What a wonderful description of the rewards of college. Brava for sharing that, Heartbroken.

I have some other comments. Once upon a time -- a very, very long time ago -- college was not driven by a business model: train people to get jobs.

College was about so much that Heartbroken describes -- making friends, negotiating the responsibilities of adulthood, and turning out educated citizens to debate the social, political, and philosophical issues of the day. The goal was to turn out good citizens who could pilot democracy, run religious and social institutions. It was not even necessary for people in (gasp) business to have a college education.

There is also merit in taking off a few years to explore the world and find out what you want to do. I had a career as newspaper journalist for 22 years between my first 2 years of college and completing the last 2 years of my BA. Probably harder today to forge an interesting career without a sheepskin, but still possible.

Of the "returning students" I met in undergrad and grad school, those who had tasted the work world and returned appreciated their education -- and had more direction.

Lastly, some students take time off to backpack and see the world, work on ships, wait tables at Caribbean resorts, tend bar at Alpine ski lodges, and in general have a high old time. It depends on your tolerance for poverty, of course.

Taking time out from your college education always entails the risk that you won't return and will be stuck in a low-paying job. But I think that the model of the student who attends college for 4 years after K-12 is falling by the wayside. Many universities, such as the one at which I taught, cater to commuter and non-traditional students.

Kayleigh, I think that being young was one of the loneliest times of my life. There was a quality to my loneliness then that is just somehow different to what it is now. It was like a pain that was eating me up.

Whether you decide to find joy in the college experience or to try something else for a while, I am sure that you will make a good decision.