Taking break during college

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ASU2013

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I am currently a sophomore in college, and feel like I'm not mentally ready, and mature enough to really do well. I've struggled a little bit, and feel like I need a break. I've always wanted to join the Army (combat medic), and was wondering if anybody has any experiences with taking a break during college, or any advice. After searching online, everyone recommends finishing college, and then enlisting. The reason I don't want to do that, is because I feel that I will do better during my remaining years in college, after a break. Would this break from school look bad to med schools? Anybody have any thoughts?

I apologize if this is hard to understand, I'm having a hard time putting my thoughts into words.

Thanks!

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just thought i'd share, but while filling out secondaries I've noticed that many schools ask if your UG years had any interruptions/ breaks and to explain if there are.

Basically, it seems that if you do take time off have a good reason and be able to explain what you did etc.

whether it's looked down upon or not..i couldn't really tell you

Sorry I can't say much more but thought I'd point this out.
Good luck
 
thanks for your input

anybody else out there?
 
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I've always wanted to join the Army (combat medic), and was wondering if anybody has any experiences with taking a break during college, or any advice.
Would this break from school look bad to med schools? Anybody have any thoughts?
Taking a break from college, especially to something altruistic like becoming an army medic, will not hurt a future application. In fact, due to the gains in maturity, leadership opportunities, fantastic clinical experience, teamwork, and discipline, you'd be in a much improved position, provided you excel in your coursework when it's resumed. Further, nontrads often have their earlier coursework given less weight if they hadn't done so well in the early college years.
 
Thanks for your input Catalystik, I really appreciate it.



:)
 
so your taking a break to join the army? or your joining the army because you want to take a break? at any rate, i dont see why you would need to take a break unless theres some serious sht going on in your life or something, its going to be harder to return and you are going to wish it was all over with.
 
Most people who "take a break" either never go back or end up taking a way longer break than they originally intended. It doesn't look good to take a break if you bum around but if you do something positive with your time off it doesn't look "bad".

Don't take a break now though, just finish college and take a break after you get your degree if need be.
 
Sophmore year I dropped out of premed because I wasn't enjoying it or doing well at it. I finished my degree in the arts, and am now finishing up a post-bac program. I definitely recommend taking some time off if you think you need it. When you come back a little older and a little wiser, you'll find the classes so much better and easier.
 
As a current Active duty Army Sergeant, I'd recommend not to join the Army as a medic as a "break" from your studies. Here's a couple of thoughts based on my experience of 6+ years..

1) It's not uncommon to join the Army as one job, and end up doing another. You'll still be medic, but you might not get the great experience you're banking on..and quite frankly, it can suck until you make a higher rank. If you join for 4 years, 2 of those will be spent at a lower rank..at least. I got promoted ahead of my peers, and it took me a little over 2 years. I've seen many who have been in 4-8 yrs and are still at a lower rank.

2) I can't count how many people I know joined, met someone, got married, got divorced, re-enlisted..it can be a big distraction to your goals.

I wouldn't change a thing if I went back, but my goal of becoming a doctor only became a realistic decision in the last year of my life, when I joined, I wanted to see the world, which I did.

That being said, the college money is a great perk, and the benefits are awesome. I'm thankful I joined, and I made lifelong friends, but I also postponed any goals I had by 6 years. Just my $.02.

Also, if you're really set on joining the military, why not look at HSPS or going to USUHS, then serving as a doctor?
 
As a current Active duty Army Sergeant, I'd recommend not to join the Army as a medic as a "break" from your studies. Here's a couple of thoughts based on my experience of 6+ years..

1) It's not uncommon to join the Army as one job, and end up doing another. You'll still be medic, but you might not get the great experience you're banking on..and quite frankly, it can suck until you make a higher rank. If you join for 4 years, 2 of those will be spent at a lower rank..at least. I got promoted ahead of my peers, and it took me a little over 2 years. I've seen many who have been in 4-8 yrs and are still at a lower rank.

2) I can't count how many people I know joined, met someone, got married, got divorced, re-enlisted..it can be a big distraction to your goals.

I wouldn't change a thing if I went back, but my goal of becoming a doctor only became a realistic decision in the last year of my life, when I joined, I wanted to see the world, which I did.

That being said, the college money is a great perk, and the benefits are awesome. I'm thankful I joined, and I made lifelong friends, but I also postponed any goals I had by 6 years. Just my $.02.

Also, if you're really set on joining the military, why not look at HSPS or going to USUHS, then serving as a doctor?

The Army medics I know all joined before college. OP, if you need a break from school, take a break; a missed semester/year/two years is a lot better than a failed year. If you take the break, I would suggest something with a shorter commitment (e.g. Peace Corps if you want to live in a new country, Americorps/Americorps VISTA if you want something new but domestic, or any regular job combined with volunteer service that is meaningful to you). As SGT Mrock4 suggested, a lot can happen in six years.

Also, once you make it through undergrad, if you're still interested in the military, look into the options suggested above, but also check out your state's National Guard options...some are quite generous.
 
I would definitely say go for it. That sounds like a really rewarding experience and im sure that its going to help you far beyond the application process alone.
 
I took three years off and came back to finish my degree. No big deal, in fact it made the classes much easier I believe. I gained a lot of maturity in those three years which translated to much more success in school.
 
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