Taking a Semester Off: The Pros and Cons

The idea of taking a semester off has a lot of appeal, especially if you are in the middle of a tough semester with exams to face and term papers to complete. However, taking a semester off can help you or hurt you depending on why and how you do it. Let’s look at the pros and cons of skipping a semester at college.

The first step in making a decision about whether you should take a semester off is to carefully look at your true motives for taking the time off. Are you just reacting to all the pressure and looking for a way to do more partying without having to worry about college? If this is what is driving your decision, then taking a semester off will probably not bring you any positive results. Sometimes, students who take the semester off cannot get back into the rhythm of college life and drop their studies.

Perhaps you feel that you are in a “rut” and need some fresh air and a change of scenery. If this is the case, then a semester off may give you the kind of change that will invigorate you and enable you to come back to college with renewed enthusiasm and energy.

Perhaps your reason to take a semester off is so that you can “find yourself” and get a better idea about what your life is all about. A semester in pursuit of self discovery often takes the form of travel abroad, learning foreign languages or serious introspective study. If you indeed take the semester off and learn a new language or other skills that you wouldn’t have gotten in college, then it will also be a positive step towards helping you complete college with much success.

Greater self-awareness and maturity will make you a better student because it will give you genuine motivation to do your academic work. Countless students fail in college because they are not sure why they are in college, and not sure if their studies are even relevant to their lives. If you come back to college, after a semester of self-discovery or maturation, then you will probably return with a different outlook and this should yield better academic results.

Did you ever get the idea to go out and do something to help make the world a better place? If you take the semester off with the idea of doing some volunteer or social service work it could prove to be a very worthwhile use of your time. There are a number of volunteer opportunities available in the U.S.A. and abroad. If you spend your semester in this type of activity then you will pick up valuable life experience and return to college on a very positive note.

So, examine your motives for taking a semester off. If taking the semester off will help to regenerate your enthusiasm for study, equip you with new skills, help you to find your purpose in life or allow you to serve others, then it could be the most valuable semester of your college years. However, if you only want to take the semester off for partying and goofing around, then it could be detrimental to your academic future. Consider your options carefully and then make a wise decision.

Andrew Marshall is a freelance writer whose interests include online degree programs, online colleges, and distance education.

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