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Telyahnow2*
Joined: 27 Jan 2009
Posts: 63
Location: Southern Vermont
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 Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 6:32 pm Post subject: Gap Year before college - any ideas? |
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My son has interests in environmental areas. Is all set to go to college in the fall but is still a bit young.
He is interested in
environmental
sustainable communities
builds mountain bike trails for fun
Not interested in the kind of program where you volunteer
but end up not really doing anything like those things listed
above. |
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JL
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 7749
Location: Salt Lake City
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 7:05 pm Post subject: |
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Sounds like a WOOFER to me.
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freeheelwilly
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 8401
Location: on your nerves....
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 7:48 pm Post subject: |
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| JL wrote: | | Sounds like a WOOFER to me. |
No. GOD no.
Why not just let the kid do....whatever. Take off, go ski, bang some chicks and go wild. I really doubt he's as interested in "environmental sustainable communities" as you think he is. If he is, that's unfortunate.
You're only young once. He's got the rest of his life to fail to live up to your expectations. |
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stevesliva
Joined: 11 Dec 2004
Posts: 10135
Location: SEA
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 8:16 pm Post subject: |
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Is this whole bridge year thing supposed to fluff up the college application?
The things you mention dovetail into a lot of low-paying jobs... why not just look for, well, a job? |
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Bunion
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 5265
Location: 4-corners, NOT BOZEMAN!
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 10:04 pm Post subject: |
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I know its rare but I agree with FHW. Tell him to go out west, get a night job and ski his young ass off.
FWIW Bozeman and Alta are full of Green license plates and cars with Mad River Glen, ski it if you can bumper stickers.
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“at core, men are afraid women will laugh at them, while at core, women are afraid men will kill them. And probably because they deserve it." |
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rsireland3
Joined: 21 Sep 2007
Posts: 17707
Location: EL/R -6.12, SL/A -8.15 in NW VT and slightly south of the Poutine Curtain
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 10:41 pm Post subject: |
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Army. Air Force. Navy. Marines. Coast Guard.
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| rl wrote: | | Kinda like post first then smoke crack |
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chugach001
Joined: 03 Feb 2009
Posts: 802
Location: So. Vermont
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 11:08 pm Post subject: |
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From what I hear Amish kids leave the nest for 2 years around 18 to do, largely, what FHW suggests. and something like 99% of them return to the community and religion.
Sustainable communities is a cute idea but I know several people who have pissed away their life pursuing this intangible dream. And by pissed away, not just financially, but lack of travel, lack of skiing, lack of adventure, excitement, opportunity, etc. (Maybe I'm just projecting opinions of my dipshit brotherinlaw).
Nothing wrong with Riseland's suggestion, which my dipshit brotherinlaw should have done. Nothing wrong with hitch-hiking the world either.
Good luck
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Last edited by chugach001 on Tue May 15, 2012 11:12 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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rsireland3
Joined: 21 Sep 2007
Posts: 17707
Location: EL/R -6.12, SL/A -8.15 in NW VT and slightly south of the Poutine Curtain
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 11:09 pm Post subject: |
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| freeheelwilly wrote: | | JL wrote: | | Sounds like a WOOFER to me. |
No. GOD no.
Why not just let the kid do....whatever. Take off, go ski, bang some chicks and go wild. I really doubt he's as interested in "environmental sustainable communities" as you think he is. If he is, that's unfortunate.
You're only young once. He's got the rest of his life to fail to live up to your expectations. |
I did that. It was interesting. There was a lot of debauchery. There was some suffering. It was all necessary in order for me to be in the right place and time to meet my wife. I was 30 when I finally graduated from college. While I often wonder what would have happened if I had done something more structured I think spending a winter in some place like Alta would probably have been the best thing for me if I had done anything different. That and a better choice of roommates once or twice.
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| rl wrote: | | Kinda like post first then smoke crack |
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stevesliva
Joined: 11 Dec 2004
Posts: 10135
Location: SEA
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| Posted: Wed May 16, 2012 2:07 am Post subject: |
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| rsireland3 wrote: | | I did that. It was interesting. There was a lot of debauchery. |
At first I thought you meant the organic farm thing, and I could not believe you described it as "interesting." |
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miked
Joined: 17 Dec 2007
Posts: 865
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| Posted: Wed May 16, 2012 4:37 am Post subject: Re: Gap Year before college - any ideas? |
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| Telyahnow2* wrote: | My son has interests in environmental areas. Is all set to go to college in the fall but is still a bit young.
