[nabs-l] making a decision about college

Sun May 4 23:19:09 UTC 2014

Thanks guys for all your comments.
I especially like Vehas suggestion of going to another a country 
to study a language for my gap year.
I myself, like to travel to other countries (we go to France 
every summer to visit my mom's family, as she is originally from 
France).
I also would like to be a langubde interpreter or a teacher, and 
therefore to answer your question Arielle, Still am planning to 
major in languages.
Btw, Vehas, how did you know that I want to work in the languages 
field?
Sami.

 ----- Original Message -----
From: Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Sun, 04 May 2014 15:07:42 -0700
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] making a decision about college

Hi Sami,

I agree with what everyone else has said.  Most college freshmen 
are
18, and a few are still 17.  So your age alone should not be a 
factor.
I think it makes sense to take a gap year only if you have a 
clear
plan for something to do during that year.  Training at a good
blindness center, like an NFB center, is a great idea.  However, 
I
don't think it's necessary for everybody to do it before college.  
What
are you planning to major in?

Best,
Arielle

On 5/4/14, Cindy Bennett <clb5590 at gmail.com> wrote:
 Hi Sami,

 I completely agree with the afore mentioned comments.  If you 
believe
 at all that you could benefit from training, then go to a center 
for
 that gap year.  I am saying this from the perspective of someone 
who
 was overconfident before college and who did not get the full 
college
 experience because once I actually went to college, I was 
intimidated
 by the real world and actually lacked confidence and relied on 
my
 friends too much.  So go to a center in that gap year!

 I have a friend who volunteered for a year.  That is a wonderful 
thing
 to do if you have the time and a place to stay.  Volunteering 
can
 really enrich your experience.  I think that too many college 
kids know
 little about the real world when they graduate.  So whether you 
take
 time off school to volunteer or go straight to college, just try 
to
 have well rounded experiences during your summers and get a 
part-time
 job during school or get very involved in a volunteer 
organization in
 the community.

 However, to me, training should come first if you think that is
 necessary.  It is best to do it as soon as possible so you 
maximize
 your years on earth with great blindness skills and the 
confidence to
 try new things and get great experiences.  Plus, you will likely 
not
 have another time in your life that is as convenient to get 
traning.
 Once you start having to pay bills, you have to work, and often 
when
 you start working, you have to quit your job to go to training 
as you
 can't get that much time off.  You can also volunteer in your 
free time
 while you're at a center.

 Cindy

 On 5/4/14, Suzanne Germano <sgermano at asu.edu> wrote:
 I think the only reason to take a year off is if you think you 
need to go
 to a center to gain blindness skills or if you were doing 
something like
 volunteering for a year and it would benefit your degree or if 
you really
 do not know what you want to major in and do not want to end up 
taking 6
 years for a BS because you change majors and have to take extra 
classes.

 But that won't necessarily happen.  My daughter started in civil
 engineering
 and ended up with a BS in biology and has extra courses like 
differential
 equations and surveying that she did not need for bio.  She 
still
 graduated
 in 4 years Summa Cum Laude but had one semester with 21 units 
and had
 some
 summer courses..

 Your parents are wrong.  Most college freshman are 18 and 
straight out of
 high school.  Most people do not take a year off.  If you take a 
year off
 you
 need to expakin that year to future employers.

 I returned to school at 48.  My Calc 3 class last semester was 
almost all
 kids straight out of high school and 18 years old.

 Suzanne

 On Sun, May 4, 2014 at 10:55 AM, Antonio Guimaraes
 <freethaught at gmail.com>wrote:

 You may not have the sufficient training ad skills to take a 
year off
 and
 get job experience.

 You'll speed things up a lot if you go straight to college, or 
take time
 to get needed blindness skills as needed.

 Do I read it right that your mom thinks you should not be 
18-years old
 ad
 interact with older students? Welcome to the world, and to 
becoming a
 adult.

 Whether you are ready, feel ready, or your parents feel you're 
ready to
 face the world, you must at some point puss off of their 
protective
 wings.
 They are not against you, but they probably fear loosing the 
parental
 control they naturally have now.

 Good luck.

 Antonio

 On May 4, 2014, at 10:07 AM, sami osborne <ligne14 at verizon.net> 
wrote:

 Hi all.

 I am currently a junior in high school, and will therefore be
 graduating
 next ywhar.
 My intention is to go to college after I graduate, as the jobs I 
want
 to
 do require at least a college degree.
 However, my parents and I have been talking about whether to go 
to
 college right after high school or taking a gap year (a year 
between the
 end of high school and the end of college).
 Only thing is, this is a really tough decision on my part, since 
first
 of all I know that it is my decision, and not my parent's, in 
the long
 run.
  Secondly, this is also a hard decision to make because I know 
that
 there
 are benefits to both.
 I know that in college you can study for the kind of job that 
you want
 to do, and in taking a gap year, you can for instance get more 
training
 in
 daily living skills.

 So I'm therefore asking, what would you guys advise me to do, go
 straight to college or take a gap year and then go?
 I would really apreciate it if you could help me with this 
decision.

 Also, another thing, my mom told me that if I go strasght to 
college,
 I
 would be 18, I would be on the young side of the other students, 
do you
 think she's right?
 Also, if you advise me to do the gap year, what sort of 
activities can
 I
 do during this year?
 Thanks.

 Sami.

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 --
 Cindy Bennett
 Secretary: National Association of Blind Students

 B.A.  Psychology, UNC Wilmington
 clb5590 at gmail.com

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