Would you recommend taking a year off before college?

You might find it hard to get back into the flow of working and studying but otherwise, it's such a good experience and it helps in getting employed so I would recommend :) if you are willing to contribute time and effort to do volunteer work and stuff it looks really good

I would definitely NOT take off a year after High School and before College. The biggest problem I see is that every moment that you elect to spend not getting what you eventually want, which is a degree, only pushes that date forward unnecessarily in my opinion. You need to not just think of NOW and think forward 4 or 5 years from now when you are 23. At that point you will be much more likely in a serious relationship and could very well be married. With marriage you are much more likely to have children.. and with children comes extra expenses... if you take off that year now... instead of when you are 23 and have a degree... you risk the certainty of what may be happening in your life without a degree. I look back on my life and one of the great travesties I feel bad about is not getting to my college education at a younger age. By the time I got my degrees I was already behind everyone else... with children and trying to begin a career at a much older age. It sucks! The alternative would have gotten me a degree by 22... Masters degree by 23... internships done each of my college summers... married by 25... middle management by 30... and senior management by 35... instead I am just starting to get into middle management by 36 because I just worked and put off college for years. Now my kids are 9, 10, & 11 and I feel like I haven't been able to provide for them the way I would have liked if I didn't have the attitude of messing around after High School... Just my take :O

So do you want to volunteer abroad, or work and save money? The 2 are usually mutually exclusive. Do you already have a job lined up, or are you just hoping someone is going to offer you a job when you have no experience, only a high school diploma, and no intention of staying with the job? And why would you want to put your future on hold for a year to work some crappy part-time job?

You can get your basic requirements for an associate's right after high school. It'll take 1-2 years. Then you can take that 1 year break. You'll have credentials for a somewhat higher paying job than if you start working right now. Then you can still take off a year if you need to. After a little bit of basic credit requirements, college life, work life, and a feel of "the real world," that's a good place to finish off the rest of college! It'll be a good experience.

No. I wouldn't. If you don't want to go to a four year university right after school, go to community college or something. If you take a year off, some college's want to know what you did during that year. Volunteer work is fine, just make sure you do something if you decide to take a year off. I wouldn't recommend it though.

I took a year off, mainly got a job and earned some money to have and mess around, or if you want to just rest and recover from all the excitement that was in high school.

:)

The time between high school and college is ideal to see the world. At college, you will be busy and when you finish, you will need to find a job, so go now while you have the time.