Continue Your Education

I followed up on the “Taking Time Off” story with a few quetions for the writer:

1) Are you a student? If yes, year and program?

I’m a junior at Columbia College, majoring in Neuroscience and Behavior.

2) Would you describe yourself as a “traditional” student?
Why or why not?

Yes, I would. I have taken no time off at any point during my education so far.

3) What was the genesis of the article “Taking Time Off”?

I got the sense, just anecdotally, that plenty of people were electing to take time off either before college or during college, as their perspectives, career aspirations, and expectations of their college experience evolved and/or diverged from what they’d expected. I also got the sense from talking to people that there were plenty of very edifying, valuable experiences that one could only get outside the classroom–and that school almost sometimes stood in the way of one’s growth, or would at least be worth much more after certain kinds of goals could be identified through outside experiences. I wanted to explore how widespread the trend really was, what the typical motivations for taking time off were, and how they impacted students’
views of the role of education and the college experience within the context of life development.

4) Were you surprised by any of the findings from your
research or interviews on the subject? Which?

I had heard many of the stories previously, but I was surprised at how widespread the disillusionment with peoples’ college experiences had been, and how frequently their expectations had been met with disappointment, and how strongly this factored into the decision to take time off. I was also surprised at how profound some of the changes some people had undergone during their time off were–one girl decided against her lifelong dream of pursuing medicine, another started dating someone who she is now married to.

5) I notice several articles in the Spectator about older
students taking classes with traditional-age undergraduates; what do you think the perception is of non-traditional students in the college classroom here or elsewhere?

I’m not sure I can provide a comprehensive account of what the perception is. I know that there’s isn’t a whole lot of social interaction among traditional and non-traditional undergrads, both because of often vastly differing non-academic commitments (family,
work) for non-traditional undergrads which often keeps them from participating as much in on-campus extracurriculars, but I also have the sense that the residence hall systems being so different for General Studies students and other Columbia undergrads contributes to this.