AKB - Assistance - "Take a Year Off"

[colt21]

High and mighty AKB - I have a question about my daughters path.

She is a senior to be in Environment Engineering. Overall she does okay but I'm not sure she is quite ready for the real world. When the news of football being cancelled came out, my son-in-law mentioned she should 'take a year off and work' - so it was said sort of tic.

HOWEVER, I thought about it more and I'm thinking of chatting with her about the possibilities.....

I've heard of this concept but since I was pregnant between my Soph and Jr years and soon to be married to my soon-to-be ex-wife it was never an option for me to even consider - even though I surely was NOT ready for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness (nor a baby) either at that time.

So I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with this and can offer any advice. Also have some more specific questions like:

* how does it work with the university - is it easy to unenroll and then re-enroll next year;

* what about a job - what kind of job could she/would she look for in this field (and in this environment);

* I know there is a 6 month lag for student loans but wondering, with Covid, if they will be extended longer and she may not have to worry about that while she takes a year off.

Any other anecdotal information would be appreciated.

Thank You

 

[LionJim]

It shouldn’t be hard to get a LOA if that’s what she wants to do. There are usually limitations as to how long you take off but one year would absolutely not be a problem.

My own prejudice would to urge your daughter to finish school. But you know her better than I do.

 

[katchthis]

Not a fan of taking time off. It’s like taking a year off from going to the gym . It’s hard to go back even though you know it’s the right thing to do .

 

[interrobang]

Everyone's different, but I would suggest she finish it out. You never know what opportunity may come up next year that she'd be able to take advantage of if she had her degree.

 

[ThePennsyOracle]

https://www.registrar.psu.edu/enrollment/leaving/leave-absence.cfm

 

[Thomas1945]

That’s such a tough decision, because you may have that nagging fear she won’t return. I wouldn’t count on her saving a ton of money either in a years work. Also she maybe more ready for real life than you think. I just gave you reasons for her to finish, because I’m not a huge fan of the other option. Whatever you do make sure she feels it’s her decision. I hope that everything works out fine.

 

[91Joe95]

High and mighty AKB - I have a question about my daughters path.

She is a senior to be in Environment Engineering. Overall she does okay but I'm not sure she is quite ready for the real world. When the news of football being cancelled came out, my son-in-law mentioned she should 'take a year off and work' - so it was said sort of tic.

HOWEVER, I thought about it more and I'm thinking of chatting with her about the possibilities.....

I've heard of this concept but since I was pregnant between my Soph and Jr years and soon to be married to my soon-to-be ex-wife it was never an option for me to even consider - even though I surely was NOT ready for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness (nor a baby) either at that time.

So I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with this and can offer any advice. Also have some more specific questions like:

* how does it work with the university - is it easy to unenroll and then re-enroll next year;

* what about a job - what kind of job could she/would she look for in this field (and in this environment);

* I know there is a 6 month lag for student loans but wondering, with Covid, if they will be extended longer and she may not have to worry about that while she takes a year off.

Any other anecdotal information would be appreciated.

Thank You

Is this a year to think about a new major?

 

[ralphster]

You were pregnant in college?

Wait...

What?

Your profile says you are "male."

 

[Tom McAndrew]

* how does it work with the university - is it easy to unenroll and then re-enroll next year;

relatively easy to do. Others provided links on this

* what about a job - what kind of job could she/would she look for in this field (and in this environment);

this is challenging, both in her field and in this environment. Engineering firms typically sign contracts that require that all employees that work on the project, with the exception of support personnel, have engineering degrees. As such, she's somewhat limited in what she can do within the field. If she's really lucky, she might be able to find a co-op job in her field that is for a semester or for a year. It may be too late to find such a position and/or due to the pandemic it may be that companies are just not looking for co-ops at this time. She'd have to check on that with the university's career services department

* I know there is a 6 month lag for student loans but wondering, with Covid, if they will be extended longer and she may not have to worry about that while she takes a year off.

hmm, now that's a tough one. If I recall correctly, the university will notify the lender if she's not a full-time student, which usually causes the repayment component to kick in. She could check with the financial aid office to get the specifics. As for postponing due to COVID, the 1st COVID relief bill postponed all payments until October. An extension of that was in the COVID relief bill negotiations that broke down between the WH and legislative leaders on Friday. It may yet be a part of a bill, but that remains to be seen.

