[Kims Robot]

Every situation is a little different, and to me, the fact that you are considering taking a break as a choice, means you probably should (IMO).

When I was graduating, it was nearly zero question in my mind that I would continue FIRST. I looked at several schools but of the ones that came out on top of my choices, only one, my #1 choice, didnt have a FIRST option... nor did I get in though (114/1800 applicants accepted at the time). Anyways, my goal in graduating high school was to try and inspire just one student the way I had been inspired... and for me, at the time, that meant joining an existing team (WPI, Daniel Webster, RPI, etc) or starting a new one. I chose the hard road because Clarkson seemed like the right fit for me, and it was exciting to have the chance to make a team what I thought it should be like.

It was rough, my first semester I laid the foundation but also joined the Varsity Ski team and Honors program, between practice, homework and FIRST I had maybe one night a week worth of free time, I did get a 3.25 that semester. The next semester FIRST and skiing kicked in full gear and I pulled a 3.0, started to drop below the GPA for the honors program... Sophomore year got harder, classes hit, life stuff hit, plus I still had everything else... that first semester I got a 2.8, I was now below the honors program level & on "probation". Second semester hit and I buckled down hard, but kept involved in everything else and somehow squeeked out a 3.0... I spent the rest of my college career crawling back up to a 3.3. While I suggest not just studying & partying, get involved in something else - it helps with jobs, your first year may not be the year to kick in unless you are confident on your time management.

I absolutely loved starting the Clarkson team, and really wouldnt have changed my decision for the world, but I know that it was hard, and I know that had managed my time even slightly less effectively, I wouldnt have pulled out of it. So my advice would be if you don't know in your heart that you HAVE to be on a FIRST team, or you doubt your time management skills, take a break, get to know yourself, have fun your first year of college, then decide if you want to go back, or wait until you are an engineer.

There are several levels of it as well. We do have 3 students back as college mentors this year, two graduated last year, the other mentored last year. All are doing well with classes, but all three pretty much only come during build season, and when they have a few spare moments. None are in critical positions (dont lead subteams), they just help out where needed. This is a good way to get your FIRST fix, but also be able to get your work done as well. Remember Grades HAVE to come first... I see far too many kids think they can bomb their first year and dont realize how horribly that affects your GPA. My company wont even look at students without a 3.0 coming out of college, so the competition is stiff!

Good luck!!