The Benefits of Taking A Gap Year Before College

May 24, 2018

The time of sending applications to schools and visiting colleges has passed as we now enter into spring (despite what the weather may be) and the end of the school year.

However, despite what most might think, college is not the only choice students have after graduation.

While not as common in the past, gap years have become a frequently desired choice among seniors who might not be as ready to head off to secondary education, but wish to have an active year outside of the education system.

To many, it's considered a given that in order to succeed in life, one must head off to college and get some sort of degree before heading off into the workplace.

This type of mindset is a dominant one amongst students, and while not a bad mindset, narrowing one’s options post- graduation to only secondary education can be a big mistake.

Most students, when entering college aren’t exactly sure what it is they want to do in their future, or if the jobs they want even require a college degree.

To some, jobs and future careers have been picked out since elementary school, and the decision to go to college after high school is a no brainer.

However, for those of us who aren’t quite sure what the future holds or if the path they’ve chosen is even the right one, gap years can provide the time necessary to mature and to figure out the correct answer to these questions.

According to TIME, “many educators [suggest] taking a gap year, saying that kids who step off the academic treadmill after high school to work, travel, volunteer or explore other interests are more mature when they arrive at college and more engaged in their education going forward.”

Here in the United States, gap years post graduation aren’t as common as in other countries such as the UK or Australia.

But the movement has caught on.

“Many colleges and universities in the U.S. not only accept applicants who choose to take gap years, but also actively encourage enrolled students to study abroad during their college tenures,” said Lifestyle Editor Suzy Strutner in a Huffington Post article on why students should take gap years.

Similarly, according to study abroad organization, the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), Harvard College has seen a 33 percent increase in the number of their incoming students taking gap years.

This could be due to the fact that in the 365 days that a gap year allocates to a student, said student has the time to grow and experience new things that can allow them to mature as a person, making them even more desirable towards colleges.

According to the article “How a Gap Year Can Make Students Successful” by U.S. News, during an independent study of 280 gap-year participants by education policy experts Karl Haigler and Rae Nelson, authors of "Gap Year, American Style: Journeys Toward Learning, Serving, and Self-Discovery,” burnout was found to be one of the top reasons why students take a break in between high school and college.

According to “How a Gap Year Can Make Students Successful”, recent Cornell University graduate Wes Cornell said his year doing scientific research shaped his academic focus.

In Costa Rica, he researched the health care of workers at coffee farms through Duke University’s Organization for Tropical Studies and did a program on sustainable development and tropical ecology with an environmental study abroad organization.

He interned with the Colombia Nature Conservancy in Cartagena, and researched viral pathways at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel.

“[By] Having had time off, I was able to figure out what really interested me,” Cornell said to U.S. News interviewers.

Taking a year off before deciding to start college can also help student figure out what exactly they love before they choose a school or declare a major.

This can save students and their families thousands of dollars on student loans and college tuition as this decreases the chance of students dropping out or changing majors, tacking on extra time on their four years.

Taking a gap year also allows students to be more appealing to colleges, who are looking for students with experience and adaptive skills that can contribute to campus life.

According to the study done by Haigler and Nelson, for some students, waiting a year before applying can increase the chances of getting into one’s preferred school of choice.

In fact, Haigler said to U.S. News interviewers that “[one] might also find a school that is more suited to your evolving interest, the skills and knowledge you develop and what you learn about yourself."

Now, to most students here at Franklin Regional and their parents, the words “Gap Year” incite a degree of panic and anxiety.

“Some parents and even some students, too, worry that a detour from college may lead to a long-term derailment, but this is rarely the case. Most gappers who take a year off of the academic treadmill are eager to climb back on when the time comes,” said writer for College Confidential, the world’s largest college forum,and co-author of Panicked Parents' Guide to College Admissions, Sally Rubenstone in an article for College Confidential.

However, it has been found by many educators, according to TIME, that many educators encourage gap years because they have to opposite effect of making students more mature, engaged, and prepared for college courses.

In fact, according to TIME, “a handful of colleges—Princeton and the University of North Carolina, among them—offer scholarships and fellowships to incoming freshmen who take a gap year.”

While taking a gap year isn’t for everyone, it can be very beneficial towards students who decided to take the time off and recuperate from previous years of schooling.

Taking a gap year allows students to discover just what they want from life without the stress of exams and grades hanging over their heads.

Life is complicated, and college is hard- but it doesn’t have to be.

So take a breather and relax, and if need be, take a year off.

You deserve it.