Taking time off from school can be very worthwhile. Since making the decision to take time off from Duke almost 8 months ago, I’ve become more focused on and more passionate about my work, learned an immense amount through independent study about topics ranging from web programming and design to investing, and developed an appreciation for my everyday circumstances and environment.
This is part 1 of a series of posts on the topic of taking time off from school.
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Despite the fact that taking time off can be worthwhile, few students ever make the jump. Leaving school can be a very scary process because the university is structured to provide support, enabling students to focus on schoolwork. Food is available in the cafeteria at all hours, textbooks are neatly organized by class and ready to purchase at the university library, and all students are automatically assigned an adviser. This is not the case in the real world. The process of transitioning from the complete lifestyle system that most universities provide to the open-ended “real world” is complex.
When I first began thinking about taking time off, I asked a number of close friends and mentors for advice. Very few of them were able to make suggestions. Only one of them had actually taken time off from school during undergrad, and he made the point that each experience is so unique, it’s hard to make specific suggestions. The key questions I posed to each mentor: How does one make the decision to leave, and what do I need to make sure I know before I take time off?
I’ve thought about these questions a lot. Below I’ve listed a combination of suggestions from my mentors and my own recommendations from my experiences over the last eight months.
1. Know exactly why you need to take off
Why do you need to take time off from school? Though there are more, most people leave school for reasons related to either health, finances, or attention, or a combination of the three. One of my best friends from college, Josh, left school to run the Chordoma Foundation and find a cure for a rare type of cancer he was diagnosed with during his freshman year. Another friend of mine left school to run a technology company called iContact. In both of these cases, the individuals did not leave school to “find out who they were.” They already knew exactly who they were and what they wanted, and left school with a very specific purpose.
2. Know how time-off fits in with your long-term goals
Even if you know exactly why you are leaving school, anyone making the decision to leave should consider how time-off will affect one’s long-term goals. Leaving school should contribute, rather than detract, from those goals. Josh’s long term goal is to find a cure for his cancer. Until this goal is overcome, there are no other educational, career, or financial concerns.
Each experience will be unique, but each person should consider how a leave-of-absence will affect his/her education, career, family and close friends, and finances.
3. Build a support system
Taking time off can be very lonely. Dorm life in college guarantees that students have the chance to interact with other people often. Leaving this system, unless a person can manage to stay close by during their time-off, without first building a support system can lead to a very lonely existence. Most students will not be able to relate to your experiences while taking time off, so your best bet is to find a mix of students and older mentors to regularly meet with.
Also, consider living with a few roommates, even if they are older and are working full-time, instead of finding a one-room apartment somewhere. If you do get roommates, just make sure that they are individuals at least somewhat similar to yourself — it will be hard to focus on your work when you come home everyday to a roommate that is always sitting on the couch playing video games or watching TV.
4. Develop a plan for the next six months
Even if you know exactly why you will be taking a leave-of-absence, and you know that the leave fits in with your long-term goals, you should still develop a detailed plan for the next six months. There’s a good chance that things will change drastically once you actually take the plunge, and that you’ll have to chuck the plan out the window along the way. But, no matter what happens, there’s an extreme amount of value in laying out a plan because it makes you aware of where you need to focus your time and resources.
What are your living costs or expense per month? Do you have enough cash flow from a job or savings from your bank account to cover these expenses for several months? Will you still be covered under your current insurance plan if you take time off? Where will you be living, and how much cash will you need to cover moving expenses? Do you know how to cook? What will you be doing each day with your time?
Also, when will you know that its the proper time for you to return to school? Set a date on your calendar three months from the day you leave school on which you will review your progress and make the decision whether to return to school in the upcoming semester. Remember, most schools sign up 2-4 months before classes begin, and many have registration deadlines for each semester.
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You know why you’re taking time off, how the time fits into long-term goals, you’ve built a support system, and you have a plan for the next six months. Now comes the hardest part. Muster up your courage, walk over to your dean’s office to tell him about your decision. Fill out any necessary paperwork, then let your parents and friends know about your decision.
Welcome to the real world.
Next up in this series: Part 2, “Surviving the First Two Weeks in the Real World.”
