I graduated college on May 23, 2019.
Upon graduation, I had been accepted to 4 law schools with scholarship offers.
I decided to take “gap year“.
Definition of gap year: a year in between high school and college OR college and grad school when one travels, works, etc.
One year ago, if you would have told me I would be taking a gap year, I probably wouldn’t have believed you.
My idea was to whiz through college and finish law school as quickly as possible.
I kept telling myself that the quicker I got my degrees, the quicker “life” would start.
Seriously.
I believed that.
Now that I have finished college, I have realized that wishing time away is the LAST thing you want to do.
As I reflect on the 21 years I’ve had on this Earth, it feels like a blur.
Having had a well-rounded childhood and adolescence, running around from Girl Scout Meetings to soccer and volleyball practice to Model United Nations conferences, time has quite literally flown by.
As soon as I started college, my aforementioned involvements shifted to balancing my jobs as a childcare assistant, multi-subject tutor, and restaurant worker as well as staying active within the University Honors Program, Law Society, Model United Nations, and my internship.
While I am grateful for each experience I have had, I recognize that my packed schedule has seldom left me with time to focus solely on myself.
After a very painful, and teary-eyed decision to delay my enrollment to law school, I have been slowly, but surely, coming to peace with this “blank slate” year that lies ahead of me.
Things I have neglected meanwhile maintaining a packed schedule are now moving their way up my priority list.
I plan on:
- Spending quality time with my family and boyfriend
- Continuing to work and save $$$
- Incorporating new morning/night routines
- Organizing my spaces and belongings
- Being more mindful and present
- Being more physically active
- Being more social
In addition to that, I am aiming to reapply to law schools to enroll in Fall 2020.
I would also love to squeeze in an international trip for next Summer 2020!
Above all, I view this gap year as an incredibly unexpected–but much needed–opportunity to take better care of myself and design the life I want to live.
