<p>Don’t forget, there’s nothing to “swing” unless you were planning on renting out your kid’s room next year. Expensive programs are fine, but a year bagging groceries at the local Safeway can also be invaluable.</p>
<p>^ Agreed. Best of both worlds is to work in a shop for 6 months, saving up enough money to travel for 6 months. Youth hostels in Asia are chock full of 18 year olds doing some version of this, though oddly enough almost no Americans do it.</p>
<p>18 year olds on gap years tend to have more sex with more people, drink more alcohol and vomit in more places in that one year than they do in the entire rest of their lives.</p>
<p>[YouTube</a> - Gap Yah](<a href=“Gap Yah - YouTube”>Gap Yah - YouTube)</p>
<p>lol!</p>
<p>Son is spending the year in South America, teaching in a school in an impoverished area, living with a family. So far, so good. Has become conversant in Spanish, learned a lot about other peoples and cultures and work, become incredibly confident and self-reliant, and had a pretty good time. I don’t think doing this right after high school means he can’t do something similar later, I do think the experience now is incredibly valuable. And, life has a way of taking over as time passes, a lot of things can get in the way of doing something like this after college. Keepittoyourself, I don’t know if you are talking from first hand experience about what people do on a gap year. Spending the year partying your way through Asia, etc., may look a lot like what you describe. But quite a few manage to have a good time while doing something more productive for themselves and others–the work is the thing, it has to be because of the time and commitment it takes. I know my son is having sex, but with just one woman; I know he is doing some partying, but it is really secondary or even tertiary because of the demands of the work; and he got past the vomiting stage in high school. I don’t see any negatives in that. And bores are bores, whatever it is they are droning on about. If I have to hear someone drone, I probably would prefer to listen to stories about travel abroad rather than last night’s frat party, the latest fashion or entertainment news, sports, etc. There certainly are plenty bores out there, but also plenty of people who are jealous when they see others who have had experiences they have not.</p>
<p>^ “those people are just jealous” has never been a very good response to criticism.</p>
<p>After reading these posts, I am not wondering if a gap year is a good idea, but HOW to go about arranging plans with reputable groups. </p>
<p>D is a HS Senior and has applied to colleges already. She probably needs the organized program vs the intrepid backpacker and third world will probably not fly with her father.</p>
<p>Would anyone be able to recommend organizations to check out?</p>
<p>Someone earlier in this thread or another one suggested Where There Be Dragons. The link is below. It looks interesting but is expensive.</p>
<p>[Where</a> There Be Dragons: Summer & Semester Study Abroad Programs for High School & College Students in Asia, Africa & Americas](<a href=“http://www.wheretherebedragons.com/]Where”>http://www.wheretherebedragons.com/)</p>
<p>My daughter spent 6 months teaching in Africa (2 different countries) through Projects Abroad, [Volunteer</a> Abroad with Projects Abroad](<a href=“http://www.projects-abroad.org%5DVolunteer”>http://www.projects-abroad.org). They were, on the whole, well-organized and reliable and moderately priced as these organizations go. She could have gone at age 17 (left shortly after her 18th birthday, as it turned out) and there is no upper age limit on volunteers. It was a great experience for her. She’s now a junior, majoring in history and French, on a semester abroad in France. Happy to say more via PM if anyone is interested, but I don’t check CC regularly.</p>
<p>My daughter also did a stint through Projects Abroad.
She worked two jobs for 5 months, to save the money to volunteer in India, which she did for three months ( then traveled in India for one month), then visiting friends in the UK for almost three weeks, till she came back to Seattle.</p>
<p>She did all the research herself- I was no help- because I was not ready for her to go that far, basically on her own.
But she was!</p>
<p>We could not afford any gap year, we are way too old for that. Not that D. has asked anyway. She is bored in summers except spending time with firends, let alone not doing much for whole year. She never needed to take summer classes, jobs were impossible to find, she did find some volunteering positions and shadowing experiences, but it took enourmous effort to get them. If she wanted, she could have been fluent in couple languages without taking a gap year, she just was never interested, although she knows 3 foreign languages, but not flunently. She has also traveled abroad more than most, including her dream travel to NZ. I just did not see her taking a gap year, not before UG, not before Grad. School. She would have been completely out of her element. She has been very busy all her life. Gap year is not for everybody.</p>
<p>^While I agree that a gap year is not for everybody, I don’t agree that it’s “not doing much for a whole year.” My gapper daughter could attest to that - if she had a minute to spare to do the attesting!</p>
<p>Just a warning: all colleges do not defer. Many do, but not all. And it’s not always on their website, so you have to call.</p>
<p>Miamidap, I agree if your daughter wasn’t interested in doing something different during the year/summers than hanging out with friends, especially since she already had travel experience but wasn’t interested in doing anything more- that she wouldn’t be a good candidate for a gap year.</p>
<p>However, contrary to your experience of thinking it was unaffordable,
my daughter worked two jobs to earn money for her time. I agree it is hard for everyone to find a job in this climate, but she worked retail, and got through it by knowing what she was saving for.
