Taking A Gap Year Was The Only Way I Knew I’d Get A Degree
We are all well aware and well-versed with the cycle that happens in the pursuit of our education. We go to high school, get good grades, work hard to be accepted into the post-secondary college of our dreams. And once we're accepted and step foot onto the grounds of that college of our dreams, we are hit with another reality: four more years of this.
Don't get me wrong, education is a beautiful investment. But it seems crazy that we're expected to go to school for our entire childhood, and then do so for a huge portion of our young adulthood, back to back, no breaks.
It's no wonder more and more people are finding value in taking a year off from school for a smoother transition into adulthood.
One incoming college student that famously took a gap year was Malia Obama, who took a gap year before starting at Harvard this past fall. She did an internship, she traveled, and she allowed herself to experience life before immersing herself in her education. More recently, actress Yara Shahidi reflected a similar mindset. In an Instagram post, she explained, "I'm taking a gap year to dig deeper into all the things that bring me joy..."
Back in 2001, before Yara made taking a gap year an official thing, I took a gap year to get some much needed growing up out of my system.
But whereas she is taking one, I helped myself to three.
I didn't spend them traveling through Western Europe to become more worldly and expose myself to different cultures. I didn't start penning a profound autobiography about how the mean streets of North Philly made a woman out of me. I did what many predictable 18 year olds would probably do: Worked a s**t job, chased after my boyfriend, and found myself forced to want more from my life after a while. And even though those three years weren't necessarily spent soul searching, I know that I would have never ended up with a degree without them.
First things first, let me be honest: I started feeling the hell out of myself in high school. I survived a very awkward time in puberty filled with wire-framed glasses (before Chris Brown and today's hipsters made looking like a nerd cool) and the gap between when my mother stopped doing my hair and finding a good salon.
Before high school, my life resembled all those #tbt pictures of Drake before he finally found a good black barber in Toronto. Being awkward and looking a mess in middle school left me a lot of time to get good at grades, but once I hit high school and got some hazel contact lenses and some micro braids I got a Kanye West type of conceit and you "couldn't tell me nothin'". Needless to say my head emerged from the books and didn't leave being in some boy's face for four years straight.
In 2001, come prom night, when my Algebra 2 teacher revealed to me before the main course that I was only graduating because she needed to get right with the Lord. For the past few months, I had been filling out college applications only because that's what everyone else was doing. The idea of college didn't phase me at all. Who gave a damn about a college dorm when I had been spending the night with my boyfriend in his for months? I never put much thought into a major because at the time the only thing I knew I was good at was writing. But what teenager wasn't writing angsty poetry? That didn't mean I was going to be the next Maya Angelou.
So, after spending the year visiting colleges and taking the SATs twice, I made what I now think was the smartest decision of my whole high school career: I decided to take a gap year. OK it wasn't as much of a decision as it was a default move because I made no effort to take the steps to actually attend college.
Luckily, my parents weren't the type who thought a degree made the difference between climbing the career ladder or holding a cardboard sign while straddling the lanes of a busy boulevard. But my mom wasn't down for her kids sitting in the house and just "figuring it out"; if we weren't going to school we had to work.
One thing no one tells you about gap years is that sometimes you'll feel like a complete loser.
While my friends visited home for the holidays and talked about Art History and iced coffee on the quad, all I had to contribute to the convo was that I finally got a key to the register at the ice cream shop I managed. Most of my days were spent memorizing banana split orders and being up under my boyfriend literally and figuratively. But the gap year is something you can't fully appreciate until you graduate college. Once I figured out that I could make a living out of writing and that a successful career wasn't just limited to writing novels or TV sitcoms, at 21 years old, I decided I go to college two hours away from home.
I had no car, but I did have enough insight to know that if I went to school in my hometown of Philadelphia I'd find myself in the same situation I was in high school: completely distracted from the books and in some boy's face. I knew it was best for me to be at moderately sized liberal arts in Amish country confined to campus where I could focus and get a good dose of culture shock, but close enough to home so I could retreat to my comfort zone of corner stores and public transportation if necessary.
So, do the statistics prove that gap years are harmful?
A NY Mag article revealed that Malia Obama just may have made the right move by taking some time off and waiting until she was free from the watchful eye of the secret service to start college. Although there hasn't been much research done on the subject, a recent study reveals you should really do what works best for you because in the end, it won't make a damn bit of difference. A paper published last year in the journal Developmental Psychology followed more than 2,500 students from Finland and Australia found no significant difference in growth or outlooks for the future and career prospects, nor in general life satisfaction for those who went straight through school and those who took a gap year or two:
“In the light of our research findings, a gap year between secondary education and further studies is not harmful, especially if the young person only takes one year off."“When these adolescents are compared with those who continue their studies directly after upper secondary school, those who take a gap year quickly catch up with the others in terms of study motivation and the effort they put into their studies."
