Gap year at HYP: help me decide
FOR:
Better recovery from knee surgery
Avoid online year/semester
AGAINST:
Finish college at 24/25
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I think it depends. Are you a rising freshman or like a rising sophomore?
Rising freshman although from non-traditional background. Hence age disparity.
Oh ok that makes sense. Hmmmm, I think you just gotta do what you feel is right and the vibe I'm getting from your post is that you're leaning towards the gap year.
Take the gap year. I don't think it will hurt you as long as you use your time productively and you may even be able to get an extra internship under your belt.
My only worry is that I’ll be too old once I finish college which could potentially close some doors. What do you think?
I get this point of view, but realistically in the long run it does not matter. Yeah, so there maybe that one student that graduates at 19 and will have a decade of PE experience by 30. That really doesn't matter at the end of the day, a lot of doors will still be open for you, especially coming from HPY.
I just graduated and I am 25. No one I ever networked with or talked to cares. In no interview it ever came up either unless I bring it up to state that I have more matuirty/experience because I am a little older.
Also, your health is by far one of the most important things in the world. if taking a gap year helps keep your legs out of pain for the rest of your life it is 100% worth it.
It’s not like I won’t be able to walk if I go to the USA this year but I was advised that I should stay in a controlled environment as much as possible until my knee fully heals. To put it the other way, once I leave crutches, I have little less than a month before going to college. I don’t want to make a foolish decision. Anyway, thank you for your input, it means a lot to me.
Let me put it to you this way, your concern of finishing too late is ridiculous. You're still a really young guy. Go for the gap!
:)
I understand that I’m still young but still I will be behind for some opportunities like business school or graduate school, opposed to majority of candidates who will enter bschool by the time I finish college. Anyway, thank you for your advice.
For business school you are incorrect. You can attend business school at any age. In fact, business school loves people that attend after their 30's because they bring maturity and unique experience in the classroom. Many friends in MBA programs have tons of people over the age of 30. For Bus school, age is only a number,.
Same goes for any graduate school program.
Take a gap year no question. Online school ain't it
Still not confirmed if it will definitely be online though and it seems like situation with corona is easing up, at least where I am at
Stanford just announced rotating throughout the next year - you get 2/4 quarters on so one quarter during the year. Think a lot will follow suit
Your actual age never comes up - just put your college grad date on your resume and people make assumptions accordingly. Similarly for grad schools the clock is based on years of experience, not age
I never thought about that haha. I guess it would still bother me knowing. Any ideas on how could I leverage my age to get into a better situation?
you can use it as a strength, that you’re more mature and reliable than the 22 year old frat bro they just interviewed/hired. honestly could be beneficial. I have been at firms where they loved the slightly older, more mature, married recent grads. same is true of my current role where we have had first year analysts in their mid 20’s (I can think of 4)
Would army service in my home country also be seen as a benefit in this regard?
Probably
Highly recommend taking a gap year if you can. I actually graduated university a year earlier because I was a keener and did summer school and took on extra classes every semester. I entered IB when I was just 21 FT. I recently turned 30 and here are some of my takeaways now that i've been working for a decade.
1) Never compare yourself to others when it comes to timeline of achievements. No one gave a two shits that I was young when I entered and no one also cared if you were a bit older. When I was climbing up the ladder I would always compare myself to others and wonder if I could beat them. I lost myself and was unhappy for a good 5 years doing the rat race. Looking back at it, I could've made some really meaningful connections, but I decided to be competitive instead. I'm not gonna lie and say that it didn't help me, but if I were to do it all over again today, I would choose to bond more with my colleagues rather than see them as competition. When I finally got the promotion before anybody else, I had no one to share that joy with.
2) Take time for yourself. For the first 5 years of my career, I took 8 vacation days (technically). Looking back at it, I was foolish. Although it advanced my career, it also reduced my happiness. I lost TIME. I missed out on boys trips, bachelor parties, etc...Doing that now at my age is a whole lot different as people start to have families and time spent with friends become a second priority. My advice is, take time to enjoy life when you're young...enjoy the company...and as you become a happier person, your career will follow.
3) Spend less on material things and more on experiences when you're young. Because I grinded so hard during my 20's at work and I didn't travel, I had a bunch of money. I started to spend it on material things by improving my lifestyle: nicer car, nicer home, nicer watch, nicer shoes, etc....and because of this, I am now accustomed to a higher standard of living. I'm handcuffed...I have a lower risk appetite for career changes and life experiences. Advice is, keep your material lifestyle to a minimum so you're able to take higher risks as you age.
Hope this helps!
Wow, thank you for such a detailed answer! I would lie if I said it didn’t bother me when I see people my age or younger accomplishing things; I’m now old as Zuckerberg when he started Facebook! I understand that I shouldn’t compare myself to anybody but it’s kind of subconscious thing. Something about finishing college later is just unattractive. Anyhow, do you have any idea how to leverage my “maturity”? I already lost one year while serving military in my home country, would that be considered “edge”? Once again thank you!
Take a gap year, you don't want to miss a year of college and building relationships due to online or social distancing bs. I just graduated from undergrad and everyone from our freshman pledges to esp seniors were devastated at what we lost due to Covid. Being a little older than everyone at work or school means literally nothing if you aren't weird about it.
I’m afraid that 2/3 years older than everyone is not just “a little bit older”. Moreover, we don’t know if school will be online, unless you have some info I don’t? Thank you for input anyway
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