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Time Off Before College

Date: Mar 14 2008

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Finishing high school is a crossroads of sorts. You can go straight into your career, or you can keep going to school.

But just because you picked one plan doesn’t mean you can’t change your mind. People leave school to go work all the time. And after working for a few years, a lot of people go back to school.

Neither Marni nor Devan finished college right after school and Devan’s a little nervous about it. But since Marni is a few years older, she can give Devan advice about it.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Devan

Marni

Devan: So I just started college after taking three years off after high school.

Marni: Oh yeah?

Devan: I’m feeling completely out of practice. I’m a little overwhelmed because all of the other kids that are my age are already seniors and they’re graduating this year, and I’m just a freshman and I feel kind of at a disadvantage.

Marni: Really? Well, I don’t know. I kind of did the same thing. I started college right after high school and I did a year and it was just too much, and I took some time off and went back. I actually felt like I appreciated my education more because I was ready for it and, you know…

Devan: That’s interesting. That’s a good point. I think that’s why I didn’t go after high school is because I wasn’t ready. I needed a break.

Marni: Exactly.

Devan: Did it take you a while to remember how to format papers and stuff like that?

Marni: Yeah, and I was an English major so I had to do a lot of that. But you catch on quickly and you just kind of power through and…Are you taking a lot of credits? Because if you overload yourself, you know, right away, it can be overwhelming.

Devan: I’m trying to take it slow and ease back into it. But I’m excited. Hopefully my outside experience will help me.

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Discussion

After three years of not going to school, Devan just started college. She says it’s a little strange since the other students her age are about to graduate and she’s just starting out.

Marni went to college for one year, but then left to work for a while. When she came back, she didn’t feel weird about it like Devan. She was glad to back and felt like she could finally appreciate her education. She admits that it took her a little while to remember how to write papers properly, but she also says it wasn’t too hard to get back into it.

Which do you think is best? To go to college as soon as possible and be the same age as the other people there, or to work for a little while and then go back to school?

Comments

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Ono

Hungary

It would be better to finish the school as soon as it is possible.
We have to work a lot, we might feel a bit fulfilled, but fter working hard, the rest is sweeter. :)

Ono

Hungary

relativity exists…:)

水寒

China

I want to make friends with you.My QQ is 422203889.I hope you can talk with me .

xiaoxiao1219

China

Yeah, it's depend on people themselves. Some people will find it's hard to handle with their subjects after the rest but some people will find they have known the right subjects they want to study in college after the rest.

195854255

United States

Well, I n my eyes, It depends. We can't say it is good t take some time off after college or to keep on studying. Different people have different ideas about this. And different countries have different conditions.

Someone who really love studying at school can learn for lifelong." It is never too late to learn". The difference is where and what do you learn. You can leaarn from you work, learn from your school text books, or learn from someone else. There are so much to learn and so much to explore.

scarlett.mei

China

it is my point,When you have the work experience,You can discover the insufficiency,You can be clear about ability which needs to enhance,you will go back school for some time ,Supplemented you lack knowledge.

The genuine university is the society,everyone in it is a student for ever.life will teach us how to ···

roosevelt 18

Ecuador

I really think everyone has to have a little space in our time, so It is normal

Jill-baobao

China

going to school afer work maybe helpful.the experience will teach he or her how nice to go back to school and how improtant knowledge is.

a354614073

China

great!!!!!agrea d you!!

Amona,liao

China

what's pity…now ,it's hard to find a good college in my city.i need to be back to school.

Pooh8x

Viet Nam

i think if u don't have difficult about money,go to the college after school is the best.

the knowledge is limitted,so don't suppose that u study enough.In my country,there are lots of people who dream of college.,even many people pass the entrance university exam,but they can't continue to study because of money

therefore, make a good thought before deciding

Amona,liao

China

i abet to go to college directly in china,beacause there are less opportunity to go to college after work for a time.and it's hard to find a better college when you went back.

dennis1987

China

i agree successjerry’opinion. People go to work or keep studying after graduating, what depend on many factors.

yueyuezhu

China

i am at college now, and sometimes like her, i am at a loss, as all my friends enjoy their wonderful lives, while i , keep acting like a freashman, and stand by, hopeless, that's of course not a good sybtom. i am trying to struggle and get rid of my restless in my college time and learn to see thing in an optimistic way, after all, we can never have another college life again in all my life, somedays, we will miss it, the colour, the gesture, the food, the shooping,v the smiles, the clothes, the jokes, all are precious.

asbel

El Salvador

i just wanna say this i have the stronger convition that they have been changing our personal bias about this and many other stuff like that, but is it school or college what really matter or is money chief purpose in life?

papascharly

Mexico

I´m still remember my time at school, those times were great but nowadays is better we have to have aims.

sousoupe

France

this lesson is really good

john668

Saudi Arabia

In my opinion it is not good idea becuase you will see it is very good and mybe you will not complet to go to college, this is one point . In another point , I think you stady hard in high school and remember what do you stady and how do you stady mybe after time off you forget it that is in my view.