Rec | IF YOU DO IT, BE INTENTIONAL

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i took two "gap" semesters, but instead of focusing on my mental health i went ahead and worked part time and took a few classes at a community college...unsurprisingly i still struggled when i went back to school i would say if you do take a gap semester for your mental health, ONLY focus on improving that. go to a therapist, rest, do light exercise, and develop healthy coping mechanisms for whatever things you were struggling with doing school full time. i so wish i prioritized that, because i feel i would've suffered a lot less during my undergrad. cons would be: interrupting your studying momentum would be the only thing i can think of? there is a stereotype of students taking gap semesters and just not returning but i know of more who did return than didn't because i took two semesters off i was a year behind my friends and that kinda sucked but more because i was sad about how things played out for me good luck! you deserve rest and good mental health! you're still very young so take the time you need!

@tash

Aug 9, 2024

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COLLEGE IS ROUGH

i had to drop out of college after my freshman year. i had to finish the year at home because i was so depressed. at first, i was so upset with myself, and tried to hold myself to an impossible standard. i never thought i would ever drop out of college, i ended up taking a semester off and transferring somewhere new. even though i took 6 months off, i graduated on time and felt so much better. putting yourself first, especially your mental health is always the right call. life is anything but linear, and that’s a wonderful thing.

@livbaier

May 30, 2025

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just took my first

i have been in university for seven consecutive semesters and i just took this one off to work (fun work, don’t worry). i feel great and i’m actually excited about the upcoming fall sem. i was worried that i would get bored or that i would fall behind if i took one off, but having a job helped both of those things as well, since i got to teach and be busy every day. it’s especially important if you’re taking five/six classes every semester, because it takes a lot out of you to do that. taking a break will also help you prep for the next year and will most likely improve your academic performance too. good luck!

@paperpendragon

Aug 12, 2024

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YOU HAVE TIME

You’re only 1 year in, so you have the remaining 75% of your time in university to make up for it. Yes, it’ll show on your transcript, the way my D in a critical prerequisite and my F in calculus show up on mine. But retaking classes and doing better shows tenacity and self improvement! The first year away from home is hard for so many people, but showing that you came back from that is going to be a good thing! I’m nervous to try to give specific advice about alcohol, since I’m not an addiction counselor or anything like that. But I want you to know that I also had a time like that in college, and so did a lot of my friends. But we’re on the other side of it now and it’s possible to get better, I promise. But my overarching message is that you have TIME. You can get past this and it will show that you have grit and determination. You still have your goals and dreams, and the student you were when you started out is still in you somewhere. It’s going to be okay 💛