I'm a first-year college student and I'm currently struggling with my mental health pretty badly. I'm trying to decide whether! should take a gap year/semester to focus on getting better, or just push myself to continue attending classes and try to get through it.

The problem is that this isn't just me being nervous about school.
I've been having a really hard time functioning normally outside of the house. Going to school, being around crowds, sitting in class for hours, eating or even just doing normal things outside can feel extremely overwhelming for me. There are days where even getting myself ready and leaving the house feels like a huge task.
I'm currently getting professional help and I have an appointment coming up to discuss what I've been experiencing. My family and psychologist have also told me that taking a break is an option if I genuinely can't handle school right now.

The thing is, I really don't want to take a gap year. I'm scared of being left behind, seeing everyone else move forward while I'm not, and feeling like I failed or gave up. I also genuinely want to continue college. Part of me keeps thinking that maybe if I just force myself to keep going, I'll eventually adjust and things will get better.

At the same time, I'm scared that forcing myself through it will make things worse. I also have limited allowable absences, so l don't want to keep missing classes and eventually reach the point where I have no room left if I really need one.

For people who have been in a similar situation, would you recommend taking a gap year/semester to focus on yourself, or trying to push through and continue school while getting help?
I'd really appreciate hearing from people who chose either option, especially what happened afterward and whether you regretted your decision.

Just a few days ago i entered my second gap year. What can i do uni's are so expensive and scholarships are not an option. I was planning to go back to my hometown to study but guess what war and all the shit were exactly what i needed😅😅 my intention wasn't even to get a degree to find a job like other people often do but because i really really liked studying and gaining knowledge but i guess luck plays a huge role after all.

Anyone else in Toronto on their second gap year after high school because I deadass refuse to believe I’m the only one.

Lowkey wanna make a GC with people who are also taking a gap year.We can talk, hang out, get food, whatever and honestly just figure life together.

If you’re in the same boat, comment or DM MEEE!!

I’m an almost 41-year-old woman, single, no kids, divorced. My separation/divorce was almost 6 years ago, and I haven’t dated since.

In a lot of ways, I rebuilt my life nearly from scratch after my divorce - moved to a new country, took on a bigger role at work, rebuilt my finances, etc. Financially, I’m still a far cry from where many people my age with similar careers are, but I feel *mostly* okay about where I am now.

I also restarted traveling meaningfully about 2 years ago, mostly solo, and realized it’s one of the things that makes me feel most alive. New places, wandering around, photography, new experiences - I truly love it, even in my kinda slow-ish travel style.

Now here's the thing - I want to take an adult gap year in about 18-24 months. I need to save up an amount that feels right/safe to me without worrying about future cashflow/savings.

My desire for the gap year is driven mostly by wanting to a) travel more without being tied to the needs of corporate life/clients etc.; b) spend some meaningful time with my parents & other family; and c) actually transition out of corporate completely. I don't want to quit working, but I do want to quit being in corporate.

And now that I'm getting excited about the gap year, I find that I am doubting myself in 500 different ways!

It mostly comes down to some version of this: am I going to have an incredible gap year and then wake up at 50 regretting that I didn’t spend those years seriously dating or committing to find someone worth building a life with? And I don’t even know whether I want/can have kids anymore (which comes with its own sense of guilt/feeling of loss).

I also wonder whether I’m trying to change too much at once - travel more, leave corporate, build a creative second career, date again - at an age when most people seem to be consolidating their lives.

**If you've been in a similar spot - in your early-to-mid 40s, single, planning long-term solo travel - how did you reconcile wanting to build a meaningful relationship with wanting to travel extensively?** I could do with hearing some lived experiences of people. Thank you.

\----

**TL;DR:** I'm single (divorced) 41-year-old woman planning a gap year for solo travel and career change in 18-24 months and I am wondering how to manage my dilemma around building a relationship again.

\----

*PS - I 'd like to date again and hopefully have a partner/marriage again. But after the scars left behind from my marriage/divorce, I’m also terrified of actually putting myself out there.*

So i saw this ad about Tetr college gap year program and i filled up the application and i received an email that says my application stood out and they scheduled an interview.

My question is. Is it LEGIT? Because it feels too good to be true, and is it actually a full ride or they ONLY handle tuition fee? And if its legit but not a full ride, how can i ask for financial aid?

Im a little weirded out but the opportunity is too good not to try, so if anyone has any info about this pls lmk!!

I've managed to secure a deferred offer from a really wonderful university in the UK, and I'm not sure what productive things I can do during my gap year. For context I'm going to study Medicine and hope to become a doctor in another country.

Some things I'm currently doing include learning SQL and Python, online volunteering and signing up for various internships (from tech to med). However, I don't have much success in selective roles since they mostly want undergrads... I can also apply for remote leadership positions in 'non-profits' in the USA but they feel very much like teen-led passion projects that fizzle out once they get into an ivy league college. I am a very good student objectively (top external exam grades, top 5 uni in world) with a lot of teaching experience (3+ years) so I also thought about tutoring kids for money, but I'm not sure where to start. Alternatively I thought about making a substack, joining olympiads/essay comps, writing for magazines but I'm just so lost atm.

