Is Taking a Year Off After High School OK?

connections
Thu, 06 Dec 2012 21:27:48 +0000

My son will be my third child to take a gap year. My two daughters started college right before turning 20. It was great for them. In fact, my daughter who is now in Northwestern was just telling me how glad she was she had taken the gap year and how well prepared she felt for all the challenges, and that other students told her that they wished they’d taken a gap year.

My kids have mostly not applied early and deferred. They just take the gap year.

What they do: My kids mostly just work and do any internships they can find. Also obviously they audition and take acting classes. My daughter was in several shows during her gap year, for instance she had a bit part in a semi-professional Shakespeare production. For their jobs, it’s just ‘regular’ jobs such as hostess at a diner. They earn quite a bit of pocket money, and actually my older daughter used some of that money to also travel in England by herself for three weeks and go on an archaeological dig–she paid for the entire trip herself (I’m not well off). She ended up at Williams.

Both daughters wrote about their experiences during gap year for their college essays, and several colleges expressed that they were impressed that they worked (in a real job, warts and all).

My younger daughter also took German at the community college to enhance her transcript. Besides that, they took no college courses.

Anyway, for my family, it has worked very well. If you don’t have local community theatre or classes nearby, I’d suggest sending her to an acting program. If you can’t afford it, or can afford only part, she can work part of the year to help pay for it herself. There are many fairly affordable ones.
Good luck!