There is some evidence however that gap years are particularly helpful for students like me who struggled through high school:
“Australian and Finnish students who did not take time off before university were more committed to their academic goals than their peers who had – but on the other hand, they were also more stressed than the students who'd taken time off."
If I got anything from my gap years, it gave me a head start on getting to know myself, which I noticed was something my peers struggled to do if they just followed their parents' wishes or applied to where all their friends were going.
Considering taking some time off in between degrees? These suggestions may help you decide if taking a gap year is worth the wait:
1. You have to know yourself.
I think many people underestimate what a difficult transition it can be to go from high school student to college student, when you're seventeen or eighteen. If you're not the best with self-discipline, or are coming from a home where you had rules or curfew, going away to college could be a shock to your system. During freshman orientation, the President of my undergrad gave a speech and advised us to look to the person on our left and our right because, chances are, they wouldn't be there at graduation. He was right. I saw so many students burn out before second semester, grades in the trash because all that freedom went to their heads and they didn't have enough discipline to choose studying over taking shots on sorority row.
It's not that I didn't party and spent all of my college days in the library, but by the time I got to school I had gotten most of that out of my system, and had the maturity to know that things have to be done in moderation. Better still, I didn't waste any of Sallie Mae's money spending semesters getting my ish together.
On the other hand, gap years aren't always the greatest option for everyone. When I was a high school senior, the best defense for going straight to college that many of my teachers and adult mentors had was: “If you don't go now, you never will."
For some people, that's true. I had friends that good jobs peddling cell phones making great money for a year or two only to realize that they didn't want to be working at a kiosk in a mall forever. Take a look at your track record. Are you a self-starter or do you have difficulty getting motivated? If so, the best option may be to go straight to school or stay on some kind of educational track regardless.
2. You have to put your career goals on a timeline.
For myself, I didn't see a particular expiration date on being a writer. In fact, a little more life experience actually helps when it comes to writing. But other careers like acting or becoming a doctor have set timelines, and unless you want to be in med school when you're 45, taking a gap year or two might actually harm your educational path more than help it.
3. Stay productive.
If you don't spend your gap years growing up and getting some life experience, it doesn't matter if you're seventeen or twenty-seven, committing yourself to a program of study is going to be a waste if you don't take some time to prepare for it. I still look at some of those gap years and think all I did was sling soft serve, but the truth is, I gained valuable skills like time management, learning how to work with all kinds of different people, staying focused under pressure, and developing a good work ethic: all things that prepared me to be a better student and professional.
If you're going to take a gap year or two, don't just waste it learning how to handle your liquor and perfecting your dab. Just because you're not sitting in a classroom doesn't mean there aren't other ways to educate yourself.
4. Consider the costs.
If you can make it through undergrad without selling your soul to Sallie Mae, I salute you. For others, financial aid doesn't seem like that big of a deal until you're drowning in student debt with no degree to show for it and a job that can barely cover the cost of the education you didn't finish. No matter what kind of degree you're going for, education is a serious commitment. Even if you choose to bail after a semester, that doesn't mean you won't find yourself with a student loan bill every month.
Be honest with yourself. Are there less expensive ways to meet your career/educational goals? Are you taking out loans just to party and be on your own and be able to say you're in school?
5. Unique opportunities are sometimes worth the wait.
A chance to be a wealthy family's nanny in Australia for a year is an opportunity that may not come often. And if the untimely deaths of Prince or David Bowie are any indication, you never know when an artist's world tour might be their last and you might want to take a year to be a stan and follow them across the globe. School is an experience that will more than likely always be there, but I'm all for making memories and taking advantage of opportunities that may not be.
- 10 Reasons You Should Take A Gap Year | HuffPost ›
- What I Wish Someone Told Me Before Taking a Gap Year ›
- Benefits of Taking a Gap Year | Educational Benefits | Academic ... ›
- Pros and Cons of Gap Year - Ask The Dean ›
- 7 Questions to Ask When Considering a Gap Year | College ... ›
- How Taking a Gap Year Can Shape Your Life - The New York Times ›
- Should You Take A Gap Year? ›
- Should Your Kid Take a Gap Year Before Going to College? | Time ›
- Benefits of a taking a 'gap year' - Business Insider ›
Writer, sexual health superhero, and #BlackGirlMagic and #BlackBoy curator regularly featured on @Madamenoire. Toya can usually be found in between her earbuds, listening to trap music and refreshing her browser for concert tickets. Tweet her @thetruetsharee.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Not too long ago, while in an interview, someone asked me for a top complaint that I hear husbands say (first) and then wives state (second) as it relates to what goes down (or doesn’t go down) in the bedroom.
