Opinion: Between classes, homework and extracurriculars, I have little free time for myself now. Before, I was swimming with time to figure out what inspires me, who I want to be and what I want to do with my future.
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Almost three years ago, the world watched as the COVID pandemic ravaged families, hospitals, governments, cities and lives. For a moment, it seemed that life was on standby. Stay-at-home orders halted the hustle of pre-pandemic life, and many looked inwards to their wellness and creativity. Schools scrambled to keep students in a functional curriculum until the summer, then reassessed for the next school year.
The part that might have been overlooked by colleges or universities, though, was the wave of gap year students that 2020 would bring in. I was one of those students who decided to skip the online classes and take a year off, even if that meant staying at home with no traditional gap year travel. It was one of the best decisions of my life.
During my year and a half (I counted the last months of my senior year of high school in with it, as we didn’t really do much) off from the school conveyor belt, I read more than 50 books, studied the history of twentieth century literature and political movements and even explored a bit of physics. I learned music history, played guitar for sometimes 10 hours a day and enjoyed time with my family. Allen Ginsberg, I learned, really inspired me as a poet and person. I didn’t even know the Beat Generation existed before my gap year. At one point, I had a solid hunch on why Led Zeppelin’s first album was the beginning of the end for classic rock, with a solid background in self-taught music history to aid my case. Perhaps that’s an article for later.
I did — and learned — so much during this time, yet it didn’t feel like I was all that busy. I was listening to my inner voice, doing what I truly wanted to do, which brought me the truest form of fulfillment and self-discovery I’ve ever felt. By staying at home during my year off from school, the four walls of my bedroom forced me to think through things that I otherwise would have put at the bottom of my to-do list. It was a time of contemplation. I had the ability to settle down and set attainable goals for my future self, reflect on the past and become excited about what life after my gap year meant.
Saving money was also a plus. By living with my parents, I graciously had no rent or food to worry about. I was a part-time grocery store cashier, so upon finding myself in Eugene, around 800 miles away from my San Diegan comfort zone, I had life lessons and savings to cushion my beginning of college. I got a taste of what working without school felt like, which helped manage my expectations for how entering the professional workforce after graduation will be. Money is a big part of the college experience, and taking time to financially prepare for college was another reason why I look back with fondness for my gap year.
Breaks from school, though they aren’t talked about enough, are a commonality between non-traditional students. In fact, breaks are one of the defining attributes of what it means to be a non-traditional student.
For Shanie Jorgenson, co-director of the Nontraditional Student Union, taking a break from school turned out to solidify what she wanted to do with school and her career when she came back.
“[My break] was me thinking that I wasn’t quite good enough for school. [I thought] it wasn’t going to do anything for me, so I might as well work and see if I could find better jobs,” Jorgenson said. “Turns out, I realized I didn’t want to bounce around between jobs. I felt stuck and after two semesters I decided I would go back to school.”
For some, taking a break from school can be a reset button on energy. For others, it can be a time of working, taking care of family or traveling. Nonetheless, the path for students, particularly nontraditional students, varies. The NSU at UO serves students who come from different backgrounds in education and provides a welcoming community with resources such as academic, financial, family and well-being support.
“A lot of us, as well as other volunteers and students feel underrepresented,” Danielle Lichtenstein, co-director of the Nontraditional Student Union, said. “I think some of our goals include having a larger social presence on campus and casting a wider net to gain the attention of more students. We hear all too often that people wish they knew about the NSU earlier on. We really want anyone who identifies as a nontraditional student to know about us before they take their first steps onto campus.”
Readjusting to life as a student has had its ups and downs. It’s invigorating to be outside of my isolated corner of the world (aka my bedroom) and being around so many people again. Being involved in academia is inspiring and motivating on so many levels, from talking to professors about the subject they teach to studying in the library with a beautiful view. I’m moving on from my gap year and embracing the “real” world again — the one with busy schedules, deadlines and stress. It’s been a learning curve.
Back at school, I find myself forgetting what it felt like to be creative, free from stress and full of wonder. The concession line of essays, quizzes, homework and extracurriculars has left no time for hobbies or learning outside of school. The 50 books read per year has dwindled down to three.
With so much of my time directed toward school now, I’ve made sure to not forget the core of what I learned during my year off: schedules come in cycles, and time for self-care and introspection will come back around eventually. This keeps my head below the clouds for now, even as much as I miss my gap year of self-discovery.
