Did your DS or DD take a gap year after HS?

ExhibitA · 10-11-2009, 08:12 PM

If so, what did he/she do?

mathmom · 10-11-2009, 08:46 PM

Older son didn't, but I did. I lived with a French family and attended classes here: INSTITUT DE TOURAINE and later in the year I audited classes at the local university in Tours.

LasMa · 10-11-2009, 09:31 PM

Neither D nor we even considered it, and in retrospect, we should have. She was ready for college academically, but not emotionally, and is now really struggling at her far-away school.

mmaah · 10-12-2009, 01:37 AM

Son did and it was a wonderful way to recover from the stress of high school and launch into college with a new level of maturity and perspective. We've suggested it to both kids and the condition was simply that they had to apply and get in somewhere that would let them defer. (Most LACs and many unis will allow this). D decided she did not want to do a gap year--and that is fine too. But I think many kids can benefit from a year to grow and explore (and work and save) before stepping into the collegiate experience.

cptofthehouse · 10-12-2009, 01:43 AM

Mine did not, but seriously considered it. He was really burned out academically, having taken a very rigorous high school load at a tough school. Many kids at his high school, including close friends of his did take a gap year. It is encouraged by the counselors at his high school.

The problem is when you cannot find something that the student would prefer to do over going to school despite the fact that he may be better off with that break. My son half heartedly considered traveling with his friends, but his heart was really not into it. Later in the summer, he did get really involved with the Obama campaign, but that was through his college that had a program that allowed him to work at the Democratic convention. He truly was at loss as to what to do, and really did not want to do nothing. None of my suggestions interested him at all.

lisa58 · 10-22-2009, 12:43 PM

My daughter did - she was home in the fall earning some money and then spent 6 months in Africa (Senegal and Ghana) as a volunteer teacher through an organization called Projects Abroad. It was wonderful for her, probably really life-altering. We got a lot of free airfare through bonus points on our credit card, and she paid her incidental expenses. We didn't ask her to pay big bucks because the whole thing was my suggestion in the first place. It cost about as much as a semester at the state university, where she's now a sophomore.

idad · 10-22-2009, 01:15 PM

S1 took a gap year after second year of college. Turned out to be a great idea. Found what he really wanted to do, got off the pre-med track and into something he really likes.

shawbridge · 10-22-2009, 07:29 PM

Yes. Summer: Recovering from the school year as he had a health problem, hanging out with friends. Fall Semester: He took SATs, applied to colleges, worked to complete a novel he is coauthoring, work at a local university to both improve his reading fluency and to do research on reading fluency.. Spring Semester: Had fairly extensive surgery in January, recovered in February, worked on the novel, work on reading fluency as above. Summer: a bit of travel (but less than planned as two partners dropped out after the plans had been made), vacation with the family.

It was very valuable as he regained a lot of energy and had a difficult surgery. He also matured. It wasn't as exciting as he and we would have liked and he missed his friends. But, my daughter now says she will take a gap year (a good idea as she is young for her grade) but will apply to college during her senior year rather than waiting for the gap year as my son did.

glido · 10-22-2009, 07:59 PM

Yes. Worked as a clerk in a law firm. Used about half of the earnings to travel around the world, kept a journal - hit the ground running at college in the fall.

seenitall · 10-23-2009, 09:13 PM

What is the typical process for this; apply, accept admission at perferred college, then ask for defered entry? Are most colleges agreeable to this? Should you find out before you accept admission?

mathmom · 10-23-2009, 11:48 PM

Many colleges are fine with deferred entry and Havard actually recommends taking a gap year before matriculating. (They didn't recommend it in my day, but I had no trouble getting it granted.)

emeraldkity4 · 10-24-2009, 12:11 AM

both D's applied to colleges- were accepted to all then took a gap year.
Older D applied to an additional school later- which she attended, after serving a year with an Americorp program in our community.

Younger D worked to earn money for travel for four months, ( she would have preferred longer), she traveled and volunteered in India ( through Projects Abroad as well) and the UK- I think she had culture shock when she arrived in London from India, but other than that, she had a great trip.

vicariousparent · 10-24-2009, 01:09 AM

Has anyone taken a two-year gap? Do colleges allow it?

seenitall · 10-24-2009, 09:44 AM

Can someone please clarify because I think this might be a great option for my D. She has already applied to several schools and will likely have some good choices on where to attend. If she decides to do a gap year, does she contact all of the acceptances and ask about a deferal or does she choose the one school she wants to attend and accept the admission then talk deferal? Also, what happens to scholarship offers?

martharap · 10-24-2009, 11:36 AM

I'm guessing each school has its own policy. My son made sure he could defer admission for a year before accepting an offer of admission, and made sure that his scholarships would be held for him. They did say he could only defer for one year, however. Don't know how many schools, if any, would defer for 2 years.