Gap Year

In the beginning of my senior year of high school, I already knew which college I wanted to go to. I applied early decision and in December the fat acceptance envelope was delivered to my house, and was promptly ripped open in excitement. Yet I had to put my excitement on hold, because before I had even applied to Wesleyan, I knew that I was going to take a year off. “Gap years” are incredibly common in many European countries, and today colleges across the US are making the process of deferring for a year easy and accessible for incoming freshmen. I simply had to write a one-page essay describing my plans for the year, and then in March I had to write up another small report about my year thus far.
There are many good reasons to take a year off before starting college—another (expensive) four years of institutionalized education. I was really eager to start college, but I didn’t want to rush into it. I wanted to have a year to myself, to work and explore the world around me, to learn on my own and prepare for university in ways besides standardized tests and meetings with my guidance counselor. I started working in a Thai restaurant the spring of senior year, and continued working and saving money through summer and into the fall when I had to say goodbye to all of my friends who left for different schools. I was worried about being on my own, and arriving at school a year later than everyone else my age, but I had my sights set on a big adventure.
In September I left on a plane that traveled from New York City to Quito, Ecuador. For almost six months I traveled around Central and South America, sometimes on my own and sometimes with new friends I had met. I decided to spend my year traveling (for as long as I could afford) because I wanted to learn more about the world and have my own experiences to draw from instead of reading information about other cultures and countries from a textbook. I also wanted to learn Spanish and put myself in an environment completely different from home and everything I was used to. I spent my first eight weeks in two different host families, taking Spanish lessons five days a week and traveling to different places on the weekend. After completing Spanish School and acquiring a knack for Spanglish, I set off on my own riding in buses and sometimes flying in planes, exploring five different amazing countries.
What I learned in my time traveling and working, I am still in the process of comprehending. I do not regret a single moment of that year, even the times when I felt scared, lost, or alone. Before setting off on my travels I thought I had an incredibly strong grasp of who I was and what I wanted to study in school. Yet after almost six months of traveling, my world was blown wide open. It’s fair to say that I learned more about myself and about life in that year on my own than I had in four years of high school. The people I met, the experiences that I had, the cultures that I absorbed, and the language that I learned are all pieces of a year that opened my mind and challenged me in ways I never imagined.
Leaving for college that following September was a lot less scary than my high school self thought it would be. Even though I was questioning all of my original intentions, I felt extremely ready to start the next four years of my life. After a year of working and traveling through countries where a college education was a lucky privilege, I was set on making the most out of every class I took. In the first few days of orientation, it was a bit hard for me to relate to my freshman class. I soon learned that college is extremely different from high school, and the grade you are in does not necessarily reflect anything about your maturity or experience. My first year of college was considerably more tame than backpacking across a continent, but it was incredibly rich with new experiences, friends, and knowledge that I was eager and ready to absorb.
~Katya B.

Coming to a conclusion... (or maybe not?)

When I first was trying to figure out what major interested me, I wasn't very sure. I thought about the different aspects of the different majors, from how much I could make to if it would be exciting or was it something I even find interesting? So I decided to go with International Business... it sounded both professional and fun. To me it seemed like it would be about traveling, change and business....three things that interest me.

The first day of classes was basically what I expected. It was the same as high school yet a little bit calmer and a bit more professional. My classes seemed interesting enough for school.

As the semester went on and I met other students and heard their majors, as well as visited a couple of my friends at other colleges, I started to have second thoughts on my decision. As my freshman year has come to an end, I realize that although I am still interested in Internatinal Business, I have other interests and options.

I've decided that my best bet would be to finish what I started and then incorporate what I’m interested in with my major.

Many people go to college and don't stick with their initial major or start out as a Liberal Arts major (which gives you more room to change classes and ideas).
I now think it is best to go into a vague major than set yourself up for a specific one. If you pick a specific major you will have to follow that major’s course guide, instead of being able to have more choices and be flexible with your classes.

We all change our minds at some point. My best advice to future college students about picking majors is to figure what you’re interested in, make a list of some sort and go through and see which is number one. By doing this you are allowing yourself to think about it and decide. I then suggest going through the schools majors list, and highlighting the ones that interest you, and reading and coming to a complete understanding of it.
Don’t forget your going to college for you no one else. Pick something that interests you and if you change your mind don’t be ashamed it happens to all of us.
~Fatima S.