A semester (or quarter) abroad is another possibility. I think she would ideally split the year into two halves, do something different in each half.

I'm planning for her to spend five years in college anyway. Why rush it? It is such a fun time in life, and - in my experience anyway - once college is over, it is just work work work until you die. Well, that might be a little melodramatic.

I took long breaks but eventually did get a degree and enter graduate school. You can incentivize returning to college. Also, if she has a class list (even if she changes her mind) and housing lined up (even if she changes her mind), it'll be easier to return. It's too easy to slip away if you're floundering. Or foundering. Whichever applies. :) People in the food industry rarely have enough theoretical business background, so perhaps you can persuade her to start a business minor now so that she'll have something concrete to come back to.

Her plans sound cool! Definitely worth doing, so long as she becomes a demonstrably educated person sooner than later. :)

Another possibility: She'll get sucked into the food industry where she will find her bliss and see that 1. she needs to complete college to be most successful in that field, or 2. She will join a host of people who find their bliss in food industry before they complete college and when/if she needs to return to college to further her career, either in food service or related, or to become a writer.

Any suggestions for a culinary school/program? In France?

So much depends on what type of learning she wants to do - I think it's split very much into 2 camps. There's the serious, career-type learning which isn't going to happen for a 6- month or year's study. Then there's the Cordon Bleu-style school of cookery in Paris or elsewhere. I have no idea how much you would have to fork out but it won't be cheap.

http://www.cordonbleu.edu/home/en

There's a world of difference between the 2. Does she have enough experience to work in a restaurant as an apprentice? There are so many wonderful, small restaurants that I know have trouble finding reliable people who really want to work hard and learn and do a season. I know people I can ask if she's serious.

My kids have to plan on finishing in 4 years to keep their scholarship money - it goes with them if they travel abroad a semester, but they have to remain full time students every semester or they would lose the scholarship - just wanted to put that out there in case your daughter is getting scholarship money so she could follow up.

My high school councilor gave my name to a local research organization who was looking for a student assistant for a year. Of course, the experience was in my expected field and I went to college the next year as expected, so its not quite like having some college and dropping out.

However, my BIL does fit the profile. Of course, he had fortunate circumstances. His father taught at Stanford and he therefore had a scholarship for the appropriate number of semesters. He took a couple years of German language and then dropped out to be a Porsche mechanic for a few years. He went back to school, finishing in engineering; and after being flown all over for potential auto industry positions, instead got a position as an editor with Byte Magazine because he had been learning some of his engineering etc. on his newly purchased IBM PC that was just out. One can actually see how those steps follow one another, but just to change things up, he went back to Stanford and got a law degree. He just had an opportunity to successfully argue a case before his state's supreme court.

Its not quite Steve Jobs, but wide ranging experience can be useful on occasion.

Has she considered becoming a registered dietician? Four year degree, one year internship. Course work also covers business end of the food industry. Your description of her camp duties sounds much like those of a registered dietician. She wouldn't be limited to restaurants/camps--hospitals, rehab, health clubs, country clubs, etc.--and would earn an excellent salary and benefits, while doing what she appears to love.

Cooking is fun as a hobby, but as a profession it has many professional aspects which may be in conflict with other life style issues, such as possible low pay, long working hours and male dominated industry.

Seems like your daughter is diverse in many directions in her interests, it may be interesting for her to go through something like "Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory" test to see if she has all it takes to spend all her young energies to dedicate her full passions in one specific focus.

BTW, have her check out Cooper Union School of Art (NYC), if she is going into art.

dcarch

She might be the next Ruth Reichel. Hey, you never know. I think people like that don't travel typical routes to their destination anyhow. You've raised her well, and she's accomplishing more at her current age, and that she chose, than most people do in a lifetime!!! So don't you worry however she gets there. She's gonna go really far.

Gotta agree totally with rob33 here. Your daughter-san sounds like a smart and determined young woman. IMHO she doesn't yet have to decide on her future career...let her explore the many options and she'll find what she's meant to do. As I told my own children, there are no wrong paths in life, just different ones. And that's worked out beautifully for them.

