Learning Disabilities: Gap Year Benefits for Students with Learning Disabilities

You are in your final year of high school and it is time to apply for college. All your friends are caught up in the frenzy of writing college essays, talking about first choices, early decisions, etc. and you are just insecure. School has been a long road for you and you are exhausted. You are not sure if college has a purpose for you, as you have no career goals at this time. You feel implicit pressure from your parents to continue school. What is your job?

You have a variety of options:

Live at home and work for a while, while saving money and growing up.. I know, your parents are saying, “If you don’t go to college now, you will never go.” It is not necessarily true. The average age in community colleges is twenty-seven. Working is beneficial because it gives you an idea of ​​what is there with just a high school diploma. After doing this for several years and experiencing the “ceiling,” you can suddenly see a reason to attend college. Whatever you do, don’t let parental pressure force your decision. From everything I’ve seen as a college instructor, parents can pressure you to sign up, but they can’t force you to participate. In the end, the coerced students fail and the parents’ tuition money goes to waste. Sit down with your parents and talk calmly about the benefits of working and putting off college for now. (In the meantime, you may consider applying now and deferring admission if accepted. Sometimes it’s easier to “get in” the application process while everyone else is doing it. In fact, it can ease your anxiety. her parents about her taking time off.)

Do practice. Connect with employers whose fields interest you and ask if they accept high school interns. Sometimes employers just want college interns, so you may need to use your power of persuasion and offer your services for free to get a foot in the door. While this is an expensive option in terms of lost income, it is often a very worthwhile investment down the road. Having multiple internships gives you an idea of ​​what interests you, but more importantly, what is not. Internships allow you to learn in a “hands-on” way, which is especially helpful for those who learn better by “doing” than sitting in a classroom. If your search for an internship fails, an alternative is to ask if you can “follow” someone in a field that interests you. Seeing what a day in the life of a public relations director is like, for example, provides you with the basis for judging whether this is a fulfilling career for you. Finally, if you find a good match and impress an employer, the relationship may result in a job offer in the future. After all, if an employer is looking to hire, isn’t a reliable “known” amount better than an outsider? In a competitive market, internships are one of the best ways to secure future employment.

You can travel. Even at a low price, this is a luxury option. However, if you have money saved (or parents are willing to finance it) and are independent enough to tend to your own needs, this is an incredible opportunity to experience new people, places, and cultures that will broaden your horizons further. your own world. Traveling requires taking responsibility for all of your own needs and can result in increased maturity.

Take the time to reinforce your academic skills. If you haven’t been doing as well in high school as you would have liked, your academic and study skills are probably below average. In this case, enroll part-time in a continuing education program (no credit) or developmental classes at your local community college. Strive to improve your reading, writing, math, and study skills, so you can start college with confidence, possibly advising on developmental courses.

You can connect with a gap year program, either through an educational institution or a private agency. Gap year programs can include a supervised residential program, along with beneficial work experience. A well-run program will offer counseling, counseling, and maybe even college credit; it’s a good stepping stone before venturing out on your own for the first time. This is an excellent option for students who want to attend a residential college but are not confident enough in their independent living skills. This type of program reassures parents that they want their adolescent’s first experience away from home to include some degree of supervision.

There are several benefits of taking a gap year:

You can grow. Taking time off to work or travel gives you a real-life experience that can translate into greater maturity. This will come in handy when you are faced with the academic and social pressures of college. A gap year can also narrow your focus on what you eventually want to do. Students who enter college with a goal in mind find it easier to endure courses in which they have little or no interest because they see them as a means to an end.

You will have time to find yourself. Students who take a break and explore various career fields often find out what they want to do for the rest of their lives. Equally important, they often realize what they don’t want to do; The upside to this is that they haven’t wasted tuition money on a major, only to find in the end that they don’t care after all.

You will have the opportunity to prepare yourself mentally and academically for college. If you weren’t a “student” in high school, taking time off gives you a chance to “reschedule” yourself. Think about why you lacked motivation and what will change when you go back to school. Enrolling in a study skills course and taking it seriously will ensure you prepare for the exams. Students who take time off and are a little older may be more “financially” reflective. They may find that minimal effort results in failing and retaking courses and, at best, mediocre grades. While they may graduate, will their transcript give them a job that pays well enough to make up for the tuition dollars spent? Will they have accumulated an academic record that allows them to earn enough income to live independently and pay off the student loans they have acquired? If taking time off translates to better preparation and greater fiscal responsibility, it’s well worth it.

You will appreciate college. Once you enroll in college because it is your wish, not your parents’, you will be more motivated. Add in a few years of maturity and you have an equation for success.

Google “gap year opportunities” for an extensive list of options.

All students flourish on their own schedule. If, for whatever reason, you’re not ready to go to college immediately after graduating from high school, that doesn’t mean college isn’t in your plans. It is very possible that it means that you need a quality break for introspective thinking, something that a sabbatical year can provide.