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Taking a Break from College

Mukta Gaikwad
College life can drain you out completely. A drained mind can be compelled to taking a break from college.
Entrance exams, recommendation letters, college projects, late nights before exams and months of sleep deprivation in college students, are enough reasons to contemplate taking a break from college.
After spending four consecutive years in college for graduating, the mental load can be quite taxing. This is why, the benefits of taking a break weigh more on the balancing beam than its disadvantages.
A break allows the mind to see different things, learn new lessons, relax, refresh, and rejuvenate itself. Today, there isn't a stigma attached to taking time off from college as compared to older times, when it was considered a 'slacker's thing to do'.
So, if you feel the need to take a break from college, break free from the shackles of demanding rigors of life and lead your life the way you want. Here are a few options that you can exercise while on a break from college.

Do You Really Need It?

If the need for taking such a break is bearable, it would be wise to finish your term or the current academic year and then take a break. Getting done with the pending academics, is a viable suggestion as it frees your mind from 'things to be done'.
If your decision to take a break from college life is only due to the stress of finals, SAT or GREs, then might as well, deal with it once and for all and then take a break.
However, if your grades are in extreme state of misery, if you are unhappy with a particular course, the faculty is not what you had expected and if the stress is just beyond your control, a break is what you need.
Consult your counselor at college and follow the procedure for taking a leave of absence.

Breaking the News

Though it's no more a big deal to 'take a break from college', sometimes, overly competitive friends and unending concern of parents, can become integral deciding factors of your plan. Their assumed overreactions to your decision, however, is not the reason why you should hide your decision to take a break from college.
Explain your side, with justifications and explanations that support your decisions.
However, you also need to acknowledge the fact that they may not comply with your decision, but nonetheless, you need to tell them what are you doing, as they are your support system for now.

What's Next?

A lot depends on whether your break is long term or short term. A short term break is the one which lasts for 2-6 months and long terms break is the one which lasts for a year. In both the cases, you have ample of time to do some soul-searching and refreshing your mind.
The best option for taking a break from further education is to pursue a hobby that you like. If you love writing, start writing a blog regularly or you could intern with a local newspaper, if you are into music, get in touch with some local musicians and hone your musical side.
Another option is picking up a job to make some money for a indulgent activity. If you are taking a yearlong break, find a job for 6 months that pays you adequately. Save a handsome amount, to make a trip to a place you haven't discovered and stay there for a month like a local.
Try your hand at some photography, work at a bar, or just be a traveler on foot with no reservations. A month away from the everyday faces and places, is a brilliant way to break the monotony of your life.
A break is not an escape route to quit the ongoing show. On the contrary, a break is meant for perfecting the show called life.
Going to college, getting the top grades, and creating the most ingenious project is essential for an excellent career. But, a right state of mind is equally essential. Thus, before you lose your mind, save it with a deserved break.
Proper formal education may not be the key to the picture perfect life, but it sure holds the entry to it. A break will help you seek your lost passions and dreams. Once you've found them in the abyss of all madness, it's time to return for good. Good luck!