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Interim Offers:
The Center for Interim Programs was originally founded to assist students in making a more effective transition from high school to college and for college students to evaluate what they wanted to achieve in their college careers. Parents tend to forget that they put their children on an educational convoy when they are five years old and that the convoy rolls relentlessly on until they graduate. Unfortunately, much of this process is "schooling" and not the true learning that is education. Three basic ingredients were deemed necessary: one, that there would be structure in every option because people need structure in order to make sensible decisions; two, that there would be a skill involved; and three, that money would not be an inhibiting factor. Students who choose to take some interim time begin to understand that education can happen outside of a classroom (especially if they have been allergic to the formal educational process.) They experience the work ethic first-hand and have an opportunity to give something back to society through social service. They travel abroad, grapple with learning foreign languages, confront new value systems, and, above all, start to take responsibility for themselves as they acquire direction and focus. Through structured risk-taking, they become more independent and self-reliant. Many regain self-esteem and self-confidence that the SATs and a grade-oriented academic system can undermine. Time away from the traditional classroom often rekindles their interest in formal academics. Although Interim originally focused on the needs of the student population, which has traditionally been a group known for taking "time off," the process of creative risk-taking and personal expansion is equally relevant to adults of any age. Interim has, for example, placed a steady stream of men and women who are casting about for opportunities between careers, senior executives and teachers looking for interesting sabbatical options, and retirees seeking fulfilling activities to engage their interest. The emphases may differ, the needs alter slightly, but, overall, the Interim mechanics are the same, and the desire for change, for broadened experience, is shared by young and old. We all need to take interim periods of time in our lives to reassess
priorities and potentials, to expand our horizons, and to continue to
grow and mature. It is our conviction that we can offer a wide range of
structured options to anyone who wishes to partake of such a creative
time, at any stage of life. |
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