Should I take a break from my studies?

[Iff]

Hello, everybody. I have a little problem I could use your insight on.

For the last two and a half years I am experiencing a so-called academic slump. In the middle of my senior year in high school I (for various reasons) lost all interest in studying. Nevertheless, I still managed to keep the decrease of my average at minimum, ace my finals and get into university, but not regain my motivation.
In the first semester, I noticed that the change of surroundings (moving to another city) seemed to help quite much. In the second semester, however, I got a high-paying job, let my studies slide and ended up dropping out (voluntarily).
I thought "well, the second time's the charm" and applied again. However, as the whole ordeal was not too well received by my parents (and of course I did not feel that good for literally wasting an entire year of my life), I lapsed into depression followed by severe health problems that ended in all-time low doing literally nothing for the whole summer, and also quitting the previously mentioned high-paying job.
Now I am about to finish my second first year in college and I see that the problem still exists. I am doing about twice as good as last year, though, but I am still going to finish only a little above the required minimum of credits.

It is funny, though. I know I have it good. I have overcome depression and all health problems (well, a couple of them I am just managing, but managing good). I exercise (semi)regularly. I have great social relationships. I have a part-time (well, about "fifth-time") job. I am studying the subject I don't just like, but love. Nevertheless, I have no motivation whatsoever when it comes to academia, I have to force myself even to copy-paste myself a simple 5-minute presentation in English, for crying out loud.

I apologise for continuing the rant for so long. The idea I just got - how about I take a academic leave in until the end of this (calendar) year, that is till the end of this and for the whole next semester. Right now, I seem to be overwhelmed with school to get anything done at work and overwhelmed at work to get anything done at school. I will not even mention the personal projects / business plans I have almost abandoned with no hope to revive. This would let me work full time, pay off some or all the debts I have and start fresh in the beginning of 2008. Academic leave would mean I am still a student, so I can remain living in the dormitory (which costs pennies). I can keep all student discounts, because the discount cards I have are valid until December. I have no grants / student loans that I depend on. I do not have to pay any tuition. I am already pulling my own weight, so I do not have to ask for any financial support from my parents (I do have to pay back a personal loan I took from them however) and therefore I can pretty much ignore any destructive criticism I get from them (this was not the case the last time). And, last but not least, for all subjects I am currently enrolled in my registration will be cancelled, so I don't have to finish them, what in turn would save me a probable decrease in my average that I was heading for. About half of the work I have done so far in this semester I can transfer forward, but I wouldn't really mind doing it over (repetition is the basis for knowledge, after all). Only thing I would miss is not being able to take the language courses I planned for next semester, but perhaps I can work around that, if the lecturer is forthcoming (I do not care for the credits anyway, I want them for the language practice).

It seems that I have rambled on for quite a while. Even if noone bothers to read it, I at least got my thoughts out to paper. Now I would like to hear yours, if you have any.

[Alex2007]

Meeting people with similar interests can help...
Never be alone when studying but never allow anyone to get into your life..
Studying and going through life with Likeminded friends is helpfull...
Give yourself mental spaces....Get good sleep
Organise and plan ahead everything regarding your studies...
Plan what you need to know by the end of the seminster....Clarity is power

Organize your life. Getting in the state of "flow" will get you to the end without pain at all....

Alex

[Calculusaurus]

Last year I read a great book, The Student Success Manifesto. (The book is available through Amazon, and it looks like you can download a free ebook from the site, Success Manifesto - Student Success Redefined)

I think this resource might offer some good perspectives. The book gave a few examples of students who took semesters off to re-orient themselves. In one example, if I remember correctly, a student took a semester off, yet spent the first few months doing nothing, essentially being lazy. Yet this was still a time for him to re-orient, albeit at his own, very slow pace. This student went back to college and became very successful, claiming that the semester off was one of his best decisions.

I think the book was largely intended for students-soon-to-be-entreprenuers, but perhaps you can skim it and see if there's anything applicable to your situation -- again, I read it a year ago so this recommendation may be a bit off target.

Oh, hey, I found it on google books! The Student Success Manifesto: The Guide to ... - Google Book Search

[Tasaio]

Hi Iff,

I was in the same boat. I took the year off...it's the best decision I ever made.

I strongly recommend that you take time off until you feel like going back.

Many people on this forum will try to bully you into going back. Make sure to put their advice in context.

Just ignore the trolls. It's ultimately your life. Isn't this whole website about differentiating yourself from the masses?

For the record, Uni. may be a good choice for some people. But it sounds to me like you're spending time there, when you really want to be pursuing other projects.