Ladies first: when it comes to women, I think what comes up more than anything might surprise some: it’s boredom. A lot of wives want there to be more spontaneity instead of taking the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach from their partner. As for men? I mean, would anyone be shocked to hear that they wished their wife would initiate sex more often?
I’m telling you, over frequency, technique, and even dressing up more for bed (and yes, those things also come up quite a bit), hands down, what I hear that more men want is for their partner to show them that they are desired by taking the initial steps to make copulation happen…more often.
And so, since I’m all about doing whatever I can to reduce dissatisfaction and frustration in the bedroom department, let’s explore this very topic today — from a few angles. For starters, what it truly means to be a sexual initiator; two, why it’s so vitally important to be a sexual initiator, and three, why it could literally change the entire tone, energy, and outcome of your sex life with your partner — if you’d simply be open to initiating sex more often than you (probably already) do.
What It Means to Initiate Something. LITERALLY.
Giphy
I’m word-literal — there’s no secret about that. So, when it comes to the topic of initiating sex, let’s start with what the word means. To initiate is “to begin, set going, or originate” and “to introduce into the knowledge of some art or subject.” Some synonyms for initiate include begin, open, set up, trigger, admit, introduce, and invest. And when it comes to all of the meanings of these words, between men and women, when it comes to sex specifically, guess who does it more? Men. BY A LONG SHOT TOO: a whopping 60 percent.
When it comes to why a lot of women are so comfortable with men initiating intimacy, many think that, just like men should pursue them for a relationship, it is also “the man’s role” to pursue sex in the bedroom; they literally think that it makes them look desperate or needy for them to be the initiator — yes, even as a wife. What in the world?
Listen, when two people sign up to be each other’s exclusive sex partner until death parts them, it means they are both saying that they desire each other so much that they are willing to make that kind of commitment — and so, there should be no “I don’t want to appear this way or that” when it comes to sexual activity.
So, with all of that ridiculous overthinking out of the way, that should make you want to “set up” some sex plans, “admit” to some sexual fantasies that you may have, and “introduce” some new ideas to your partner; especially since that’s exactly what so many men wish that their lady would do, to begin with.
So, with all of this said, if you’re someone who is hung up on not initiating, first spend some time really processing what the word means. Because when two people are eager to begin sex and invest in each other sexually, that is the recipe for a truly satisfying experience…over and over and over again.
C’mon. Who Doesn’t Want to Feel Wanted?
GiphyI remember once reading an article that said our brain processes rejection the same way that it does physical pain, and y’all, I don’t know about you, but if something is physically hurting me, my natural inclination is to get away from it. Along these lines, when it comes to relationships since research has proven that rejection can lead to things like jealousy, shame, anxiety, loneliness, and guilt — yes, it makes all of the common sense in the world that you would want to do all that you can to make your partner feel wanted…both in and outside of the bedroom because, just like no one wants to deal with physical pain, no one wants to keep dealing with rejection and all of the fallout that comes with it…either.
Actually, when it comes to this particular point, I think that an article that I once read on Psychology Today’s site said it best: “Not only does being needed help define your role in a relationship, but being needed can also influence how satisfied you feel in a relationship.” And before some of you say that “sex is not a need” — the hell you say? I mean, the only purpose of your clitoris is to provide sexual stimulation, so that alone should make us all deem sex (and sexual fulfillment) as pretty damn important.
Plus, by definition, a need is something that is deemed as being essential while also being something that is extremely necessary, and anyone who thinks that a romantic relationship doesn’t need physical intimacy? That’s someone who really needs to remain single because one of the top things that makes a relationship more than a friendship is there is intimacy that’s involved.
Besides, who doesn’t want to feel wanted by their partner — and I do mean, in every way? And when you make the decision to be in an exclusive relationship with someone else, you are declaring that they are someone who pleases you to the point where you don’t need to look for anyone else to do it; and, if that is indeed what you are saying, it doesn’t make sense that you wouldn’t initiate sex with them sometimes (and I do mean more than on their birthday).
One, because you choose them to “fill that role.” Two, because they are the source of your fulfillment in that area. Three, because it’s completely unfair (not to mention totally hypocritical) to expect them to make you feel wanted when you’re not being intentional about making them feel the same way in return. Not to mention the fact that initiating also helps to safeguard your relationship on a lot of levels too.
