College Interrupted

There are a lot of ways you can reference taking a break from school, especially when it comes to college students. Often, we talk about the want or need for a gap year, whether intentional or stiff-armed by the college. No matter, what we’re talking about is an interruption in the college process. Nothing out of the ordinary. When you get those national weather alerts on the radio, you listen out of concern, and then once it’s over it’s back to business-as-usual in whatever you were doing. For college students, stepping away for one reason or another is just like that national weather alert; at some point you may get back to business-as-usual on campus.

Normalizing that interruptions in college are common is something I have been shouting from the rooftops since I left higher education in 2014. What someone does when they are on that break is completely independent to what that student needs. Where it becomes stigmatized is when your returning institution or a new school you may be applying to is asking you to explain your absence. A lot of shame can come out of this. Or, in the off-chance that you stepped away for some mental health support, you may feel quite confident in being able to articulate the “why” behind the break, what you did for yourself during that break, and then how you’re more prepared than ever to be a student again. I always hope that’s the case for any student returning to college. And if you end up earning a diploma from one college but ended up completing the coursework at multiple institutions, that’s also very common. A degree earned is a degree earned, no matter where you got it from.

Again, having a student who is “college interrupted” is common. It doesn’t have to happen during the first year, as life can throw us curveballs at any point during the journey towards earning a degree. Though it can sometimes show up right at the beginning of the school year. I refer to that as having cold feet. No matter, taking a break is okay. Changing course is okay. Stepping away to return later – also okay.

Need help in figuring out what to do during that time away? I got you. And when you want to return to campus, you really want to make sure you’re prepared for additional curveballs, as there is no doubt they’ll be heading for you.

For questions or comments contact Joanna.