Considering a gap year? Dave Berry examines the pros and cons. https://www.collegeconfidential.com/articles/thoughts-on-a-gap-year
My son just finished his gap year and is now a freshman at his college. In senior year of high school, he went through the normal process of college applications and once he was admitted to several colleges and upon identifying and committing to the school of his choice, he requested to take a gap year.
His reason for wanting to take a gap year was simple: not only meeting the academic requirements of K-12 but the highly time-consuming and demanding commitment to his musical training (violin and piano, with numerous competitions) since age 5, have left him no time to pursue other personal interests that have developed along the way. He wanted to pursue these interests for personal fulfillment but he also wanted to take a break from the years of same “routine” – study, practice, eat, sleep – which he didn’t want to continue for the next four years in college.
We also discussed a gap year option to his older brother who was a sophomore in college at the time. He agreed to take a gap year himself.
The gap year comprised of some planned activities but I specifically wanted non-charted, haphazard freedom for them to do whatever they wanted to do and whenever for the most part. The only planned activities were domestic and international travels, including a pre-med related travel to Panama for the older one and volunteering at a local hospital for both boys. Other than these planned activities, they spent the entire year playing tennis (both were 1st singles in varsity tennis in high school in their respective years), making and recording cross-over music (classical to pop), lifting weights for body sculpting, catching up with their friends when they were visiting home from college breaks, eating lots of ramen at midnight, some reading, etc. etc.
Once their gap year was over with, they were (particularly the younger one) really eager to get back into the mix. I’m not sure whether the gap year offered them an opportunity to “find themselves” but it sure gave them the opportunity to refresh themselves. In that regard, the gap year was all worth it, and I’d highly recommend it for anyone considering this option. Interestingly, the official letter of admission that my second son received from the college of his choice addressed and encouraged a gap year option, including the school sponsored, full expense paid, stay abroad program. My son passed on this school sponsored option in order to preserve his freedom, however.
Thank you for writing & sharing this readable, well organized & insightful article on gap years. Simply put, the article suggests that a gap year is often about “finding oneself” while “gaining additional perspectives”.
Noting that the most common destination for those taking a gap year is New York City followed by Sydney, Australia, it is important to understand that a gap year should be designed to facilitate personal growth. Typically, this can be accomplished by leaving one’s comfort zone.
I think that it is important to note that taking a gap year does not need to involve costly travel or expenses of any sort. In fact, a gap year can be used to gain work experience while earning income. The key to a successful gap year is personal growth while gaining additional perspectives; one such motivating perspective might well be a view from the workplace for one without a college degree.
I’m not keen on any prescriptive idea of a gap year, i.e., gap year “should” be for this or for that. As far as I’m concerned, a gap year can be for anything that’d be personally fulfilling. Everyone has his or her unique personal need, and not everyone feels the need to go to NYC or Sydney to find themselves.
Many, probably most, gap years between high school and college just involve plain old paid work (or sometimes several years of military service). Sometimes, the student goes back to school as a nontraditional students after eventually deciding that high school graduate jobs or enlisted military service is not what s/he wants to do for a career.
But that seems to be different from the parentally supported planned gap years of finding oneself that are commonly discussed on these forums, or the gap years taken after being shut out of an all reach college list and thinking that starting at community college is beneath the student. These types of gap years seem more like luxuries that high SES parents provide.
Colleges are increasingly aware of research-based benefits of taking a gap or bridge year and are now actively encouraging students to look at it as an option, particularly at elite and academically rigorous colleges including Harvard, Yale and Princeton. Gap year can consist of anything really without a prescriptive chart. It shouldn’t be looked at as a luxury available to only those who could afford it. Princeton even offers the all expenses paid “Bridge Year Program” for incoming freshmen students regardless of SES backgrounds for those who want to spend the gap year abroad. Or, one can stay home and work.
My Daughter just finished up a gap year, is now a freshman in college and turned 20 a week after her first class.
We took what we refer to as her Gap/Nap year for many reasons. Burnout, really hadn’t settled on a school, no idea what path to go down and an unenthusiastic view of heading off to college as well as an unrealistic idea of what was actually affordable.
Her year comprised of lots of down time, part time working and some travel. Nothing exotic but she did spend a month in NYC by herself. This trip was huge in her personal growth. She learned so much about herself and it gave her the confidence to embark on her college career.
Of her social group from high school of eight kids, two took gap years. One deferred enrollment and the other (my DD) went thru the application process anew following her Sr. year of high school.
If my daughter wanted to put off college so she can travel around the country, I’d tell her Great! Get a job and save up for it. She’d be able to do it in about 3-4 years. That’s real life, folks. You want to gain some maturity, go to college. Didn’t get into Harvard? Tough noogies! There’s 3,000 other colleges to go to. You want to gain work experience? Subway?? Seriously?? Working and going to school is worth more to prospective employers.
My son is currently on a gap year in Spain. Taking classes for the year at a Spanish language school (with mostly American study abroad kids). He is living with my former host brother’s cousins so in a Spanish environment most of the time. He deferred his acceptance here and will attend college in the Fall 2019. So far everything is going well and his Spanish is already so much better. Oh and the cost is really low probably because he direct enrolled in the school and did not go through a program.