He is interested in
environmental
sustainable communities
builds mountain bike trails for fun
Not interested in the kind of program where you volunteer
but end up not really doing anything like those things listed
above. |
A perfect "bridge year" would be one in which he fully supports himself financially for a year. If he can do it doing one of the above then great. And I mean fully supports himself. No car, healthcare, food, clothes, trips home, etc. At the end of that year he'll have a full understanding of why people go to college and the maturity to succeed, isn't that the point of the bridge year? |
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French For Cant Tele
Joined: 02 Feb 2006
Posts: 5123
Location: Mammoth Lakes (sometimes)
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| Posted: Wed May 16, 2012 6:08 am Post subject: |
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Buy cheap transferable units at a community college and he can take a light load for a couple of years..keep the student debt low.
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satsuma
Joined: 08 Feb 2005
Posts: 3321
Location: Baton Rouge for a while
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| Posted: Wed May 16, 2012 8:11 am Post subject: |
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I don't know what the issue is with going to college. If he's not ready to be away from home at all, he's going to have maturity issues with a lot of things. Perhaps the best solution is to go to a college fairly close to home (don't know how far you are from UVM). He can always transfer after the first year if he wants to go somewhere different.
If it's a matter of not having a direction, a year of college isn't going to hurt him. A year of some kind of work might help him decide what he doesn't want to do. Generally, though, I think a semester or year off would be more useful in the 3rd or later years of college, whether it is for some purpose or simply time off.
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"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts" Earl Weaver |
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rsireland3
Joined: 21 Sep 2007
Posts: 17707
Location: EL/R -6.12, SL/A -8.15 in NW VT and slightly south of the Poutine Curtain
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| Posted: Wed May 16, 2012 8:18 am Post subject: |
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| stevesliva wrote: | | rsireland3 wrote: | | I did that. It was interesting. There was a lot of debauchery. |
At first I thought you meant the organic farm thing, and I could not believe you described it as "interesting." |
Hehe. No.
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| rl wrote: | | Kinda like post first then smoke crack |
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Sugarloafer
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 9796
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| Posted: Wed May 16, 2012 1:01 pm Post subject: Re: Gap Year before college - any ideas? |
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| miked wrote: | | Telyahnow2* wrote: | My son has interests in environmental areas. Is all set to go to college in the fall but is still a bit young.
He is interested in
environmental
sustainable communities
builds mountain bike trails for fun
Not interested in the kind of program where you volunteer
but end up not really doing anything like those things listed
above. |
A perfect "bridge year" would be one in which he fully supports himself financially for a year. If he can do it doing one of the above then great. And I mean fully supports himself. No car, healthcare, food, clothes, trips home, etc. At the end of that year he'll have a full understanding of why people go to college and the maturity to succeed, isn't that the point of the bridge year? |
I can't believe I'm posting this, but I actually agree with this nitwit that whatever the kid does, if he's not in school he should be on his own nickel.
"Bridge year".....isn't that parent code for "my kid doesn't have a clue what he wants to do and isn't that academically motivated, so he's gonna take a year off from school"? This describes a huge number of high school seniors and there's nothing wrong with it, but I'm always amused the way parents try to make it sound like they're going to pursue some meaningful endeavor when all they really want is sex, drugs and rock n' roll....NTTAWWT !!! 
I agree with Willy....a conversation with the kid on this topic would probably have a different tone. 
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"Take it from a member of the male species, walking around in public with an erection is somewhat of an embarrassment unless you are a bit..... off"........Bunion
Last edited by Sugarloafer on Wed May 16, 2012 1:09 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Sugarloafer
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 9796
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| Posted: Wed May 16, 2012 1:07 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | Take off, go ski, bang some chicks and go wild. |
Willy.....I'm sure you'd agree that this is WHY some of us went to college !
Good points.
_________________
"Take it from a member of the male species, walking around in public with an erection is somewhat of an embarrassment unless you are a bit..... off"........Bunion |
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