Since sex is important and rejection is detrimental on so many levels, it’s crucial to make your partner feel sexually wanted and desired by you. One way to definitely do that is to initiate sex.
What Initiating Sex Does for You
GiphySo, what does initiating sex do for the initiator? Something that I tell a lot of my women clients is it helps them to create an atmosphere that puts them in the mood. What I mean by that is, if their husband is perfectly content having sex on the couch during commercials (I’m kind of exaggerating to make a point…kind of…LOL) while they would like some candles, mood music, and rose petals — they can control that if they are the one who initiates.
Another perk that comes with being the initiator is you have more “control” over how the sex goes. The kind of foreplay you want, how fast or slow things go, how intercourse begins — all of this, you have more of a say so in if you’re the one who is initiating intimacy. Why? Well, think about when your bae initiates — doesn’t it seem like you tend to follow his lead more when he’s the one who is first to get the ball rolling?
Oftentimes, when a couple comes to me about being sexually dissatisfied, and I recommend that the one who doesn’t initiate takes more initiative, the one on the receiving end likes the fact that their partner is “running the show” — and the initiator likes “being in charge” more than they thought that they would. As a result, both end up experiencing far more pleasure.
The initiator shows what they want more of while the receiver feels desired in the process. A win/win for everyone.
What Initiating Sex Does for Him
sexy black and white GIFGiphyA couple of weeks ago, while in a session with a client, he was joking about how much he has “too much of a good thing” when it comes to his wife’s libido. Although science says that the fact that men have a higher amount of testosterone in their system, and it is the reason why they typically have a higher sex drive, don’t sleep on a lot of women out there who want to get it in more than their husband does. His wife is one of them. Since she’s a client of mine too (oftentimes, we do our sessions separately), it’s interesting that he’s fine with having sex a couple of times a month while she would like to a couple of times a week.
So, is he denying her when she wants it more often? Nope. The reason why they’re not having more sex is that even though her drive is higher, she still waits for him to initiate. Why? Because she thinks that’s what “the man should do”; not only that but “being wooed” turns her on more.
As I’ve been working on helping them to find a middle ground (because if marriage ain’t about compromise, I don’t know what is), he says that he feels like because he plans a lot of the dates, he wishes that she would initiate more: “I don’t think a lot of women get how hard it is to be a Black man out here. Nothing feels better than knowing that if no one else is thrilled by your presence, your woman is. For us, initiating isn’t just about sex. It’s about feeling wanted as a whole. And when we feel like our woman adores us, there is no greater turn-on.”
I’m not sure what y’all heard, but what it sounds like to me is when we, as women, initiate sex, men feel holistically special and cherished. That makes sense, too, because if we were to put our feet in their shoes, we would probably say the same thing. That’s just one more reason to pull the “gender roles” out of this topic; men and women both want to feel like they are the best thing on the planet by their sex partners. And again, initiating helps us all to feel that way.
What Initiating Ultimately Does for Your Relationship As a Whole
Issa Rae Love GIF by Insecure on HBOGiphyPersonally, I can only imagine how much better sex would be for everyone (who is in a sexual relationship) if people simply initiated copulation whenever they wanted to have it. That way, everyone would feel desired — and what could possibly be wrong with that? Especially if both individuals factored in some of the definitions for initiated that I already shared. Just think about if you rushed home tonight because you read about something that you want to introduce to your man or there’s a fantasy that you have that you want to admit.
The mere conversations alone will help to bring the two of you closer together because, after all, deep intimacy is about minds, bodies, and spirits getting as close as possible…right? And so, yes, by initiating sex, it can bring more closeness and stability to the relationship as a whole.
And what if you initiate and your partner isn’t interested at the time? Or what if you’re shy about initiating due to having a fear of rejection? That’s a fair and legitimate concern. One day, I’ll need to pen an article on how couples should handle situations like that with grace (on both ends) while applying the golden rule of “doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.” For now, I’ll just say that if this is your greatest point of concern, share that with your partner as well.
After all, it’s pretty unrealistic to expect them to always want it when you do (although it’s been my experience and observation that men are almost always far easier to convince…LOL); just know that not wanting sex at the exact moment that you do doesn’t mean that they don’t want you altogether. Besides, oftentimes, a nap or a night of sleep can rectify that issue. Trust me.
____
Rihanna was actually once quoted as saying, “To me, sex is power. It’s empowering to do it because you want to do it.” I personally think that’s a great way to bring this to a close. Make your partner feel wonderful, empower yourself, and strengthen your relationship by initiating sex more often. I can’t think of one reason why it’s not a wise move. Can you?
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Featured image by Jacob Wackerhausen/Getty Images