adimauro
Dec 31, 2008
Undergraduate / georgia tech essay [taking a year off school before attending college] [3]
If you were to delay going to college by one year, what would you do with that time? And, what would you hope to gain from that experience?
I am very much in favor of the "gap year" for students who want to take a break from school. As like a lot of my cousins, friends, and neighbors, we have all been working religiously since third grade to get into the best schools possible. However, I want to continue from high school directly to college. My plan is to balance studying with relaxation.
In the event, I was required to take a year off, I would like to experience what my family, especially my father, refers to as "la vita semplice "or the simple life. My understanding of this phrase is a way of life where relationships are simple and honest, work is straightforward and doable, food is uncomplicated but tasty, and life doesn't present things too difficult to deal with.
My father and his family left a very small town in Sicily, Italy in the late 1950's. Dad was only 8 years old. His family settled in the Bronx, he learned English, went to college, got married (to a non-Italian), started a family, and has achieved success by many people's standards.
Primarily, my mother and father have given their guidance to me with unspoken but definite recommendations about the next thing I should be doing. Through my family's efforts, I have been given a terrific life, gone to excellent schools, worked hard, and haven't wanted for much. However, pretty much of my life is scheduled.
I have always listened to my dad, grandfather, and aunts talk about the old town. There always has been a kind of reverential tone taken when talking about how things used to be. What I have learned is that in my father's birthplace, Sortino, people knew and trusted everyone. Residents of the town worked during the day, mostly doing tasks that did not require a college degree but a sense of pride. At night, week-ends or on holidays, people visited with one another, ate meals together, and spent time doing nothing. This is a big contrast to how I live now. While not unhappy, I don't know what it would be like to have no goals looming before me.
It could be fun to work for a year as a waiter in a small trattoria or as a farm hand on an olive grove or in a vineyard. I believe that this type of life has a lot of benefits. A person could be exhausted from work, but not nervous about his job. Or, a small income could mean less purchases but more appreciation of what existed. I suppose that mostly what you have in life are your family and a few good friends. The type of life in a small town seems to foster the appreciation of the basics.
My family has traveled a few times to Sortino, and I see a very slight tug in my father's face. He is happy with the way life has unfolded for him and his children. However, I sense that he would like to return to this life before America every now and then.
The town seems very modern in some ways. Internet access, flat screen TV's, and travel is not unheard from the people living in Sortino. However, I noticed that everyone put a premium on paying attention to people. Things are not done by rote. Each encounter seems important to the person you are talking to.
Even if I do not have a year of living simply, I do try to keep in touch with my family's small town values. I hope I can be a lawyer who doesn't multi-task constantly or an economist who remembers to ask and wait for an answer about how a client's children are doing.
If you were to delay going to college by one year, what would you do with that time? And, what would you hope to gain from that experience?
I am very much in favor of the "gap year" for students who want to take a break from school. As like a lot of my cousins, friends, and neighbors, we have all been working religiously since third grade to get into the best schools possible. However, I want to continue from high school directly to college. My plan is to balance studying with relaxation.
In the event, I was required to take a year off, I would like to experience what my family, especially my father, refers to as "la vita semplice "or the simple life. My understanding of this phrase is a way of life where relationships are simple and honest, work is straightforward and doable, food is uncomplicated but tasty, and life doesn't present things too difficult to deal with.
My father and his family left a very small town in Sicily, Italy in the late 1950's. Dad was only 8 years old. His family settled in the Bronx, he learned English, went to college, got married (to a non-Italian), started a family, and has achieved success by many people's standards.
Primarily, my mother and father have given their guidance to me with unspoken but definite recommendations about the next thing I should be doing. Through my family's efforts, I have been given a terrific life, gone to excellent schools, worked hard, and haven't wanted for much. However, pretty much of my life is scheduled.
I have always listened to my dad, grandfather, and aunts talk about the old town. There always has been a kind of reverential tone taken when talking about how things used to be. What I have learned is that in my father's birthplace, Sortino, people knew and trusted everyone. Residents of the town worked during the day, mostly doing tasks that did not require a college degree but a sense of pride. At night, week-ends or on holidays, people visited with one another, ate meals together, and spent time doing nothing. This is a big contrast to how I live now. While not unhappy, I don't know what it would be like to have no goals looming before me.
It could be fun to work for a year as a waiter in a small trattoria or as a farm hand on an olive grove or in a vineyard. I believe that this type of life has a lot of benefits. A person could be exhausted from work, but not nervous about his job. Or, a small income could mean less purchases but more appreciation of what existed. I suppose that mostly what you have in life are your family and a few good friends. The type of life in a small town seems to foster the appreciation of the basics.
My family has traveled a few times to Sortino, and I see a very slight tug in my father's face. He is happy with the way life has unfolded for him and his children. However, I sense that he would like to return to this life before America every now and then.
The town seems very modern in some ways. Internet access, flat screen TV's, and travel is not unheard from the people living in Sortino. However, I noticed that everyone put a premium on paying attention to people. Things are not done by rote. Each encounter seems important to the person you are talking to.
Even if I do not have a year of living simply, I do try to keep in touch with my family's small town values. I hope I can be a lawyer who doesn't multi-task constantly or an economist who remembers to ask and wait for an answer about how a client's children are doing.