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Friday, March 29, 2024

After spending 17 years in school your brain can feel burnt out once college graduation hits. It can be hard to jump right into more schooling or a full-time job position immediately. Taking a gap year, a year off, between starting the next chapter of your life has become a popular option among college graduates.

Travel

What other time in life, besides retirement, is ideal for traveling without a worry than when you still have minimal responsibilities. Scrape together the birthday money and graduation checks you have been saving for a rainy day and put the money to good use. Plan a big trip or a couple of small ones to places you have always wanted to go. The trips can be as extravagant or low key as you make them. Some people take advantage and backpack through Europe for a couple of weeks while others take a road trip through America. Look into volunteering opportunities in different countries that may subsidize costs while allowing you the chance to sightsee. Even if you have a job or school starting in the fall take the summer months off.

Applications

College life is nonstop. Whether it is classes or a part-time job or just having a packed social schedule, there often aren’t enough hours in the day to complete every task. Applications to advance your education like law school or medical school and even some graduate programs are time extensive. Scheduling time to study for the required exams, collect recommendation letters and write the essays can be difficult when there are school exams to worry about and meetings for clubs to attend. It has become acceptable to take a year off in order to focus time to just applying. Instead of mixing preparation courses with a full school course load, focus on each separately. Take time to visit schools and meet with admissions advisers. Don’t rush visits because you have to miss classes.

Do something in your field

Try something for one year that is related to your field of work. If it is medicine, get involved in research, or if it is law, intern in with a firm. Test the waters out before diving into something you may not want to spend the rest of your life doing. You will have a college degree, so some places will offer paid positions. Do your research and choose something that will help you figure out the next phase of your life.

Taking a year off doesn’t have the negative stigma attached to it that it used to. As long as you aren’t living at home sitting on the couch channeling surfing, take advantage of opportunities that arise when you are young with minimal responsibilities to anyone except yourself.

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