Once a rare choice, taking a "gap year"—a structured year of work, travel, or volunteering between high school and college—is becoming increasingly common. For students feeling burnt out or uncertain about their next steps, a gap year can be a transformative experience.
However, a successful gap year requires careful planning. This guide covers the pros, cons, and how to approach it.
Why Take a Gap Year?
The benefits of a well-planned gap year can be immense. Students often return to school more mature, focused, and with a clearer sense of purpose.
- Gain Real-World Experience: Working a full-time job, completing an internship, or participating in a service program builds skills and maturity that can't be learned in a classroom.
- Prevent Burnout: After years of academic pressure, a gap year can be a much-needed break to recharge before diving into four more years of school.
- Clarify Your Goals: A year of new experiences can help you discover what you're passionate about, which can inform your choice of major and career path.
- Strengthen Your College Application: A productive gap year can make you a more interesting and compelling applicant.
The "Productive" Gap Year
The key to a successful gap year is structure. Colleges don't want to see that you spent a year playing video games. A productive gap year involves a plan.
- Work or Internships: Saving money for college and gaining professional experience is a fantastic use of a gap year.
- Volunteering or Service Programs: Programs like AmeriCorps or other non-profit work can be incredibly rewarding and demonstrate a commitment to service. This is a great way to build your extracurricular profile.
- Travel with a Purpose: Instead of just backpacking, consider a program that involves language immersion, cultural exchange, or skill-building.
- Creative or Personal Projects: This could be the year you write that novel, record an album, or build a complex coding project.
How Does a Gap Year Affect Admissions?
There are two main ways to approach this:
- Apply During Your Senior Year, Then Defer: This is the most common and often recommended path. You apply to colleges along with your classmates. Once you are accepted and have submitted your deposit, you write to the college requesting a one-year deferral and outlining your gap year plans. Most colleges are happy to grant this.
- Apply During Your Gap Year: This is also a perfectly valid option. It allows you to use your gap year experiences to strengthen your application and essays. The main downside is that you won't have the support of your high school counselors and teachers right down the hall.
A gap year isn't for everyone. It requires independence, self-discipline, and a solid plan. But for the right student, it can be an invaluable experience that sets the foundation for a more successful and fulfilling college career.