College freshman burnt out - is this normal?

compmom
Fri, 22 Apr 2011 07:15:04 +0000

My daughter has had two medical leaves from college, one in the spring of freshman year, and one in the spring of junior year. I used to feel sorry for her. However, both times, when she got healthier, she had great experiences in the real world (first time she lived with a friend of mine in NYC, this time, she has two wonderful internships in her field), and I am almost starting to think that she is fortunate in taking these leaves (apart from the chronic illness part).

I strongly recommend considering a leave of absence if your son is truly burnt out (as opposed to being stressed at the end of the semester). If senior year of high school was difficult and stressful, all the more reason. One semester out will be no more disruptive than a semester abroad.

Let him have a month or so in that term of not doing a lot, or doing a part-time internship or job, so that he can have more down time. The he can ramp it up for a few months before returning to school.

He will return to college refreshed and with a clearer idea of what he wants to study or do for a career.