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what students have to say > before taking time off "I've decided to take a leave from college for one year. I feel that for the first time in my life, I have made a decision to grow, to change, and to learn who I am. This fills me with anxiety, but at the same time I feel a sense of power over my own life, a feeling I have never experienced before." "I'm interested in taking time off from school because I don't feel interested or inspired enough by my courses to warrant spending the amount of money that they cost. I would like to find a worthwhile way to spend my time away. I'd like to gain skills, abilities, or simply experience which I could not obtain at school." "Friends have said 'if you're so tired of school, why take a semester off and prolong it? Just get it over with!' Sometimes this seems like a reasonable argument, but generally I think that I'm not tired of school, so much as I just need a little bit of focus for my life, and time for myself." "Not going to school for a semester scares me a little. I wonder if it is the right thing to do. But I need a chance to get out into the real world of sorts. I have spent my life under the eyes of my parents or my school, now it is time for me to take a chance on my own. I will learn to make friends in different contexts. I will learn to rely more on myself, to work hard and feel the benefits." "I'm taking a leave from college to find out what I want and what I can expect from life. Going through school blindly and not knowing what careers are 'out there' has made me terrified of the future. If I continue on this route, upon graduation I'll be unprepared for what comes next: life." > after taking time off "I wouldn't trade these past six months for three years of free college education. I have learned more and given more than I have at any other period in my life and now feel ready to tackle the remaining years of my education." "I've been working here for about a month, and I can already tell you that taking a Venture leave was one of the best things I have done so far in college. It has afforded me the time to get my educational goals into perspective, as well as the opportunity to explore a challenging and rewarding profession. I know it's going to be hard for me to leave here in January - maybe someday I'll be back, teaching here as a profession." "I have gained confidence -- mostly because now I know what it's like to live and communicate in a working world, good or bad, and I even know I can be a productive member in a group of people. I know I can survive on my own." "The overall experience was good -- it presented me with a taste of reality! My academic goals have become clearer, and I've chosen an area of concentration. My work experience made me pointedly aware of how valuable my education is, and gave me a renewed drive to work, learn, and enjoy school." (back to top) |
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