college - be it to travel the world, pursue a job opportunity, or simply because they want to do something else - and then pick it up again in another year or two without penalty? Someone once told me this was possible (that your credits don’t just cancel out unless you finish all of your schooling in one chunk), but I was wondering if it was actually true. You hear the term “dropout” being used to describe people who, for one reason or another, quit college during the middle of their education. But are these people able to return and pick up where they last left off?
This is typical of most schools: If you notify them by whatever the deadline is before the semester starts, it’s usually not a problem to take time off. But each school has their own rules.
We know 4 students who decided to take time out for a year or more during college. All four were finishing their second years and three still hadn’t decided on a major or what they wanted to do professionally. One returned and has now finished and is a school teacher. The second found his major and ended up in a graduate program in his area of interest. A third left to join a start up and is doing so well professionally that he may never go back. A fourth is still figuring it out three years later - but he’s got a job he likes and is self-supporting, which doesn’t make him a ‘drop-out’ in my book (with the ‘loser’ connotation that goes with it.) Good outcomes for all four, because they figured out their paths, and didn’t blow lots of tuition dollars for their parents in the process. Yeah, their parents were very nervous - but trusting your kid is not a bad strategy in a situation like this. (As opposed dealing with to a kid who is failing academically, and/or seems to be having mental health and/or adjustment issues - an entirely different situation.)
Our D took shorter periods off during her college career, but that was to pursue academic interests elsewhere: Study abroad she organized herself in both cases because it was less expensive and less restrictive than goes with school-based programs - but I assume this isn’t what you are talking about.
This is more common than you think. Lots of people stop and re-start their educations. One of my sisters took a 20 year break in her education in order to raise 5 kids. And yes, her old credits from previous institutions did transfer into her final degree program.
If you intend to return to the same place where you are currently studying, do meet with your advisors there and find out what steps to take to smooth the process. Each place sets its own policies and procedures for this.
So I see that this * is * common. Good to know. Would you say most schools only allow this at the semester mark, or would most schools be alright with quarters as well?
Also, I’m very, very curious to hear more about what your daughter did. Just to get things straight: she studied abroad completely independently, without the help of a school-based program? (if I decided to travel, this actually is what I would prefer to would do). You also said that she took shorter periods off during her college career. What do you mean by ‘shorter’ - a few weeks, a few months, etc. I was originally interested in this (the idea of taking short periods of time off during college to travel), but I was told this was impossible. I was told that colleges don’t allow you to simply leave for two months to travel. Is this what your daughter did?
Alright. That’s good information to know. In general, would you say the ease of picking up again depends on the rigor of the school? - for example, it’s easier to stop and start up again at a community college versus a UC, versus a very competitive private school. Or is this just a myth.
There is taking a leave of absence and then there is withdrawing. Also if there is a financial aid consideration you’d better find out about that. If you withdraw you have to reapply and may not be readmitted or given the aid you had. Graduation requirements are subject to change. If you change to another school, your credits may all transfer or some may not. They may have other graduation requirements you have to fulfill.
You do have summer to travel. And winter break. In order to study abroad and get credit your school has to approve the program. You cannot pick any program and you college will accept the credits. However many schools have long lists of programs they accept credits from. At Brown, there are Brown programs and pre approved external programs and you can apply if the external program is not on the preapproved list. Here is what mine did. Study abroad in external but pre approved program in fall. Leave early to visit a neighboring country (friend’s home) first. Attend program, do a couple long weekends in neighboring countries. Travel for 3 weeks at end of program over Winter break.
I don’t know about UCs or CCs specifically, but it’s certainly possible to take a leave of absence in the middle of college. I think it depends on the school in terms of how long you can be away for before your credits cancel out and you have to start over. Someone I’m in college with now completed her first year, then took a year off to do Americorps, and then returned to complete the next 3 years. Someone else I’m in college with now completed her first year, took a year and a half off to (I think) work on a political campaign and do some environmental policy activism, and has been re-admitted this semester.
If you take a leave of absence, do you still pay during your absence? - meaning, if you take a semester long break during the middle of your junior year, you end up paying tuition for nine semesters worth of schooling instead of eight by the time you graduate.
I’m also curious to learn a little more about financial aid. How is this affected by a leave of absence?
Normally, you only pay for the semesters that you attend, although I have heard of private colleges and universities that charge for all four years even though a student finishes a semester early.
If you have student loans and you take time off, then when your grace period ends you will have to start re-paying your loans. Because you have to file for financial aid each year, if your family’s financial picture changes during your time off, your aid can change. If you were awarded a merit-based scholarship when you first enrolled, you need to make certain that that scholarship can be renewed if you take time off - sometimes there are restrictions on how long a leave can be, or the reasons for the leave.
How hard is it to go back? That depends on the student, the major, the institution, etc. Many students do much better when they return because they are older, wiser, more self-disciplined. Some do worse because they’ve forgotten material that they learned in introductory courses that is necessary for advanced courses.