Considering a Semester Off

Dear CRCers:

I'm thinking that taking a semester off would be a good idea for me; I'm feeling burnt out by the intensity of school, and I have a few ideas for what I'd do during my leave--in fact, I'm feeling excited about the possibilities. However, my family was pretty freaked out when I brought it up.

Signed, Maybe I Shouldn't

LA Johnson / NPR

At Brown, about 11% of all incoming first-years do not finish in 4 years, or 8 semesters in succession. Of those who take time off, about 55-60% choose to take a "personal" leave--to work, be back home, travel, or for financial and a variety of other reasons.

As CRC advisors, we have heard that sometimes family members or Brown advisors strongly encourage against taking time off. We think it's that they don't want their son/daughter/student to "give up," or in a sense admit to failure. In some racial/ethnic communities, the fear of taking a leave stems from a belief that the student will never return to finish; college is a precious gift after all, so what time away could possibly be as beneficial?

Based on our data, we know that students from a diversity of backgrounds elect to take a personal leave. Brown is a precious experience, and many take a leave exactly for this reason--college shouldn't be squandered. Brown's 6-year graduation rate is one of the highest in the U.S., meaning that the vast majority of us who come to Brown finish here.

The CRC's leavetaking website outlines deadlines to keep in mind, resources to give you ideas about things you could do during your leave, and information for those on financial aid. The student leavetaking coordinators host information sessions, community-building events for returned leavetakers, and are available for one-on-one advising meetings.

In addition to the resources listed on the CRC website, the CareerLAB and Swearer Center for Public Service advisors can help brainstorm ideas for jobs, internships and service programs. The start-up culture perhaps has mainstreamed the concept of getting job experience before college graduation.

Finally, a word about "failure"--we believe that taking a leave is in fact a positive thing, a step forward. One CRC staffer recounts how their father at first was very against the plan for time off because he read the decision as dropping out of school. After some time, he said to his daughter, "It's OK. I heard that John F. Kennedy took time off from Harvard, too."

"My dad in the end came around; he just wanted the best for me."

CRCer Matt Dang '17.5 says: 

Hey y'all, I'm here to give you some advice and tips on talking to your folks in regards to taking time off. Depending on who your parents are, it can be an easy or a difficult conversation. In either case, I'd say to be real with them about why you are thinking about taking time off. Get them to understand where you're coming from and how you think time away will be meaningful and productive to you.

Also, try to understand where they are coming from or what rationale underlies their comments. It may be that they have never heard of this concept before, are stunned, and are trying to listen and respond at the same time, which may mean they haven't had the chance to fully process your idea. Whatever their response is, it will be critical to respond appropriately and effectively to assuage their thoughts. However, if your conversation reaches a point where your parents don't seem to understand, you can ask a dean to talk to them more and help them understand the process better and what it means more generally--they do this all the time.

Being a first-gen student, it was difficult to have the conversation with my parents. However, once I made it clear that I was returning to Brown--that I would have the time to take a break from school, focus on what I'd want to study, and get a sense of what I would want to do for my post-grad experience--then they were able to help me out. We remained in conversation throughout my leave, and it wasn't until the end of it before they seemed to be content with me taking time off.

In my role, I also advise students to make sure they understand how their leaves may affect their loans, financial aid, and academic plans. It's better to have all the pieces of the puzzle for you and your family to put together to make the most sense out of this big step.