It is you first day in this brave new world you've recently discovered, commonly known as college. You did your research and chose the university that you thought would be the best fit for you and you are completely stoked on the next four years of your life. Fast forward a couple of years and you are now a junior and are completely dreading the first official day of school as the nostalgia of being away from home has completely worn off and you are concerned about how you are going to get a job after next year.

Let's face it, you just are not ready if you are seriously feeling this way. Which leads us to the best kept secret in your college career, a year off. Now bear with me on this, but I can guarantee that you have thought about this at least a time or two when that bill comes in for the semester or you see just how much that math book and lab for stats cost you. I'm here to tell you that there is an alternative that will not cost you an arm and a leg.

I was personally in a funk that I just could not slip out of by the time my junior year came around rearing it's evil head and a body full of student loans. I remember in high school how my counselor told me that going to college was going to be the best thing I ever considered doing in life. She was right, partially. What she did not tell me was that the year I took off school was going to be the best decision I ever made in my life.

I took a personal stance on the matter and chose to "explore other opportunities" for a couple of semesters. I knew that I was not ready to go out into the world and start adulting just yet. Personally, I wanted to travel the world and start a photography portfolio of the beautiful places I adventured to. So I started by moving out of my dorm room into a small apartment for six months and picking up a part time restaurant gig. I knew what my dream was and I was ready to chase it.

After six months of working and saving up I decided to apply for the Disney College Internship Program and to my surprise of over 35,000 applicants, I was accepted. I stayed in Caddo Mills, TX for a couple of months during the summer of 2013 and left a couple of days early to make my journey to the greatest place on earth. As I said before I knew I wanted to travel and Florida has always been a destination spot for me and luckily I got spend my fall semester bringing smiles to the princes and princesses and their parents that made the journey to the parks as I did.

As my internship came to a close I came to the conclusion that I was ready to head back to Oklahoma and finish my undergrad studies. I had a proverbial second wind on the entire thought of college and ultimately putting myself into the corporate realm of society. I stepped onto campus for that first day of class and from that moment forward I was just looking forward to the day that I walked that stage.

Taking a year off isn't very feasible for most students but I promise that if you gain the courage to spread your wings for a year and go on a grand adventure of your own you will in turn receive a sense of enlightenment you never knew you could feel.