great lakes mom makes a great point about considering the financial implications. It is often better to have 2 in school rather than one for aid. Tuition also tends to increase every year so there’s that.
@LeftofPisa – sounds like your D is packing a lot into her gap year! Did she apply to college and defer as a high school senior? Or wait until this fall to apply?
@mstee, she applied as a Senior and deferred. She chose to take the gap year for the experience, not because she was disappointed with her results. Also, FYI, she is able to keep her merit award.
@LeftofPisa – that is awesome. Exactly what DD is hoping to do (ask for deferral), should she decide to do a gap year.
mstee, working on language skills is one of the better ways to use a gap year, imho. Despite my whine about increased college costs for D that took a gap year, it also helped her career immensely to solidify her knowledge of a third language. A French major, she became proficient in Spanish that second year on a Rotary exchange and when finally back in the USA, being able to teach both led to her first job.
This same D, despite a semester abroad in France, really got proficient in the language when WOOFing-working organic farms as a volunteer. Many countries have this program, Japan included, though signing up is not free. Of course you’d have to have some interest in rural and agricultural life to do this. http://www.wwoof.net/
Glad to see this thread. My senior S who is in the midst of his college apps has been adamant that he will defer for one year… lots of plans to learn language (did a summer program in Berlin last year and wants to return), travel, work as a PA on a film set, etc… but mostly he is very undecided about his major and wants some time when he isn’t in school to think about his goals. We have been supportive but have some parameters that he has to follow. He will have to work (has a job lifeguarding already) and set aside $$ for both his travel and college funds. I am not sure how that income during a gap year will affect our FAFSA for the following year as he will show higher than regular income… I guess I need to research that!
For him, and this wouldn’t be true for everyone, I think some time off will mean that when he enters college he will really be ready instead of burnt out. Not sure I’d support it for my other two kids but for him it seems like a great choice.
wis75,
I am very happy that your approach has worked for your family. We do not have to agree or disagree. There are opportunities out there that are more open for some than others. My kid could not get into any of the summer programs despite of her straight As at college. She was “forced” to have nice relaxed summers with friends. Because of her persistent nature, she was able to obtain few volunteering positions. She would have loved to be much busier in her college summers, but it was not possible. Applying to few dozens of summer jobs was simply waste of time. There were waiting lists even for many volunteering positions and she started looking usually in February.
She did not create her opinion out of thin air. She did not see any need for a gap year because she knew that she would not be able to find anything outside of college. She and her classmates had no problem with any ECs at college. Research lab internships, great job as Supplemental Instructor. volunteering, going abroad to the location of her dream with the organized group who has been there numerous times, many other opportunities. were easily available at college, while all these doors were practically shut for my kid outside of college, including loosing her HS summer job after 2 summers working there.
Agree or disagree is one aspect. Having opportunities or not having them is another. And person who is thinking about gap year, needs to be researching about opportunities, which simply may not be there.
I have suggested a gap year for my D. As of now, she insists on forging ahead with college, but I’m occasionally suggesting she consider deferring her enrollment at one of her colleges, and taking the year off - to work part-time, to volunteer, to travel, and to just take some deep breaths and rest and recharge.
She is very burnt out on high school. I really think it would be good idea for her to take some time and regroup…
If she does this, I’d like her to consider taking some Continuing Ed classes at our local community college for drawing and photography… Her interests that she has had to neglect through high school… I’m wondering if that would be considered college classes, although they would not be for credit but just for personal enrichment…
Thanks for this thread, and the ideas.
At our CC, you can sign up for classes as either a credit or non-credit student.
Our CC has the option of auditing credit classes, too; but also has “Continuing Ed” classes for the general community, just for personal enrichment. I’ve taken Spanish and French classes there, creative writing courses, and a couple of literature courses, all through Continuing Ed. They also have fine arts, crafts, computer courses, etc.
My guess is that, if a class is not taken for credit, it’s not going toward a degree, then she will still not be considered enrolled at a college… But I need to verify that if it comes to this…
I know that I will be attacked again. But here is a different approach. Having a tough time with academic requirements at college, everybody needs an R&R not just before the college but on a continuous basis while at college. In addition to considering a trip abroad, some kids decide to add one - couple unrelated minors. Many of D’s friends being in science major had minors in Music, Art, Spanish, etc. Music minor was a great R&R for my D. away from demanding classes of her science related major. She would not have all these opportunities outside of her college. She recorded her own music in the real recording studio and had one of her friends (Music Major) to play D’s piano peace at the concert. Great unforgettable memories and many others.