My guess is that, when it's time for you to go back (if you go back), you'll know. And these problems will be gone.

EDIT:

The chance to save your average is another great reason to leave for now.

If your average ends up low, then still, don't stress out. More and more, other things are coming into play.

But really, when it comes down to it...it's the GPA that supposedly represents you. It is much, MUCH easier to go back to school, with a new attitude, than it is to raise a low GPA.

Here are some quotes helped me in my decision:

1] There's no such thing as good debt, only good wealth.

2] It's only worth going into debt if you KNOW what you want to do with your life and you KNOW you are ***REQUIRED*** to have a degree in order to do it.
Otherwise? Save your cash, get a job and an inexpensive apartment and spend your spare time building an internet business doing something you love. Trust me on this....

College can be awesome, but if you don't know what degree you want or if it's anything OTHER THAN med school, engineering/IT, computer science, or intensive art training, don't bother because you will regret all of the debt you rake up. Use that money to buy a program like wealth beyond reason or six figure streams (google them) which are all less than a fraction of the cost of a SINGLE college course.

You'll always get richer (and have more FUN)working for yourself if you take responsibility for it. Always.

Ask yourself these NECESSARY questions:

What are you getting for your 30 grand?
Will it really make you wealthy?
Is it really the golden ticket it is supposed to be?
Is it REALLY necessary in order to do what you want with your life, or are you able to do what you want at home and still make a living off of it? Be honest and more importantly VASTLY OPEN MINDED about this.

It's YOUR LIFE.

"In 2005, young people (ages 18-25) in the US gambled $67 billion. Not in Vegas or online poker rooms, but on a betterment program called college. Their hope is that the monies they are spending will allow them to earn more money over their lifetime. Many are paying for this wager by amassing a mountain of debt that will take years to pay off. Is it a good wager? Conventional wisdom says so, but with $67 billion on the line (and that's debt accumulated in just one year by college attendees) we should have more than conventional wisdom or parental pressures to guide the way to smart economic decisions. REEF’s economic analysis shows that college is a financial mistake for more than half of the American young people today. Shielded from scrutiny in this transaction by an assumption of 'public good' are universities and college lenders who many expect to provide guidance to these young people. While the data hints at ways for some individuals to improve the odds of a positive financial outcome, half the people attending college should hear the frank counter-intuitive advice, "Don't go to college."

The analysis begins by assessing a college education purely as a monetary investment. Undoubtedly, there are other benefits beyond money to attend college, but it's such an enormous economic decision that it seems foolish to not fully understand the financial ramifications and use that as a primary factor in the decision process. Overall, college grads do have higher earnings than non-grads, but that's only part of the equation. A deeper analysis looks at the costs of acquiring that degree and the monies including interest charges which need to be repaid. (At the end of this piece is a complete listing of the data sources used and a walk through of the calculations.) Using a 40 year time career, here is the total return which look at earnings, college expenses and interest."

10 reasons you shouldn't go directly to university or college:

1. Do you really know why you are going?
2. Once you get a degree, you aren't guaranteed a job -- in particular, one that you're willing to have.
3. It's up to $10000 a year...you'll accrue a huge debt.
4. What's the point of going if you can teach yourself more efficiently at home?
5. Do you really need a degree to get a job...? NO!!!!! Everyone else will ahve a degree, so employers are looking for other things.
6. It's better to be able to say you have specific skills, like specific langauges, and give a record of things you've made/done.
7. Uni is NOT the liberal education it's touted to be; there's a definite conservative mindset amongst the majority.
8. Few professors act like they enjoy their jobs; even fewer are willing to take the time to actually help you.
9. Why is extroversion > introversion? Surely it's the other way around, since the introverts are the one making money. :-)
10. It's downtown, polluted, long trips on the subway, crowded, etc.. Don't you work best from the comfort of your own home? YES!!! ;-)
11. It will get easier to get a degree later rather than sooner -- become more experienced, acquire more knowledge, better methods of learning
12. Can sit in on classes, don't have to pay ;-)
13. Uni. basically reiterates public school mindset "obey superiors, obey elders, obey professors, stifle creativity, stifle growth"
14. Promotes junkfood (abundance of it!)
15. PROMOTES PROCRASTINATION -- either b/c profs procrast, or b/c they design it this way, best/most help is given night before assignment is due -- reward students who leave things until last minute
16. Assignemnts/tests have nothing to do with lecture material
17. Rewards extroversion (social skills) more than anything else
18. Rewards auditory learning only

In any case, take care and good luck.