I have always been a firm believer that higher education serves as an asset in anyone's life who wants to pursue it. Going after any type of degree gives a person a new sense of freedom and identity as they mature into a new phase of their life. It is both exciting and nerve-wracking when you attend a university such as Stony Brook, with such a prestigious reputation that students from around the world dedicate themselves to receiving an acceptance letter.
With all of these facts drilled into my mind as I gave myself a pep talk (yes, I was talking to myself), I still decided on taking the Fall 2016 semester off. While I don't remember the exact date, it was one of those picture-perfect summer days, where I should have been on the beach enjoying a day where I got to hit the pause button on life. Yet, I found myself contemplating if I would be returning to campus at the end of August approached. While this may not be as groundbreaking as it seems, I know I'm certainly not the only indecisive twenty-year-old out there, the fact that I was questioning school was the most puzzling aspect. Ever since high school, I knew that I loved to learn and would go straight to college, as I did. Then as the years of continuing my education went on I was questioning my major, whether or not I was happy in college, or if I was simply hitting a quarter life crisis five years too soon.
As is turns out, the water was very therapeutic that day and after an ugly two-sided battle in my head, I concluded that I needed to hit the pause button on my college career. An overwhelming feeling of being in school since age five came over me and a part of me was simply curious to see what a few months off would feel like. I wish I could tell you that the semester off was life changing and I was able to answer all of my questions and doubts I had about school. However, my hiatus definitely gave me a chance to work and helped me refocus on why I went to school in the first place. By the second month off, I felt myself missing being on campus and I was craving to learn new material (I definitely didn't miss essays and homework all too much, though). I was also yearning to feel the whole "college spirit" again; feeling the energy of being on campus is a real thing that I did not appreciate until it was gone.
Every situation is unique, some students have a vision of their college plan ever since middle school but it's also perfectly normal to need a moment to figure everything out. After all, no one said this whole "adulting" thing would be easy. Taking time off allowed me to miss school, which was exactly what I needed to get myself back to school.
