It´s been years since I visited a Bay Area newspaper. Today I did it, found you and suggest to take a year off, learn Spanish well and… continue with you life wherever it might be.

No what ifs….

Vincent
Alicante, Spain

You are clearly not the kind of person who is going to find it hard to go back to college later.

Go for it.

You can definitely approach this in several different ways. As you begin to finalize the list of schools that you want to apply to, I would look into what their deferral process is. In some cases, deferrals are only offered in extreme scenarios, and you may not be granted one to travel. I would check with the admissions offices of each school you intend to apply.

In addition, it may be to your benefit to wait a year to apply. The experience of living abroad will give you an extra leg up in the application process, and could also make for an interesting essay topic. If you are applying to highly selective colleges, it definitely could be the one element that distinguishes you from other applicants. I’ve worked in the admissions office of a prestigious liberal arts college, and this kind of experience is always looked on favorably.

Depending upon the school’s financial aid policy, you will not have any trouble securing financial aid. The formulas used by colleges are based mostly on your parents’ income, so it wouldn’t make a difference if you applied this year or next. However, if you’re counting scholarship money from sources outside of the college, that may be a different scenario.

One final thought…you will be in a different place than most of your peers when you arrive at college after spending a year abroad. The transition will certainly be easier on you, and you may avoid some of the freshmen year anxiety. You will also most likely be more mature than most of your peers. Just something to consider…

Good luck!

And Sue: I think I would definitely get back into school after taking a year off. College has always been a major goal of mine, and I’m already hesitant about putting it off.

Another concern of mine is financial aid. I’m applying to some pretty expensive schools and I’m worried it will be harder to get financial aid if I take a year off.

I know several people who interrupted their path to college, or part way through college, and never went back to start or finish their degree.

I also know people (myself included) who just weren’t quite ready at 18 for the independence and responsibilities that went with college. And a year (or four, or ten) later, I/they were grown up enough to go back to school and earn a degree.

So, what do you think you are likely to do?
- Take a break and never get back into college.
- Jump into your college career straight out of high school, and never miss a step.
- Take some time to find out who you are when you aren’t a student, then go back to college with a better idea of what you want from your education, and how to get it.
- Maybe you’ll think of other possibilities that I haven’t?

Go ahead and apply for colleges now if you want, inquire about deferred admission. But be sure to take the family’s offer up and GO! Wave your friends goodbye and send postcards.