The Gap Year...Part Three (series)

HOW THE DECISION IS MADE TO TAKE THE GAP YEAR There are several potential approaches to the Gap Year decision. The path a student chooses most often directly correlates to why they are taking the Gap Year in the first place. One option is to apply to colleges and universities as if traditional fall attendance is planned. Once granted admission, the student then contacts the institution they have chosen to attend and requests a deferred admission in order to exercise the Gap Year option. Most colleges will consent to postponed enrollment as long as the student submits a well thought out plan for using that time productively. Typically, academically talented students who have high expectations for collegiate life, but who simply need a break, follow this route if pursuing the Gap Year. Note that some students in this situation experience second thoughts during their Gap Year experience about what they need and want from a college or university and may ultimately decide that the college or university they had originally chosen to attend is no longer the best selection. These students are welcome to begin their college search process anew and to apply to other institutions. Any enrollment or housing deposit paid at the initial school would be forfeited, but those few hundred dollars are worth a more appropriate life-impacting decision. The other opportunity is to simply know in advance that the Gap Year will be taken and not even apply for admission to any college or university during the senior year, allowing an additional year for standardized testing and for in-depth exploration of higher educational opportunities. This approach is typically best for students who need the additional time to figure out what they want from the college experience and for those students who waited until too late in the high school senior year to begin thinking about college.