kleankanteen

I just finished my first year of a three year MFA program. It has a great name and great funding, but I had an incredibly terrible year-- so bad that I am still suffering panic attacks from it and am dreading returning in the fall. In retrospect, I should have taken a year off in between undergrad and grad school because a lot of the stress I dealt with was from not ever having lived on my own before, and perhaps not being mature enough to handle an MFA program (no support from department, competitive cutthroat environment). My pride prohibits me from completely dropping out (especially since I don't have a backup plan), so I am considering taking a year off. Honestly I would like to use this year off to apply for other graduate programs that are more suited to my needs, and if they don't work out, then I will return to my current program (although my friends and family doubt that I will actually return if I take a year off). Does anyone have any experience with taking a year off during grad school? I haven't contacted my department head yet, so I don't know if funding would be guaranteed for the next year if I take time off. If you have any experience with this situation or any ideas, I would be most grateful to hear them. Thank you.