The Gap Year...Part Four (series)

Just as deciding upon the Gap Year is a personal choice, so too are the benefits that a student can garner during their year away from the classroom. Taking the Gap Year, albeit time off from formal schooling in most cases, is not simply a substitute to education. In fact, in many instances, it is an education in and of itself and it frequently serves to intensify students' appreciation of the college experience when they are ready to enroll. The Gap Year has proven to encourage students to learn about themselves and to develop independence and self-confidence, traits that are not always inherent in a high school senior or a traditional college freshman. Some students find the need to learn how to live in our world or to determine what their education is supposed to lead to before transitioning from the high school classroom to the college lecture hall. In addition, taking time off during the Gap Year usually provides a bit of perspective toward what life after college might look like. Depending upon how the Gap Year is spent, but especially if cultural immersion is part of it, the Gap Year gives understanding and a unique viewpoint to some of the social issues that students learn about in their college textbooks and their classroom discussions. Again, depending upon the route a student takes during the Gap Year, they are likely to obtain a bevy of life lessons such as living in a large city, money management, living and working in a group setting, preparing meals for themselves or for a large group, and even making critical decisions that may impact a community. Students might also learn different work opportunities through a variety of service projects or job internships, which hopefully will help solidify, or even appropriately modify, long term goals.

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.

The Gap Year...Part Two (series)

WHO SHOULD CONSIDER THE GAP YEAR There are generally three groups of high school students for whom the Gap Year makes the most sense. First, the Gap Year may be a worthy alternative for students who have worked incredibly hard during high school, but need to take a year off to avoid what is called “burn out.” These students tend to have a fantastic academic, as well as extra-curricular, record, and although still performing at an amplified level and often beyond outside expectations, are no longer happy in the learning process nor healthily engaged in activities. On the opposite end of the scholastic spectrum, this option may also be valuable for students who have perhaps faced issues in high school or who have not lived up to their expected potential. Although this is not the true meaning of a Gap Year, this additional year can be used to take college courses at a local community college where the student can prove that they are capable of handling a collegiate education. This year of focused dedication and improved grades often goes a long way toward convincing college admission representatives at four year colleges and universities that there is a capability to handle college work despite a lacking high school performance. Finally, the third group who might explore the Gap Year option is those students that simply have not taken the requisite time to determine what they want from a college experience. These students tend to have started the college search behind schedule, and although they might be able to find a suitable college or university late in the admission cycle, they have not allowed time to find the best fit college that meets all of their needs and wants. In this scenario, the Gap Year allows extra time to fully investigate the most appropriate higher education option. Although certainly not every student who exercises the Gap Year fits neatly into these three categories, most students who take the year do fit comfortably into one of the classifications. No matter the reason, once the Gap Year option is decided upon, how that Gap Year will be spent is the next imperative choice.

The Gap Year...Part One (series)

WHAT IS THE GAP YEAR Simply put, the Gap Year is an option being exercised by an increasing number of students between graduating from high school and starting college. The Gap Year affords particular students with a one year after high school occasion to foster personal growth and motivation before embarking on collegiate study and life afterward. RISE IN GAP YEAR POPULARITY The Gap Year is not a new phenomenon. In fact, it is incredibly popular in European countries, where between 10 and 20 percent of students welcome this year away from school to experience life and to gain critical skills for collegiate survival. It is, however, a growing trend among American students in the last 5 to 10 years. Its popularity saw a recent surge during the 2008 presidential campaign as the candidates reached out to young and first time voters. Some cities, such as Denver, are now also hosting “Gap Year fairs,” similar in set-up to traditional college fairs, where representatives from various Gap Year programs are invited to speak to potential students about the opportunities afforded during this hiatus from school.