&lt;&lt;Then there are just a few others on the thread that really don't count in this world.&gt;&gt; <BR> <BR>So, just grin, and ignore them.

I'm in college (sophomore year) and I can already tell your view is backwards. For one thing, sometimes when you get all that exposure from traveling,adn you're used to not studying, its hard to go back to college. Go to college right now while you're in learning mode. Its only for 2-4yrs, depending on if you're at a community college or University. And think of this, in the mean time, you can travel during your month long winter breaks, or your 4-month long summer breaks. Furthermore, you can study-abroad as much as you like, in any country of your choice. I'm studying abroad in England for a year starting in the Spring 2001. While you're studying abroad, you could always go to other countries. I'm sure while I'm in england, I'll be able to viist Spain, and Paris as well. Dont put off college. Get your education. YOu have plenty of travel time while in college - so why dont you "kill two birds with one stone". <BR>This is just one suggestion, from someone who's been through the same mental anquish. You're not alone - but dont throw away a good education. Its more important. And, an education will help you to appreciate more of what you see while you're traveling. YOu'll understand the who/whys/and hows.

Boy, I really hate to post in threads that have over 10 responses, but just wanted to respond to Megan. Don't think that "you're in learning mode" when you are 18. I returned to school in my early 30's. I was much better prepared (and motivated) to be sucessful in college at that age. I did not have the distractions of a heavy social life, I knew the value of preparation, and more importantly, I had seen, in the real world, how important a good education can be. I was extremely successful my "second time around" and went on to a graduate degree. As many above posters have said, there is no greater waste than spending the time and money of a 4 year degree and not really learning, but just doing what's needed to be done to get the degree. Go to college only when you are ready and want to learn. Bottom line, you can go to college any time, however, you are only young once!

Larry, please feel free to post on long threads. You make good points, and you'll only be in the top 10 on interesting threads if you park yourself on the forum. <BR> <BR>I don't entirely agree however. By the time most people are 30, their lives are well underway and they are quite occupied with things other than college. Like kids and a mortgage. And for women, the biological clock is ticking (sorry, but we all know it is true). All of that makes it much harder to go to college, I think, and it makes it doubly hard to develop an impressive record while there. So the best thing, IMHO, is for a young person to get their head together and go to college right out of school and do well there. Second best is taking a year or two off to see how much the job market sucks without an education. Third best is re-tooling and getting a degree at 30. Kudos to you, though, for getting it done.

I agree with Larry. I went to grad school in my mid20's and one of my roommates was a woman in her mid30's who was finishing her undergraduate degree. She was far more motivated than I was. Re the job/mortgage/clock issue - in my experience, the busier I am the more efficient I am. I get more done during each hour of out-of-the-home work now that I am part-time (post baby) than when I was full-time. I'd wager the same would be true if I went back to school now.

The difference between finishing college at 22 and finishing at 23 or 24 or 25 isn't that big a deal in terms of getting the rest of your life underway. But it can mean a BIG difference in how focused, motivated, and efficient you are in class. It's true, you have to re-learn how to study after some time out of "learning mode," but I guarantee you that after a few weeks (or at most a semester), you will not only be back in the groove, you will be much better at it. <BR> <BR>And from the other side of the desk, most professors will tell you that their best students are often the older ones, the ones who have been out in the world and know what they want. They have learned, also, not to waste their own time and learned what is not worth worrying or whining about.

Yes, but how many tables will Melissa wait or how many irritable customers will she "serve" behind a counter before she realizes there's a better life out there? In my experience, the people who did not attend college as youngsters did not have the ability to do so. <BR> <BR>Melissa has parents who WANT to send her to college and obviously do NOT want to see her wind up with a low-life, uneducated boyfriend/spouse/father-of-her-children. <BR>Take advantage of it girlfriend, a lot of people don't have parents like that.

Look, we all know that older students are more focused, etc., but for those of us lucky enough to attend college straight out of high school, it's an opportunity to spend 4 years meeting new people, learning new things, and ABOVE ALL, growing up! Don't tell me you can do all of those things traveling at 18. At best, you might meet someone that you'll talk to for one night in a bar. You don't build relationships. And at 18, how much are you really going to learn while traveling, when compared with college? <BR> <BR>My advice is, go to college for a year. If you discover it's really not what you want to do right now, take some time off. But it's really something that has to be experienced.