GAP Year? Exciting Opportunities!
- Terri Murai, Mosaic Consulting
- Nov 11, 2017
- 2 min read
Taking a GAP year is another option for students graduating from high school. Are you thinking about a GAP year? It could be the best decision. Here are things to take into consideration!
What is a GAP year?
According to the American Gap Association, "Definition: A Gap Year is a structured period of time when students take a break from formal education to increase self-awareness, challenge comfort zones, and experiment with possible careers. Typically these are achieved by a combination of traveling, volunteering, interning, or working. A gap year experience can last from two months up to two years and is taken between high school graduation and the Junior year of their higher degree."
Is Taking A GAP year a Good Idea?
An article published by the Huffington Post, May 2016:
"Perhaps the best way of all to get the full benefit of a “time-off” is to postpone entrance to college for a year. For more than four decades, Harvard has recommended this option, indeed proposing it in the letter of admission. Now more than one hundred students defer college until the next year." Harvard article in full,"Time Out or Burn Out for the Next Generation"
"When they step off the academic treadmill to work or travel, young people have the opportunity to look beyond themselves. There are millions of other people out there who will never sit in a classroom with them. How do those people live? What do they believe and yearn for? How do you relate to those who are different? Students who contemplate such questions before they start college will realize that an education can be more than just impressing a professor and fulfilling requirements." UC Berkeley article in full.
Explore GAP year Opportunities
Inspiring growth and transformation through experiential education, community and intercultural exchange.
Semester at Sea takes a global comparative approach to study abroad using a ship as its traveling campus and sailing to multiple ports around the world.
Travel with Dragons for your Gap Year abroad. Learn a language, immerse yourself in local culture, and discover yourself. Semesters in India, China, Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America, and more.
Additional Tips for Student
Apply to colleges and universities as a normal senior would. Most colleges and universities will defer your admission. Check college websites or contact colleges directly for their policies.
Take the time to plan your GAP year experience to make the most of the opportunities.
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