STUDY BREAK: IS TAKING A GAP YEAR THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR MY CHILD?
This past academic school year, campuses throughout the nation were in a frenzy as Malia Obama toured a variety of colleges. Colleges and universities were vying for her attention – wondering if, hoping for, and wishing that their school would be on Malia’s campus tour list – and even better, that she would actually apply and decide to attend their school. After all, for many schools, having the daughter of the United States attend their school is the holy grail.
Many patiently awaited the moment when Malia would reveal what school she would ultimately attend. While it may not be much of a surprise that the President’s eldest chose her father’s alma mater, Harvard University, her decision to defer her enrollment and take a gap year was unexpected by many of her followers/fans, and parents and news outlets across the country. Her decision to take a “gap year” caused many to wonder what a “gap year” actually is; ultimately, Malia Obama helped to pivot the conversation about college admissions and the perceived need to attend a 4 year college/university to an option.
Gap years, or a year taken off between high school graduation and college, have become an increasingly common trend with schools like Harvard reporting a 33% increase in the number of incoming students who took a gap year just this past decade.
With all of the buzz surrounding this recent trend, it is important to be aware of both the benefits and downsides of spending a year away from academia, especially if your child is considering taking this time off.
Read on to help figure out if a gap year is the right move for you and your family:
Go Gap! Benefits of a Taking a Gap Year
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
Arguably one of the biggest benefits of taking a gap year is having the opportunity to spend extensive time learning through real life experiences. Whether the year is spent interning, researching or doing community service it is likely that the experience will be very different than the type of learning that goes on in a university classroom. Not only do these opportunities provide a new lens through which students can see the world, but they also provide college bound students with activities and work experiences that can help build up their resume with life experience before they even enter into college. Alongside these benefits, many gap year programs will give students a new group of friends and mentors with whom to share their interests and passions.
ACADEMIC EDGE
Numerous colleges have reported that their students who have taken a gap year perform extremely well during their four years and actually have higher average GPAs than non gap year students.
If a gap year is spent in programs or at jobs that allow you to explore your interests, it is likely that you will be able to enter into your first year of college with a far better idea of what you are passionate about studying, and perhaps even what career you are ultimately interested in pursuing. By streamlining academic focus, gap years have the potential to benefit students long after the gap year is over.
ALLEVIATES BURNOUT
I am sure that any high school senior can agree that these past four years have been not just intellectually but emotionally (and maybe even physically) straining for them. For some, it can be hard to imagine embarking on another intense four years in a new place without having adequate time to fully recuperate. Gap years provide the opportunity to restore and alleviate high school burnout that may allow students to be their best selves at the start of their freshman year.
No Gap! Downsides of Taking a Gap Year
EXPENSIVE INVESTMENT
While there are many great gap year programs that will provide students with all of the benefits that come with experiential learning, the safest and most well organized programs are often the most expensive. But for many families, funding a gap year right before dishing out thousands for college tuition just is not economically feasible.
When deciding whether or not to take a gap year be sure to consider whether it makes financial sense. If you are still worried about the cost but really would like to keep the option of taking a gap year open, consider service-based programs like City Year or AmeriCorps, both of which offer accepted students a stipend. Or, look into local paid internships where students can live at home while earning extra cash.
EXTENSIVE PLANNING
While gap years can allow students freedom and independence, they also require a great deal of planning, organization and thinking ahead in order to have a meaningful gap year. Note: Just because a student is taking a gap year, does not mean that the year away from school shouldn’t be purposeful. This is especially true if a student intends to apply to college in the immediate future or request to defer admission from school to complete a gap year (Blog most on deferrals come soon).
Students who are interested in taking a gap year should thoroughly plan out what they choose to do during their gap year, including how and when they will be applying to college. If a student is not mindful of how/when they will enter into school when they plan to matriculate, it is highly likely that a gap year will extend longer than planned.
THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED
Gap years are still relatively unconventional, which means that students who take them must come to grips with the fact that they will be one year ¨behind¨ their high school friends – providing that said high school friends went to a 4 year university right after high school graduation and will graduate in 4 years. Though the time in which a student wants to graduate from college may be negligible for the gap year student, it is still important for the gap year student to prepare for the fact that they will not experience freshman college milestones at the same time as their close friends who chose to enter college immediately after high school.
So What Does This Mean For You?
While these benefits and downsides hold true for most gap year programs, each student is different. Not taking a gap year does not mean that your child will not be academically successful in college. And, taking a gap year does not ensure that students will enter into college as profoundly different or transformed individuals. When deciding whether or not a gap year is right for your child, always factor in your student’s interests, passions, personalities and level of maturity. Look for programs and organizations that can help nurture them during their time away from school, and that make sense for your particular financial situation. Also remember that whether you choose to go gap or jump right into college, a new experience is right around the corner!
Lastly, do your research and look at the deferring options and application deadlines for your top schools so that you can feel prepared and fully enjoy your gap.
Written by Tamar Davis