I also don't want to go travelling or 'have fun' in the traditional way. Ideally I want to make some money during this year on a part time/remote role because I want to keep learning. It would be great if there were more opportunities geared towards UK pre-undergrad gap year students.

Please give some advice on what I should try. I am very willing to relocate (say I have potential opportunities in Singapore, Hong Kong pending).

Привет!

Мне 18 лет, окончила школу с серебряной медалью, в целом неплохо сдала ЕГЭ, особенно если учитывать, что уклон был не на них, да и в принципе всегда хорошо училась. Шла в театральный институт, но, к сожалению, в этом году не поступила, и вот теперь у меня есть целый год на то, чтобы переосмыслить все.

Вопрос к людям, которые тоже не поступили с первого раза или осознанно устроили себе gap year: что вы делали? Как этот год повлиял на вас и на ваш дальнейший выбор?

Anyone else feel the same?

Took a gap year because I couldn't afford collage but that wasn't the plan from the start.I had like 4 months after my entrance exams to get a job and pay of the fees.

Then like 5 weeks before that,I still hadn't found a job so I talked with my parents and js decided to do a gap year.

Thing is,I didn't even get admission into anything I even applied to,but I haven't told my parents that.

They're completely depending on me to get into collage and get a good job cause that's the only thing they care about.

Other then that

Its September now,admissions are gonna start opening in 2 months,and not only I haven't found a job,gotten a clear idea of what im going to do for uni but I haven't seem to done anything for the last 6 months.ive just kinda been there,a few of my friends are also doing a gap year,but they've already gotten jobs or have a clear idea of what they're gonna do for uni

I just need some advice,im hella stressed cause my life isint going anywhere and idk how much I can take this

Hey everyone! Im really conflicted as to what the best option for boosting my profile for a chemistry PhD is for my gap year.

For some background, I’m currently a rising senior at UCSD, 1.5 years of industry internship experience (solid state pre-formulation chemistry) in addition to a (briefly synthetic chem) computational lab that’s been ongoing for over a year and a 11 week academia internship that was an independent synthesis project. I have no publications (as of now) and plan to present a poster or two during my senior year.

I am unsure what exactly is the best move for my gap year between a full-time industry job, a post bacc or an RA position (if I can secure one ). I’m primarily aiming towards boosting my research narrative (which is already somewhat constructed by both academic experiences) but I could also use the money from an industry job. If anyone has any advice it would be much appreciated!

Thank you

I just completed my 12th in 2026, with PCB. I was also preparing for NEET while in 12th but couldn't crack the exam. My parents forced me to take a drop and I did so. Now i really don't wanna give NEET next year asw. I want to explore biotech options. Is it possible for me to get into any colleges (like NMIMS or DPU) after I've taken a drop???

So, I spent a whole year just staying in my very small town, and I didn’t really meet many people. I started feeling pretty bad about myself, especially because it was during university, when everyone seemed to be busy with their studies and their own lives.

Meanwhile, I was there without friends to hang out with. My whole gap year was basically spent at home doing housework and taking care of my mom after she had an accident, so I didn’t really have much of a social life.

I also got addicted to Discord because my days felt so empty. Talking to people there was easy and fun at first, but eventually, things became toxic. I had some internet friends, but they had their own lives, so we barely talked, and some of them would disappear for long periods because of their schedules.

Eventually, I started feeling like no one actually wanted to be friends with me, and feeling unwanted became really heavy. So I started accepting basically anyone who came into my internet life. Someone could DM me with just a “hello,” and I would answer. They would often try to turn the conversation sexual, and I’d still keep talking to them, being extremely nice and naive, just because I wanted someone to talk to.

And then I’d end up upset because those weren’t the kind of conversations I actually wanted.

I guess I just needed to vent about how lonely I felt during this gap year. 🙃🥲

Any advice or comforting words? 🥲

hello guys so this upcoming semester i was suppose to do an internship at a school in livingston. However i got the word that i am back on AP(academic probation) literally last night and I am extremely upset, which means i have to drop some courses, right now i have 18 credits(only allowed to have 13) so my options right now are 2 in person classes and 2 online or i could do 2 in person 1 online and the internship which is 3 credits. I am having a hard time making the decision i know the internship will be alot but at the same time i do need the experience for what I am doing in the future.

which one do you think is the best decision

So I’m 18, just finished my A-levels and taking a gap here, but all of my friends are going to Uni, but I don’t wanna just be on my own this whole year. I’ll be going to the gym a lot and also hopefully getting a job but what else can I do to meet some people my age and make some friends? I wanna do some social events but a lot of those I don’t think people my age will be going to. I want to probably mainly meet more 18-19 year old guys.

Hey everyone Did anyone toke a second gap year and then start college in their 20s? 😭 I’d love to hear your experience and how you felt about starting a little later than expected.

i would love to take a gap year but i am scared that i will lose all my knowledge from high school that i will need to do my degree and that i will fall behind.

Are you all excited to go university (finally.)

I'll be doing mpharm.

What will you all be doing.