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As a student at the University of Maine, I’m sandwiched between two different masses of the unready. Juniors and seniors are realizing the real world is approaching fast, wondering “what now?” On the other side are the first-years and sophomores, who are floundering in the start of their college experience, questioning their own motives, asking “why am I here?”
Upon graduating high school, students are faced with a question that is often not given the consideration it deserves: whether to go to college immediately. Taking time off before college is not what we are supposed to do.
But why are we rushing into college without any idea of what we want out of it? That’s what I asked myself after graduating high school. I didn’t know what I wanted out of college, and I didn’t want to pay thousands of dollars for uncertainty.
Then I heard about the gap year. It’s a time after high school and before college where we really aren’t tied down to a family or a job. For me, it was a time to get out of Maine and see the world. I set out on my own and traveled to Europe and Central America. For six months I worked on organic farms in exchange for food and a place to sleep. I met natives and fellow travelers, earned money to travel in between trips, kneaded bread for hours in France, became a pub-crawl guide in Amsterdam, prowled around a coffee farm with a machete, was immersed in the Spanish and French languages and woke up to howler monkeys in an eco-village. I saw the world. I lived.
When I deferred my acceptance to UMaine after high school, I thought I was taking a year off. In reality, I was taking a year on. Now that I’m back in academia, I am focused. I know what I want, who I am and why I’m here. I dare you to ask an incoming first year if they can say the same. I doubt many will give an answer that is backed by their heart.
Comfort zones are funny things. Once we learn how to be alone without being lonely, we are able to do great things. Taking time off to discover our independence is essential in self-discovery. Why are we rushing into college when the large majority of us aren’t ready for this independence?
It seems like America is behind the curve. Much of the world is already taking time off. In Sweden, the average first-year college student is 22 years old. What do they do during this time between high school and college? They earn money. They rest after 13 long years of school. They learn about themselves and what they want to be. They live their lives.
What’s the rush for college? Americans should be encouraged to chill out and take a year for themselves before diving into higher education. They’d learn about themselves and the world. Employers would be impressed by their worldliness, which would set them apart from the career competition. Perhaps most importantly, they’d come a lot closer to answering the eternal question: “What do I want to do with my life?”
We’ve all heard an older person say, “I wish I had seen more of the world when I was young.” Let’s learn a lesson from our elders; let’s see the world while we’re young. There are some amazing people outside of Orono, and I bet you aren’t too bad yourself. So go and find.
Mary Plaisted is a sophomore sustainable agriculture student.