Trust in the obviously great upbringing she's had (having) and the loving family support, and let her go for it!

She should get a four year degree, preferably in something that can be used to earn a decent living and then if she want to work long hours for low pay in a male dominated industry, she has something to fall back on without going back to school. School doesn't get any cheaper and ever passing year makes it harder to go back because of conflicts with "life."

Food service might be the exception but the value of bachelor's degree has been so diluted she may need one just to wash dishes and peel potatoes. <lol>

I agree with Rob. She sounds like a well grounded young woman who is serious about making the right choices for her. It's hard for them to know what they want to be when they "grow" up...I still haven't figured it out!

I counseled my daughter to get her undergrad (BA) in 4 years and then "play" for a year before going back to University to get a practical...ie employable .. post grad degree. It was in that year off that she really figured out what she wanted to do . She had the degree, the maturity and was much more focused on her goals. Worked for her.

However , if she does want to do a Gap year after first year then a school like Cordon Bleu would be a wonderful experience. Yes there is a risk....but likely a small one, that she will get sucked into the food industry....but if she does , and it is her passion, then that's not a bad thing.

Lots of good advice here. I'll talk with her about what she wants. I think she might have enough experience to apprentice. That's an interesting idea.

Apprentice for work experience and kitchen exposure. Frou frou cooking school for cultural experience, night life and joie de vivre. Apprentice = food education. Cooking school = fun education. I think you're more likely to get her back in college from cooking school, unless she really hates working for a living (it would likely be the hours she's putting in now, without any of the creativity and authority).

I just happened to see an article. While I can't vouch for the reliability, thought I'd link it perhaps for your research:

http://www.thekitchn.com/3-charts-that-answer-the-question-should-i-go-to-culinary-school-222092

I also didn't know if you were familiar with the website College Confidential that have forums/posters posting about everything from specific schools, racism on campus, gap years, finances, etc. Many search results regarding gap years. Some search results gap year culinary school.

Good luck.

Cathy in SWPA

Youngest daughter decided to take one year off to decide her career path after her sohomore year. We told her that we'd pay her medical and car insurance for a year but would not finance a year long vacation. She headed to Florida, where friends welcomed an extra roommate to share rent on a beach house and she got a job bartending in a club in an upscale retirement community. After about six months, she called and said she'd found a great way to see the world and get the rest of her college education for free. She'd enlisted in the Army as a Combat Medic!!!

Well, she was stationed in Germany and got to spent her free time on sightseeing trips all over Europe. She also had two tours of duty at a remote air support camp in Afghanistan. After four years, she married a fellow soldier and both transferred to Colorado, where she did complete a degree in Business Management and Administration and returns to school next month to complete her Master Physician's Assistant. As promised, the G.I. bill paid for her tuition and living expenses.

The military experience was originally a shock to us but she came out knowing exactly what she wanted to do and achieving those goals. A bonus is being a leader in her community in many ways.

So, there are other risks with daughters taking a gap year but in our case it turned out fine.

I don't know about the MMPI - I took that test several times and it does work on me. The first result was that I was too psychotic to be able to walk around - that was when I was 18. From a later test, a psychologist told me that I had an extremely high "F" score, which means that I answer questions differently from most people, meaning that I am hopelessly eccentric. She also said that I was hypervigilant, after I explained to her why I answered the questions the way I did. Anyway, a better test is the Briggs-Myers personality test, which will help identify which career she will like best. It is a preference test, and so it cannot give psychotic results like the MMPI, which I think is a very poorly written test. I do recommend the Briggs-Myers test - it seems to work for most cases.

While you are at it, you could also consult an astrologer to see if the timing is right for this type of adventure. I used astrology to determine when I should go back to university to get my second degree, and it worked very well for me. Opportunity does knock twice, despite what people may say.

A few years ago, Harvard was recommending that new students spend a year doing apprentice work or other activities before starting college, as many students do not yet know for sure what their passions are. I did not find out until after I already had a B.A. - in the wrong field. However, any college education is beneficial, and education should continue for one's entire life.