I’ve decided to take a gap year after I graduate from Loyola. Brace yourself for incorrect usage of economic terms and wish me luck.

The original plan was to go straight from high school to college, then to grad school. This was my plan because I wanted to be successful in life, be able to give back to my parents, and not disappoint my family. Most it was because I didn’t want to disappoint my family.

Oh, how proud they would be to say, “Look at what she did!” Claiming whatever triumph I achieve as their own and looking at me with shame when I wasn’t able to perform as hoped.

Show pony, I am not. That doesn’t keep me from feeling like one though.

I understand that my education is a large investment and I do intend on making it a valuable one.

I’d like to think that I built up stock with my time at Loyola. I’ve gained experiences I doubt I would have elsewhere and now it’s time I figure out how to put that into good use.

I’ll admit that instinctually whenever I think about taking a gap year it’s rarely a positive thought. Prior to deciding that taking a gap year would be the right thing for me I thought it was for slackers.

A gap year is that thing that kid in your class decided to do because they couldn’t figure out what type of failure they wanted to become. So, rather than growing up, they decided to spend a year being a bum because they couldn’t get into a decent college.
I don’t know how that became my visualization of the quintessential gap year but it was. Every time I think that’s how I’m going to spend my time after Loyola, it makes me a little uneasy.

Despite these feelings, I’m satisfied with my decision because I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in school, I don’t want to commit to something that will cause me unnecessary stress and I’m OK with not knowing what exactly I want to do with myself.
My three and a half years at Loyola and a fairly lengthy quiz have taught me that I have adaptability and empathy, am restorative and capable of providing input and have intellection.

While I’ll have difficulty trying to find a way to work that all into a proper sentence without feeling awkward, I know that I’ll be going out into the real world with some sense of stability.