Hello, everyone.
Needless to say, I’m currently not in the greatest situation. I have nearly completed my freshman year at Roger Williams University as a Computer Science major. All second semester, I focused on my transfer applications and maintaining high grades. While I was accepted into Northeastern and was offered very generous aid, we could not find affordable housing in Boston; I was also accepted into URI, but that serves as a safety, and I have read its CS program is not stellar.
I have seriously been considering a gap semester, just to get my thoughts together and decide what I want to accomplish with my CS major. Of course, I have a few concerns:
- As someone who has completed both Intro to CS and Data Structures, how might I keep productive during that semester-off?
- What are somewhat-affordable, somewhat-local schools that offer strong CS programs (I live in Rhode Island, for reference). I’ve been eyeing UMass Amhert.
- Even with a 4.0 GPA (I will most likely retain this after second semester grades are finalized), will taking a gap semester injure my chances of being accepted to any school?
Overall, is taking a gap semester for someone in my place a wise decision, or a risky move?
There is nothing wrong with taking a gap semester or year.
Gap semester/years are nothing more than a waste of time. What exactly is wrong with your school? Computer science is one of those degrees where prestige really doesn’t help you much. It’s highly employable. You’re much better off staying where you’re at and finishing. Northeastern won’t make it any more a bachelors degree.
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Have you identified affordable and admissions-likely schools that you would like better than URI? What makes you think you will have better transfer luck after a semester off?
My concern is with your statement that you would like to get your thoughts together about your longer-range goals. A semester or year off to do that may well be in order. Take a leave of absence from RW so that you can easily return if you determine that to be your best option. Get a job and make some money while you think through all of your options.
I’m transferring after a gap semester, which I used to travel and work. It was a great decision for me and I did decide more conclusively my career and major plans. If you think that you need a semester off, go ahead! I would definitely use the time to work and volunteer. Maybe there’s some freelance stuff related to CS you could do online (I did freelance writing during my semester off) or you could tutor somewhere. Travel is another great option, and there are quite a few travel + volunteering programs out there. To stay sharp academically, there are a ton of free online classes and resources. Overall, you just want to make choices that show you’ve used your semester off wisely. It’ll definitely help when it comes to transfer applications if you end up deciding to transfer. And I do think it is wise to take a leave of absence so you can return to RW if you want to. Good luck!