Students may choose to take a leave for a variety of reasons, and each of these reasons may have its own unique set of goals to go along with it. With all that variety, it’s hard to make any sweeping generalizations about how best to take a leave, because what works for another student might not work for you. That’s okay, and frankly, it would be kind of weird if it weren’t the case.
However, there are some general steps and resources that you might consider while you are on leave that might make the experience better and more fulfilling for you. These steps are based on a report by The Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center (PDF; may not be accessible) in collaboration with the Ruderman Family Foundation.
When thinking about how you will spend your time away from Emerson, it’s important to go at your own PACE.
PACE stands for:
- People
- Academics
- Care
- Engagement
People
At their best, college campuses are vibrant communities with students, faculty, and staff making constant connections. It can be equal parts fun and overwhelming, but one thing is for sure, it is a social place. Sometimes it can be difficult to leave an environment with so much going on. That’s why one of the best things you can do while on leave is to build, strengthen, and maintain the social relationships you have beyond the Emerson Community.
This can mean connecting with high school friends, and people from your neighborhood, getting involved in a local organization, meeting with a spiritual or tribal leader, or even seeking a potential romantic partner.
Academics
Everyone has passions, curiosities, and interests that drive them, and that is certainly true of students here at Emerson. Just because you are taking a break from your studies at Emerson, that does not mean that you can’t make progress in your education in other ways.
Some students might want to discuss the possibility of taking a reduced course load at a local college and transferring in the credits. You would want to contact transfercredits [at] emerson.edu to discuss how many transfer credits are available in your degree audit, and consult the Transfer Credit page to access the Transfer Credit Pre-approval Form.
Other students may want to take their time away to build skills that will help them upon their return. If you had difficulty with time management, focus, executive functioning, or tracking deadlines, your leave might present an opportunity to practice these skills either alone or with the help of coaching.
Care
Taking a leave of absence can present an opportunity for students to take care of themselves in a way that is not as feasible with the demands of a full course load. Care can mean different things to different people depending on what they need. A good starting place might be to review the Dimensions of Wellness and figure out which ones feel well-tended and which could use some attention.
Caring for yourself can mean seeing a healthcare provider for physical or mental health, finding group support through workshops and classes, developing and maintaining a healthy sleep schedule, or any other steps that put your well-being front and center.
Engagement
Engagement is all about tapping into the activities, ideas, and goals that are meaningful for you. Engagement can take many forms. It can include finding a job to help build your resume, starting a new creative project, learning a new skill, or rediscovering an old hobby.
You may want to begin by considering what might make a new activity or opportunity interesting. Are you looking for something exciting or entertaining, or are you looking for something more thought-provoking and contemplative? Next, think about the activities you already love.
We hope that these ideas will help students get the most out of a leave of absence, but we are always available to talk about the leave experience. Once a student decides they are ready to return to Emerson, we are available to talk about that too!