<p>My child deferred her entry to college (for one year), back East, to pursue two different experiences on two different continents. She is having a life-changing and maturing experience, and I cannot speak highly enough of what the experience has done for her.</p>
<p>Again, I cannot recommend the Gap year enough!</p>
<p>And, a nice perk of the year is that she has attained advanced fluency, in one language, and, in the next part of her Gap year, will refine her other foreign language (we are still waiting for English fluency--LOL).</p>
<p>And for the oft-spouted response that parents are afraid that their child may lose interest in returning to school--studies, based on 7 years of data--are showing higher college GPAs, less depression, less suicide, in the Gap "Year-ers." My child, for one, is very eager to start college but is relishing her year off of what she calls the "hamster wheel of stress."</p>
<p>I am taking a gap year as well. While I wish I was doing something amazing like your daughter (in particular, becoming fluent in an other language - which I think is only going to become increasingly valuable), I feel that the gap year is essentially a no-lose proposition. Even working a minimum wage job, which I did for a few months, was a great learning experience. Searching for a new job? A great experience as well. I am also going to WWOOF second semester, and I am/will be doing lots of reading on philosophy / investing. What I gain is a whole lot of real world perspective. What do I lose? Umm…let’s see, I start school one year later? Big deal.
More teens should seriously consider against rushing into college. I know I will be a better student come next year, thanks to this gap year.</p>
<p>Well said, DoinSchool–and a minimum wage job is no less an “experience,” really, than pushing one’s stuck canoe through alligator-infested waters on the Bolivian Amazon. They both have value. </p>
<p>Have a wonderful rest of your Gap year–you will be well-served by the experience and, also, less inclined to fall into some of the more sophomoric behaviors, freshman year.</p>
<p>So. American program, currently (Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador–she is in the Galapagos, as I type), for one semester and, then, home for 3 weeks, and then off to Israel for Jan-June. Feel free to privately message me for specific details. Her current So. American program is fabulous–so well-run, amazing leaders, great group peers, wonderful and intermittent home stays and community service work. </p>
<p>1/2 of her group is doing a Gap year–the other half are current college students taking a semester “off.” They are all amazing and wonderful, my daughter reports.</p>
<p>The organization for the So. America trip was/is on top of everything from medical issues (a lot of GI stuff, unfortunately) to political upheaval. </p>
<p>Happy to give you more info, privately. :-)</p>
<p>The gap year only works for those HS graduates who are of age- 18. The gifted students who are not of legal age are very restricted in what they can do except going on to college. But then, they are the ones who will likely be into an academic setting until they are 30 or forever. For those students travel is best during a semester aberoad or a smaller vacation. A minority I realize, but I have to point out that one size never fits all- taking time off before college to be closer in age to college peers isn’t feasible (we considered it) for those students who need/thrive on the academic/imtellectual challenges formal education offers. Getting a local job with mere HS skills would not have been good for my child. Travel requires parents until one is 18 (and while treated as an adult by the school and dorm, son could not have rented a campus area apartment even with a parent cosigner until he was 18).</p>
<p>I took a gap year many years ago. I spent the year in France living with a French family and studying French. The first part of the year I studied at a language institute with students from around the world. The second half of the year I also audited classes at the local university. I traveled, picked grapes, made friends with local high school students through various exchanges. One of my brothers (who unlike me can sing) sang in the local chorus. </p>
<p>I took a second gap year before grad school - that year I had a grant and traveled all over the US taking photos of firehouses. Neither experience kept me from going back to school.</p>
<p>My fluency in French allowed me to take advanced lit classes and also to write a senior thesis about low cost housing in Europe for which I was able to obtain a grant to do research in Paris and Berlin. I also found picking up a second language (German) was much easier. Surprising since German is not a romance language.</p>
<p>I was 16 when I graduated from high school.</p>
<p>My child is not yet 18, and her Gap year seems to be working out, just fine.</p>
<p>mathmom, what an amazing “gap” year long before it was au courant (the extent of my French; Spanish is my foreign language). And we are encouraging my daughter to do a Gap year, again, between undergrad and medical school (should that prove, still, to be her heart’s desire).</p>
<p>My wife was 16 when she graduated from high school, and she deferred college admission and took a gap year. She lived at home and worked at residential facility for autistic children a few miles away. (Yes, there used to be such things.) It was great for her. She was still only 17 when she started college.</p>
<p>Plenty of kids travel at 15, 16, 17, by the way. Why do you think that requires parents, wis75?</p>
<p>Hi Parents!
I’m a current HS student, I don’t want to interupt this discussion but this topic really appeals to me. I was wondering, how does one go about finding a gap year program? When does one apply for it? How expensive are these programs and can one recieve some sort of FA/ scholarship to pay for the expenses? </p>
<p>I would also appreciate some info on good gap programs for kids who have started college but decide to take a break to do something interesting such as teach English somewhere. If anyone knows about a program rather than just applying for jobs out of the country I would appreciate your help. I think gap years are great for almost everyone and they are terrific for those who just need to wind down before starting up again. The above gap years sound wonderful…including the students who have gotton jobs and have been exploring areas of interest. It is a great time in your life and why not take advantage of this period where you don’t have any responsibilties.</p>
<p>I don’t necessarily think the “gap” year has to be between high school and freshman year of college. Some kids just burn out mid-way of college and gapping a year then can be valuable. I think it’s a great idea at the right time and don’t think it’s a concept that should be “restricted” to between high school and college.</p>
<p>And mdh “gap year” isn’t a program per se, it’s simply delaying whatever the next step is for a year. It’s not affiliated with any educational system K-12 or college. Some kids work, some kids do some foreign travel or study, some kids volunteer for a year…it’s simply “time out”.</p>
<p>I know a very interesting college junior who is taking a gap year - she’s working for the fall semester at a job that could be tangentially related to one of her potential long-term career goals and plans to travel in the spring. Seems to be going well so far.</p>
<p>I took what turned out to be a gap year between undergraduate and grad school. Having graduated in three years, I was able to use what would have been my senior year in college to explore some career possibilities, decided I didn’t like any of the options available to me with my current degree, and applied to grad school. I had originally planned to travel but a change in family circumstance made that impossible (at least in my perception) so I ended up taking a series of minimum wage jobs. Just the experience of living on my own as a “responsible adult” was probably the best education I could have had at that point.</p>
<p>None of my kids have opted for a gap year, yet. As long as they have a plan other than sitting around the house playing videogames, I’m good with it if they decide to.</p>
<p>@momofthreeboys: Oh yes I do understand that a gap year is not a program but a year you take off from your academic study, however, if i were to pursue a gap year, I would want to participate in a program like SWHarborfan’s D currently takes part in. Doing community service in another country in particular. I would assume these are programs one would have to seek and pay for, but it seems like too much of a great opportunity to pass by. :)</p>
<p>When I looked at gap year programs for D, many of them required her to be 18. Our plan was for her to work 6 months anyway to help fund her year, at which time she would be 18. The gap year didn’t pan out as we felt we had to take advantage of the financial aid opportunities offered at her choice school. But, it was in the plans and schools were willing to defer merit scholarships (but not need based of course). But, the opportunity to do cool things can happen after college as well. I’m so glad it has worked out SWharborfan.</p>
<p>I also took a gap year living abroad between high school and college. It was an amazing experience. The only downside was that I hadn’t written an essay for a whole year and felt uncomfortable doing so once I started school again. But I was never a great writer anyways.</p>