If a kid refuses to have a gap year, or if indeed she takes a gap year, it does not mean that they should neglect the fact that they would need to figure out some means to relax during school year. Involvement with Music, Art, Foreign language, sport, travel on continuous basis will provide a great release and memories.
Gap year or not, it was shocking for my kid to find out that the college academic requirements are much higher than at her private HS. When starting at college, there will be a need to step up greatly in academic efforts. Having regular breaks and balanced schedule (like couple hard classes balanced by couple easy classes) will provide a great release.
I apologize ahead of the time to all those who disagree. I did not mean to offend anybody and I do not understand why people with different backgrounds have to agree with each other all the time.
@MiamiDAP, I completely agree with your point about finding balance in college. D’s best friend is pre-med and has done a GREAT job of finding that balance through studio art, yoga, horseback riding, and other athletic/outdoorsy pursuits available at her school. I think it is something kids don’t necessarily give enough thought to before starting college. They tend to focus on the academic and social aspects. But the social aspects aren’t necessarily going to add that balance and relaxation they need. D’s friend is so happy with her college and credits these non-academic pursuits with much of her happiness.
Our son took a gap year, lived at home and worked, and it was the best decision he ever made. He didn’t have to worry about college applications during his Senior year of HS, but had plenty of time to write the application essays and think more carefully about where he wanted to apply during his gap year. He ended up getting great scholarship funding and is now happily at college. Taking the gap year increased his conviction about going to college (especially since all his HS friends went to college directly) and gave him the time to be thoughtful about the whole process. And working proved to be good preparation.
@profparent, Your comment reassured me on my college plan, I’m graduating this May and will be doing exactly what your son did. Glad to hear that it worked out so well for him!
I did a gap year when the term wasn’t used very much in the US. Went to Germany to be with my grandmother who needed an operation and someone there to help her out. I worked, went to language classes, and traveled, all on a strict budget. It was the most transformative year of my life, because of being in a different culture, and speaking a different language for most of the time. When I went to college the following year I really wanted to be there and it showed. I have never felt a disadvantage from delaying going to college, only an advantage from increased confidence and having had more life experiences. If you are a high school student, please consider this. Planning your year is an education itself. And if you have a grandparent, consider living with her/him. Affordable, priceless.
I am currently taking a gap year and I can firmly say I do not regret it one bit. I was so burnt out from high school that I resented the idea of going back to “another 4 years of hell” as I was afraid engineering would be just as bad or worse than high school. I was just tired of the 3 hour sleep nights and not eating from anxiety. I decided to take a year off and work a full-time job. Even though I got enough scholarships to pay all my tuition, fees, and books, I just wasn’t ready to pull the trigger on college. I needed time to decompress. Some might say it’s pointless to take a $10/hr job in food service instead of going to school, but really I enjoyed being able to work with people I normally wouldn’t associate with in school. My experience in food service, being able to work with all sorts of people, having humility to honest work, having a better outlook of life, exercising, eating well, sleeping 7 hours a day…made me a better person from it. I still have 5 months left before I go to college and I will probably quit my job soon to travel a little bit before I go. Just local state landmarks and camping. That way I can say goodbye to Colorado and say hello to my new life down south…
To those who say there is no point in taking a job full-time in a gap year vs. going to college immediately…the most valuable asset no one can buy or get more of is TIME. Working that job with its flexible scheduling gave me extra time for myself to take care of things I never got to do in school because I was so busy: exercising, sleeping, eating 3 meals regularly, having fun with friends and family, etc. The biggest eye opener in my gap year experience is the fragility of life when a coworker died from a drunk driver accident and she was only 17…it made me be appreciative of the fact that I am alive today and doing what I love. The scariest thing is you never know how much time you have left and to plan for 50-60 years down the road with a car, house, retirement, etc. can be wishful thinking for many along the road. Not everything is about making a little bit more money in the long run if I go to college first and graduate quicker than what I am doing now. The reality is that life is so unpredictable and it can be taken from you in an instant without you knowing it…that’s why enjoy time when you can use it to your advantage and pleasure.
If you have an urge for something new, please consider the gap year. Go out and explore the world, whether it be with work or travel or helping others. You only have so much time to make a memorable impact on your life. Just don’t feel regret when you go with your gut 
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Mine took a gap year to attain fluency in a language. Great decision and doing well in the first choice university now!
Amen, Atomic!