Gap Year: How to Plan A Rewarding Experience!

Ella, an API gap year participant discussed her experience here.

For many students, going to college immediately after finishing high school seems like the obvious and expected thing to do. However, immediately jumping from high school to college is not always the best route for all students. For students who are feeling uncertain about college or just want time to have experiences outside of the classroom, a gap year might be the perfect solution. Taking a gap year between high school and college has been the standard option in other countries, including Australia and Great Britain, and is gaining popularity in the United States.

Why Take a Gap Year?
Gap year participants begin college with a renewed sense of purpose as well as a better understanding of where their interests lie and what major or career they may want to pursue. As Holly Bull, the president of the Center for Interim Programs said, “Taking gap time can really save a lot of the floundering around that students do.”

In addition to expanding participants’ worldviews, research indicates that taking a gap year can also increase their motivation to finish their degrees when they do attend college. Two studies conducted by Andrew J. Martin, a researcher at the University of Sydney indicate that gap year participants in Australia had “higher motivation in college — in the form of ‘adaptive behavior’ such as planning, task management, and persistence — than did students who did not take a gap year.”

“When planned with intention, and with clear personal goals in mind, a gap year can result in extraordinarily profound growth and self-awareness,” said Sandy Storer, of A Gap Away, a consulting gap year company in Sudbury, MA.  “That growth might be evident as greater self-confidence and independence, clarity of academic focus, or perhaps mastery of a new skill or foreign language. However it manifests, the gains are likely to be lasting, transformative, and impactful in college and beyond.”

Is There a Negative Stigma with Taking a Gap Year?
One of the biggest concerns people have in regard to gap year is the fear that it signifies that the participants are somehow less motivated or less mature than their college-bound peers. However, this is definitely not the case. Students take a gap year for a variety of reasons, and some colleges encourage students to pursue their interests in this way, including Princeton, which funds gap year experiences for some members of its incoming class.

This reception to gap year participation has a direct connection with the positive attributes students get from these programs. The maturity and focus that often come with taking a year off to travel, work, or do volunteer work benefit the colleges as well as the individuals. In fact, according to a former dean of admissions at Middlebury College found “that a single gap semester was the strongest predictor of academic success at his school.” In keeping with this idea, the college’s admissions site includes a gap year message for students.

Gap year provides opportunities for travel and exploration and can deepen learning and appreciation for global issues.

What Are My Options If I Take a Gap Year?
Foreign travel is perhaps one of the most attractive options for gap year participants because many programs give them the opportunity to immerse themselves in a different culture. Students can spend a semester at sea through Seamester, which combines foreign travel with academic classes in subjects such as oceanography, marine biology, and scuba and sailing certification. API also offers comprehensive international programs in 29 different countries. To read about one student’s experience with API, click here. Animal lovers who might be considering vet school can do a veterinary program in Thailand offered by Loop Abroad. Students interested in environmental and community projects can visit Costa Rica or South Africa through Raleigh International.

While some gap year programs can cost as much as a year in college, there are also very affordable (and even free) alternatives that students can pursue. World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) is a program where volunteers help hosts with agricultural chores in exchange for room and board with the host’s family. While WWOOF charges a small fee to help maintain the network, volunteers do not pay for their stay. WWOOF requires a level of independence as it is not a formal program overseen by adults. The Student Conservation Agency (SCA) offers another reasonably-priced option for students who want to combine volunteerism with travel. Volunteers camp in backcountry and front country locations in the United States and work on conservation efforts.

For students who want to do community service closer to home, programs like City Year and AmeriCorps can offer a rewarding and affordable option. Both programs have locations throughout the United States, making it easy to find opportunities that are close to you. In addition to programs that allow you to volunteer locally, AmeriCorps also has the National Civilian Community Corps, where participants live and work full-time at one of five campuses for 10 months and complete service projects in the regions. Another option is to check with local charities and affiliates to see if they have any long-term volunteer positions available.

Of course, you can always get an internship. Internships range from working in a corporation or a non-profit organization to volunteering for a political campaign, and they allow you to pursue your interests while gaining professional knowledge. Besides this on-the-job experience, an internship is also the perfect opportunity for you to decide whether a particular career (and major) is right for you.

For More Information:

Sandy Storer, Gap Year Specialist at A Gap Away

J2Guides, professional gap year consultants

The Center for Interim Programs, a gap year consultancy

The Gap-Year Advantage (Karl Haigler and Rae Nelson) has advice for parents who want to help their children explore their options and develop a gap-year strategy.

Taking Time Off (Colin Hall and Ron Lieber) contains profiles of students who had successful gap year experiences.