The best part of your Harvard education could be the part you spend thousands of miles from the ivy-covered walls of the Yard.

That's the view of hundreds of undergraduates who take time off to study or work away from Harvard.

But taking time off is not easy, and coming back can be even tougher. Students cite difficulties readjusting to the hustle and bustle of life at Harvard, conveying to others the signficance of their time away from school and obtaining academic credit for the work they have done.

Despite the obstacles, a significant number of students from each class choose to spend some portion of their college career away from Harvard. Three hundred and seventeen members of the Class of 1990 took time off during their time at the College, says Martha P. Leape, director of the Office of Career Services.

Students who have taken leaves-of-absence say their experiences provided them with an invaluable perspective that clarified their educational objectives.

`The Best Thing'

"It was probably the best thing I've ever done with myself," says Tom F. Shebar '90-91. Last fall, he studied at City University in London and then spent January travelling "for a change of pace and a new college experience."

The range of options open for students taking time off is as varied as the individuals involved. Chloe A. Breyer '90-91 spent half of her year abroad in Nepal, Tibet and India. She spent part of her time teaching English to monks.

Many students cite the extensive foreign language experience they can only obtain abroad as reason enough to take time off.

Elizabeth C. Bynum '91 spent last year in China at Nanjing University on a Harvard-Yenching scholarship from the department of East Asian Languages and Civilization. "A lot of people in the department go abroad to get the language," she says.

Jean-Jacques Barrow '92, who spent the spring term in Salamanca, Spain, to master the language, says, "obviously, you learn more Spanish in Spain than at Harvard University."

Apart from specific skills many students pick up abroad, students say they most value the opportunity to examine their values through the lens of another culture.

"In general, I would say that it is just a great great thing to take a step away from Harvard just to get a focus on it," says Bradford D. Woloson '91-92, who spent last spring in London interning as a high-yield bond analyst.

"My goals going there were to pay my own way, to travel, and to get a meaningful business experience," he says. "I would say all my goals were met and then some."

And Shebar says that going away gave him "time to rethink how you want to spend your time."