 

[colt21]

You were pregnant in college?

Wait...

What?

Your profile says you are "male."

assume you know but just in case that was tic

 

[psuro]

She should continue and finish up. She will not get the momentum back if she drops out.

 

[PSU Mike]

Somewhat different, but I was a screwup at PSU (and “we” were pregnant a year later than you) but I took a year off and came back and ran off a 3.90 in my last 62 credits, much in a new major. It can turn out well. I know when I look for candidates when I’m hiring some of the most interesting took unconventional paths.

 

[Harrisburg Dave]

There is no law that says college is a four year effort.

Life is about growth and change. You need tools to deal with life, and degrees only get you so much. Life experience is far more important than graduating at 21.

 

[colt21]

Somewhat different, but I was a screwup at PSU (and “we” were pregnant a year later than you) but I took a year off and came back and ran off a 3.90 in my last 62 credits, much in a new major. It can turn out well. I know when I look for candidates when I’m hiring some of the most interesting took unconventional paths.

ditto on the screw up part - wasn’t doing too well then immediately had to kick it in gear taking 18 credits two semesters in a row (At Capital) going from Monday evening to Thursday evening Then driving home (usually with a six pack), then working Friday Saturday and till about 2:00 pm on Monday then driving back and starting all over again. Didn’t kill it like your GPA but did well enough to catch up and gradiate on time

 

[Connorpozlee]

Personally, I’m a fan of delaying enrollment unless you are 100% certain of what you want to do. Get a job and volunteer at a number of different places to test out your interests.

 

[PSU Mike]

ditto on the screw up part - wasn’t doing too well then immediately had to kick it in gear taking 18 credits two semesters in a row (At Capital) going from Monday evening to Thursday evening Then driving home (usually with a six pack), then working Friday Saturday and till about 2:00 pm on Monday then driving back and starting all over again. Didn’t kill it like your GPA but did well enough to catch up and gradiate on time

Ironically, my GF at that time “ran away” to Capital for the semester our daughter was born (at Hershey).

 

[Tom McAndrew]

hmm, now that's a tough one. If I recall correctly, the university will notify the lender if she's not a full-time student, which usually causes the repayment component to kick in. She could check with the financial aid office to get the specifics. As for postponing due to COVID, the 1st COVID relief bill postponed all payments until October. An extension of that was in the COVID relief bill negotiations that broke down between the WH and legislative leaders on Friday. It may yet be a part of a bill, but that remains to be seen.

a small correction. The President signed an executive order this past weekend that extends the postponement of paying student loans through the end of 2020 -- basically a 3 month extension to the existing postponement.

 

[kgilbert78]

Depends on the person. My sister took 7 years to get thru PSU--two of which were years off (one at the start and one in the middle). It did work for her. OTOH, one of my HS buddies wanted a car and so started work after HS as a clerk. He never did get back to school.

 

[PSUFBFAN]

High and mighty AKB - I have a question about my daughters path.

She is a senior to be in Environment Engineering. Overall she does okay but I'm not sure she is quite ready for the real world. When the news of football being cancelled came out, my son-in-law mentioned she should 'take a year off and work' - so it was said sort of tic.

HOWEVER, I thought about it more and I'm thinking of chatting with her about the possibilities.....

I've heard of this concept but since I was pregnant between my Soph and Jr years and soon to be married to my soon-to-be ex-wife it was never an option for me to even consider - even though I surely was NOT ready for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness (nor a baby) either at that time.

So I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with this and can offer any advice. Also have some more specific questions like:

* how does it work with the university - is it easy to unenroll and then re-enroll next year;

* what about a job - what kind of job could she/would she look for in this field (and in this environment);

* I know there is a 6 month lag for student loans but wondering, with Covid, if they will be extended longer and she may not have to worry about that while she takes a year off.

Any other anecdotal information would be appreciated.

Thank You

Fast forward one year from now...

Will she be better off with a degree in her pocket and the ability "to take a year off" then, or...

Will she be better off just finishing up "taking a year off" with no degree in her pocket?

Finishing the degree this year will give her a lot more options with her life a year from now.

 

[LionJim]

Somewhat different, but I was a screwup at PSU.

So was I.

 

[colt21]

Thank you everyone for your feedback - it was helpful !!

 

[LionJim]

Thank you everyone for your feedback - it was helpful !!

Good luck to you and your daughter.