Hi CC community! I am a professional gap year counselor and President Emeritus of the Gap Year Association! It’s decision season, which also means it’s deferral season! I’m happy to answer questions about deferring college for an intentional gap year, link to gap year resources or answer any other questions that would be helpful at the moment.
Julia’s Bio:
Julia Rogers is a traveler, business owner and experiential education expert who has spent the last 14 + years as a professional gap year counselor. As the founder of EnRoute Consulting, Julia oversees a social enterprise dedicated to fueling the gap year movement and developing a generation of compassionate, driven and resourceful global citizens. She partners with educators, service-learning organizations, non-profits, government entities and families around the world to develop creative educational pathways that result in young adults being better prepared to succeed in life and work. Julia is alaos a TEDx speaker, a podcast host and President Emeritus of the Gap Year Association, a US-based nonprofit dedicated to the intentional growth of the gap year option through research, standards-setting and advocacy efforts.
Hi there! Is it usually difficult to find things to do for the whole year? Do you help students find international programs that fit their interests during the gap year? What do people usually do during a gap year?
Most students do multiple things over the course of their year, and it’s less overwhelming to divide it into sections, or seasons. For example, a student may live and work a summer job at home after graduation, then go on a gap year program in the fall for a few months, come home for the holidays and then do one or two more projects or programs before the following summer. There is so much choice in what to do and it is very customizable to the student and their interests. Here are some of the major categories of gap year activities:
Programmatic (more structured, with staffa nd student support)
Experiential Semesters (service-learning, outdoor programs, cultural semesters and more)
Volunteering (in the US or abroad; teaching English, coaching sports, working with wildlife or on environmental projects)
Interning (through personal contact or through program that offers a matching service and housing)
National Service (Americorps)
Enrichment and Language Courses (short courses to build a skill set like coding, art, scuba diving etc)
Self-Designed Activities:
Travel
Personal Projects
Work-Exchange (travel and working in exchange for room and board)
AuPairing
Destination Work (working away from home at a place that offers employee housing)
Local opportunities
