Why Time Out

More and more young people today are taking "time out" to enrich their personal development and to become involved in communities beyond the immediate circles of their families and friends.

Taking "time out" often provides unexpected opportunities to realize inherent talents and to acquire new skills; carefully chosen, in depth experiences nurture autonomy, responsibility, self-discipline and self-esteem.

Notable voices from within the educational establishment have spoken enthusiastically about the benefits of taking "time out" before, or during, college. A good recent example is "Time Out or Burn Out for the Next Generation",by the Dean and Directors of Admissions at Harvard College.

These writers assert that students return from their "time out":
• more motivated and focused
• more interesting and sophisticated
• more mature and responsible
• with a greater understanding of their place in the world
• with a greater appreciation for the opportunity of continuing with higher education.

The decision to take "time out" is a bold one. It can also be a life-changing one as these famous lines by Robert Frost suggest:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I..
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference