<p>Hello. Im reaching out to CC to see if I can get any help with my situation. I think Ive actually posted here before, but I dont remember my account name (nor which email I used), but overall Im not very familiar with the forums.</p>
<p>Im moving into sophomore year of my UG, and Im at a point where Im exploring the option of taking a leave of absence. I, honestly, have very little time left to be making this choice (not that its rushed). My first freshman year was complex, and had its ups and downs, but overall, Im really not satisfied with the way education is. To the extent I was quite depressed, though active, my first year. I dont entirely know if I should bog down my post with my details. I shouldnt complain much, but I had a lot of qualms with the way academia was working, though overall Im a pretty academic kid [The thing is, I feel really a lot of university education is also not really genuine.]. Point being, I went to a relatively good four-year school, Duke University, as an engineer, but Im thinking about taking a semester (or two) off. </p>
<p>My goal in this time period would be to explore some things you dont really get into in the university track. Im thinking that I could work for several days a week [Theres a relatively fulfilling place I could do this], and take courses (to the extent allowed by my University, Duke, which I intend to return to) at some local community college. Specifically, I want to actually learn how to do something, and feel satisfied in that sense. Sticking with things that mesh to some extent with my academia goals, I figure, also makes sense. So I am thinking about taking welding, Solidwords/Autoworks, or revitalizing some of the math that I learned shoddily in my first year of UG. I dont know if these kind of courses [In the case of math Im talking Linear Algebra] or ambitions I could actually physically take at CCs in the greater boston and north Mass area, but Im working to figure that out [I also don’t know what it would be like taking them]. </p>
<p>If I sound arrogant, or if I AM arrogant because I think that I <em>could</em> be sounding arrogant, Im sorry. But Im at a point that this general thread I think could help me out, and I would appreciate any advice on this kind of idea for a personal leave of absence from a competitive private university. If it sounds like I havent given it thought, I have. Almost too much. But the truth is I cant really make a quantitative decision on this, as much as I would love to, but right now it feels like my best bet would be to carefully lay out what exactly would be the scenarios if I stayed at Duke or if I went to the local CC. I tried posting this whole thread yesterday, but my internet died, and I see no evidence on the forums that it actually went through. [That was a disclaimer in case it did go through and I’m double-posting right now]</p>