Gap Year FIRST Students

[wajirock]

I am also a 2016 FIRST graduate, and I am considering waiting at least a few years before I start mentoring a Robotics Team. I am aiming for medical school, so I might not want to not take the risk of my grades and test scores slip due to mentoring. On the flip side, mentoring a Robotics Team might give me the edge I need on my résumé to edge out the other applicants. I am also majoring in biology, and I am not sure how useful that would be in regards to being a mentor. Anyone want to give their thoughts?

[araniaraniratul]

Originally Posted by wajirock

I am also a 2016 FIRST graduate, and I am considering waiting at least a few years before I start mentoring a Robotics Team. I am aiming for medical school, so I might not want to not take the risk of my grades and test scores slip due to mentoring. On the flip side, mentoring a Robotics Team might give me the edge I need on my résumé to edge out the other applicants. I am also majoring in biology, and I am not sure how useful that would be in regards to being a mentor. Anyone want to give their thoughts?

My problem with this is you're looking at mentoring for all the wrong reasons. You should want to mentor because it's extremely fulfilling and you find it $@#$@#$@#$@# near impossible to leave the community. I took a semi-year off from FIRST before stepping back into it, and I'm glad I did. It really helped me appreciate the program more. Mentoring will absolutely tank your grades at any competitively tough school with no inflation (i.e UC Berkeley) but I've been pretty blessed enough to have so many learning opportunities outside of academics that I'm pretty set in the employment department.

[K-Dawg157]

I'm a junior mentor on my high school robotics team. If your team doesn't have that title, I suggest getting it, as it has really helped me. On our team former students are junior mentors until everyone they went to high school with has graduated. It lets me still be friends with the students and yet technically be a mentor. I really like it!

Also, about the gap year. I rushed into college and went far away from home and hated it. So I came back and took a gap semester. If you're not sure you're ready for college, don't go. It'll just be a waste of money. Figure yourself out, figure out what you really want to do, then go. That's my two-cents.

[MeGuttieri]

I thought I was going to take a gap year, but then I met the kids on 971. They are some of the hardest working students I've met, and it made it impossible to leave. So I recommend just being open to anything, and seeing how you can make a good contribution to their lives.