Were you Happy with your choice to take a gap year(s)? Forum

[bullfighter]

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[honestabe84]

But what does that entail? I would like to travel, but I feel like I would just be arbitrarily walking around Europe. For example, lets say you went to NY or San Fran or something, what exactly would you do that would make it such a great experience. I would like to travel, but I would hate doing the touristy stuff (i.e. looking through some guide book to find some cliche place to go).

go somewhere interesting (and cheap)...like central america, south america, africa, eastern europe, asia, etc.

Well I definitely would not go to eastern Europe, but what would you do in any of the other countries? Walk around on the Wall of China and maybe do some shopping and sightseeing? I think a lot of people have this romanticized idea of what a trip is going to be like, but when they get their it's like whatever.

I'm teaching English in Spain for the year, and I absolutely love it. I live with Spanish people, I've learned to cook Spanish food, I can dance the local style of Flamenco, etc. I also make enough money to travel around...and through organizations like Couch Surfing, you can get beyond the typical touristy stuff and actually experience what it's like being somewhere. I've cooked an American style BBQ for 12 Spaniards in a small village, gone to a public bath house in Morocco, eaten a three course vegan meal at a legalized squat in Amsterdam, etc.

If you've never been somewhere outside the US longer than a week or so, it's tough to fathom just how different living and traveling in different places are. Different traits are valued, people treat each other differently, people eat, drink, and socialize differently, etc.

Obviously, it's your life and you should do what calls to you the most, but trust me when I tell you that if you are open to it, traveling is so much more than "just walking around and shopping."

What exactly is couchsurfing? Do they just set you up with a local or something?

[bilbobaggins]

All of the people I know who went straight through wish they hadn't.

It can be tough for some people because many of us have spent time out of school and have had the opportunity to mature a little.

That said, if you realize you should've taken some time, you're most likely mature enough to be fun to be around.

I don't how working at some average job is going to make you mature anymore than going to law school instead. Maybe I'm not mature enough to understand.

Well, I think it can happen in a couple of ways. I do think your characterization of "some average job" is indicative of a misunderstanding about how someone matures after college. I think it's important to experience what it's like to live outside of a constructed universe like a college or one's parents' house.

Law schools, especially really good law schools, often push people onto tracks that they might not end up being happy with. If you were to go out and get "some average" corporate job, you might realize you don't want to work in Big Law or that you really want to work in Big Law. These are decisions that are likely better to be clear on before you end up at law school. Maybe it's just me, but adolescence seems to stretch longer and longer these days and a lot of kids coming right out of school don't seem to have a firm grasp on who they are and what they want to do. You might not be one of these people, and I would tell you to do what you'd like, but as I said before, most of the 09ers I know have expressed some regret at going straight through.

[Mroberts3]

Yes! My GPA (and probably my LSAT too) would have been lower if I tried to study for the the LSAT while still in school. Also, I'd probably be doing worse in law school right now because I'd have had to change gears from UG so quickly. This way I got life under control, took some time off, rocked the LSAT, got apps in early ---> profit.