Can I freeze my studies and continue in another university abroad?
You mean 'transfer'? It's possible in theory, and very difficult in practice. First, you need to find a university that has a course you want to do AND you can get into. Secondly, you need a lot of goodwill from both universities so that they will collaborate to make this happen. Next, you need to accept that most probably you will lose some of your studies, because it's unlikely you'll find a course that matches exactly what you've done so far, and is structured in exactly the same way so there's no overlap or gaps between what your old course and the new. And even then the transfer would cause quite a lot of disruption, extra cost and hassle, etc. I personally wouldn't want to do it, far better and easier to finish your degree and then go to Europe for your postgraduate studies, but you do as you feel you must.
How do I take a break at university (like a week or just 4 days) without falling behind, because I’m currently really demotivated to study?
Tell your professors you need to go out of town. Ask if they will give you any assignments due during that time.Or, take your chances and go on your self-imposed break without any assignments. Inform your professors the time you will be gone.
Should I take a year break from university to better myself?
I was in the same exact predicament as you, same age and a junior in college, when I was pondering the same thought. I also had a very negative way of thinking and social anxiety. So, I chose to take the year off. Taking this year off has really helped me to find myself and learn what the real world is like. When I do go back ,I will know exactly what I want and what I have to do to get there. I think you should take the year off and do some self exploration as I did. Far as the student loans and what not, I have told myself that those things will work themselves out in the future, that taking time off was something I had to do. Now that my year off is approaching the end, I look forward to being back in the university. I hope this has helped you some. Best of luck with everything.
How do I come back to studying mode after a long break?
A distraction from study could be for an hour or a day or a month. The longer the period of distraction the more difficult it is to get back. It will not be easy to jump right back in the book and keep chucking the pages. The problem with getting back is (a) we would have filled up the time we used to spend for study, with some other activity (b) may not feel the same level of enthusiasm to go back (c) perception of the study goal now looks enormous.First lets tackle the enthusiasm part. That is the fuel for any effort. Just take a paper and write down how it would be after achieving the goal. Let your imagination wander on the paper. It may even reveal new ideas and relive the initial enthusiasm. Go back and read your favorite blog or page you might have liked while studying earlier. Just relive the initial stages you had emotionally before you had the distraction. This is very important to get the motivation back on.Next is the time. Now there are so many time management techniques. The one I like the most is time boxing. Fix the time (reduce distractions, keep necessary comfort) and set a small scope. After the specific time limit ends drop it. Control the urge to reach the same level you had achieved before the distraction within the short period. If it took 6 months to reach certain level before you took a break for a month, its going to take atleast 3 months to get back to the same level, so dont rush.Finally, the goal. You would have by now lost sight of the actual goal. There is a bit familiarity to the subject that you would have picked up before the break. So it will distort the real effort needed to achieve the goal. The goal seem to be closer to achieve in actual we would have forgotten a lot of the stuff we had studied before. First we have to get over this by reaching the level we had achieved before the break. So no point in targetting the actual goal. Rather set a new goal, if you are studying for a certification, just have test by yourself that covers the certification partially. This will reveal how much you actually know. Study for this small test. Do more such self-tests.Keep these process iterative for a couple of weeks. No sooner, you will be back to the same level before you had the distraction or even surpass it. All the best.
Are breaks necessary for studying?
Yes it’s good study for 2 hours take 30 minute break and in that break time I try not to think about studies I either text my girlfriend or play fifa because without break one will exhaust themselves. Also remember the world isn’t only about studying it’s about exploring, if you one day come to university join clubs, do some volunteer work don’t be that guy who studies 6–7 hours a day also enjoy it.All the best
I'm studying software engineering at the University of Waterloo. I feel like if I dropped out and studied things online or took a break of one semester, I would learn so much. Is this a bad idea? Also, the program here is very structured so it's difficult to take an year off. What should I do?
You should come and talk to me. It's my job to answer such questions.If you think it would be beneficial, yes, we would support you in taking a year off (a "gap year," if you will). You would simply rejoin the class that's one year behind your current class. So if you're in the class of 2017 and take a year off, you'd rejoin the class of 2018 where you left off. People do this. It's fine. Just make sure you do interesting things in your time off.Note that it has to be a year. It's hard to do shorter times because, as you say, SE at Waterloo is very structured.You could drop out and totally learn things on your own. This works for some people. Usually it is hard to pull off, especially when you don't have a US passport, if you are thinking of working in the US afterwards.Again, come talk to me.
What are good physical activities to do while taking a break from studying?
Running:Ever tried running along the beach - not along the footpath but rather along the sand, close to the waters edge? It is not easy and can easily tire you out more so than running itself along a hard surface.Walking:Brisk walking is good but try hiking and hiking uphill. Not so much in the winter months but in the summer months, go hiking up where the snow falls are or in rural country areas. There are steep falls & uphills which can tire someone out in a short amount of time.
Foundation degree, gap year then university?
I took a gap year before going to university to take a break from studying, to work and to travel. I also wondered about a possible age difference, but on my course at university there was a huge range of ages. Some people had come straight from A-levels, some had taken a gap year, some started other degree courses then changed their minds and started from scratch, putting them 2-3 years behind, and then some people were coming back to study after having a family or a career change. Although the bulk of people were aged 20 - 25, there were also people in their 30's and 40's. I would really recommend a gap year to give yourself a break so you can go back to studying with some energy. Also, you are unlikely to ever be in this positionwith an option to take a year out once you start working, so I'd take it while you can.
Will German universities admit me with a two-year gap in my study history?
Universities dont care about your study gap. In germany its pretty common that young people take a break after their bachelor and comes back master studies taking work, travel or any other personal issues. Nobody cares.But its better to show something productive in that gap. For visa mostly.