I am an English major with a minor in Irish. I have one year of school left, and I am feeling swamped. This last semester was the worst that I have ever done in college, and my GPA is the lowest it’s ever been.

For the past three months, I have been balancing about 40 hours a week between two jobs, while also going to school five days a week. It has been mentally and physically exhausting, to say the least. And my grades have suffered because of it.

When finals came around, I felt overwhelmed. I met with one of my professors seeking advice. He asked me if I could afford to quit one of my two jobs, but both of them mean a lot to me and are beneficial to my future.

Working less would mean less money, and as a student who is paying for school by herself, and paying rent and bills by herself, I cannot afford to work less. So he encouraged me to entertain the idea of taking a break from school.

At first, I was worried. Most of my friends graduate next year and I would feel far behind. There are also some budget cuts happening after this spring semester, so I would miss my chance to have one more class with my favorite teachers before they leave. And for those of us paying for school without scholarships or financial help from the parents, it’s common knowledge that Financial Aid only covers four years.

It was a scary decision to make, but I found that for my situation, personally, taking a break from school was the right choice. Here are some of the benefits that I’m looking forward to:

1. You can focus on your health and wellbeing.

For the past three months, I’ve felt a lack of time for myself. If you’re not taking care of yourself (sleeping enough, getting exercise, eating the right foods, etc.), your brain will not function to the best of its ability. Therefore, your grades might show your lack of self-care. I believe that this is the most important thing someone can do for themselves. Once you have taken some time to ground yourself, relax, or cope with any sort of illness or anxiety, you can be sure that when you do return to school, you’ll be more ready than you were before.

I’m excited to have the time to actually cook nice meals rather than quick and convenient cooking. I also look forward to getting on a workout routine. I never had any time to go to the gym the semester. My health will be so much better now that I’m allowing myself the time and care that it deserves.

2. You can focus on your finances

My plan for the next year is to work at my two jobs and save as much money as possible. College tuition is expensive, and if my GPA is low, I’m ultimately wasting money. If you fail a class or drop out too late in the semester, you’ll more than likely be paying for it without earning the credits. In the next year, my goal is to save enough money to keep me comfortable in my last year of college so that I don’t need to work as much as I have been and I can focus most of my energy on getting good grades.

3. A break might improve your academic performance.

Whether it’s a health issue, time constraint, an unexpected event, or simply a lack of drive and motivation that is distancing you from school, taking the time off might be what you need to recharge and go back to school feeling recuperated and ready to take on the last stretch with confidence.

4. You can have the time to experience other things.

For example, in this next year, I plan to attend a music festival, teach myself a few songs on the ukulele and guitar, and read so many books. Maybe now I’ll even have time to start writing a book. I’m excited to have spare time. I have felt that in the past three years, I haven’t spent much time with myself, my family, or my friends. And whenever I did, I felt like I was procrastinating on my homework. I shouldn’t ever feel guilty for spending time with people I love. The freedom of taking a break from school is what intrigues me the most. For the first time in three years, I don’t know what the next year will look like for me. Rather than school in the mornings, work at night and on the weekends, homework, sleep repeat, I have an entire year ahead of me of going to work and spending the rest of my time doing whatever I want. Maybe I’ll even teach myself wire-wrapping and I'll make jewelry. Who knows, but I’m excited to learn more about myself away from school.

Reasons to take a break from college:

1. Burnt out

2. Health issue

3. Family issue

4. Time restrictions

5. Financial issues

6. Considering a different major

Before you make a decision, consider these things:

1. Are there any resources available to me that I haven’t considered?

2. How will this affect my financial aid?

3. What courses do I need to take in order to reach graduation?

4. Will my reason for wanting a break still exist when it is time for me to return?

If you indeed decide that taking time off of school is a smart choice for you, make sure that you continue to read. Keep your mind sharp and focused on your end goal. Do not forget about why you enrolled in the first place. Keep reading, keep writing, stay updated on school events. Attend an interesting lecture every once in a while.

Don’t sleep in until noon everyday. Take care of yourself, discipline yourself, build a healthy routine, prioritize. Most importantly, focus on resolving the issue that drove you toward taking a break. And make sure that you go back to school when the much-needed break is over.

Don’t be discouraged if any of this is making sense to you. This does not mean that you are failing, and it does not mean the end of your college career. This is a break. You have time to finish your degree, don’t feel rushed. Your GPA is more important than graduating at the same time as your friends. Relax. Rome wasn’t built in four years.