D2 had already traveled much more than I had, she had gone to Ashland Oregon to see the Shakespeare festival in middle school- also in middle school, she went to Hawaii for a marine science trip with the high school & at the end of 8th grade, she went on a NYC/DC trip ( her school used to include Philadelphia as well, but decided it was just * too much* )
I’d only traveled to Colorado to see my brother graduate from college .</p>
<p>Again with a class from her public school, she went to Ghana as a senior.
She really loved seeing things from a new perspective , as well as having the opportunity to feel like she was making a difference.</p>
<p>DS did a few courses in his fresh/soph summer term and is able to take a semester off and still graduate after spring next year. He wants to take a gap semester and go to Europe and Asia, not so much, I’m guessing, to serve humanity but to experience the world by himself, and perhaps with a friend or two. </p>
<p>Firstly, how does one plan the logistics of such a trip, what kind of money does one need to live abroad, or more relevant, what kind of places can you travel to and live in with the kind of money a kid has saved from a couple of summer internships? How do you deal with health insurance (my plan covers kids his age only if they are students), and what are other issues that he should be planning in advance?</p>
<p>To Dad of 3 -There are companies that sell health insurance policies for travellers ([Travel</a> Health Insurance: International Travel Medical Insurance, HTH Worldwide Travel Insurance](<a href=“http://www.hthtravelinsurance.com%5DTravel”>http://www.hthtravelinsurance.com), [International</a> Travel Insurance, Medical & Security Evacuation - MEDEX](<a href=“http://www.medexassist.com%5DInternational”>http://www.medexassist.com), probably others) on a monthly basis, not too expensive. They also do policies for study-abroad students, but any individual can get a travelers policy and the coverage seems pretty comprehensive - including, God forbid, medical evacuation. If your son wants a basically independent and do-it-yourself trip, he really has to do a lot of the research himself, just because he’ll have to handle things himself once he hits the road - but as a parent, I wouldn’t be able to resist sticking my nose in either, both out of concern for him and nostalgia for that brief window of unencumbered youth. If you/he also check out helpx.net (a site I discovered through CC), where people around the world seek out temporary help with whatever in exchange for room and board, it might help him extend his trip.</p>
<p>“However, contrary to your experience of thinking it was unaffordable,
my daughter worked two jobs to earn money for her time.”
-Your D. is very priviled to be able to find 2 jobs. I did not say that it was not affordable because of $$, I said that it was not affordable because of her ancient parents, us. I am talking about our own job security and ability to support her thru Grad. school. I am personally against her taking student loans. She would be very happy to work 5 jobs if she could find a single one. We live in very economically depressed region. One summer she applied to some 30+ very low paying positions and got zero interviews. If any of us will loose a job, we will not find the next one. Kids cannot find positions (exceptions - the ones with connections) becauase they are taken by lots of retirees. We told her while she was in HS, that it will be no gap year, she said she has no plans for it. She has campus job at her UG, she will loose it in few weeks, since she is graduating. Nobody works thru Medical school, so she will not be working for next 4 years. There is nothing to do in our city during summer except to be with friends, no job prospects, only for priviliged few. That is why gap year is not for everybody. Everybody should evaluate their own personal situation. I am glad that some can find jobs and have younger parents, than why not?</p>
<p>I must be the worst parent on CC! Just reading this makes me anxious! I am the most un-helicopter parent around, I have actually visited my son’s college room, 15 minutes away, only once, the day he moved in, and I completely encourage independence etc. I loved when he and girlfriend traveled to Europe (something I have never done) for a couple of weeks over their freshman January break. And had he wanted to study abroad, I would never have stopped him.</p>
<p>But honestly, I am damned glad he has not been too far away these past 4 years. I had major surgery and a cancer scare, and two other surgeries, and a major illness dx, and while I never asked him to be there for me, he indeed visited and a few times helped out by driving his younger brother around for needed things (he goes to state flagship about 15 minutes away, his choice, he got into out of state LACS and state Unis). And twice my H and I have had work trips out of town at the same time and he has come home to be the adult for brother. Again, let me be clear, we would never ask that he choose doing this over his own life goals… and I left home ASAP and never looked back… but we have loved having him nearby and actually growing closer to him over the past 4 years. </p>
<p>The real reason my kids didn’t do gap years is that both of them couldn’t wait to get to college, both of them couldn’t wait to jump into college classes … they were so tired of high school and they craved sucking up knowledge and college life. Also, both were afraid they would forget the math they knew… they both did (or are doing) Calc in 11th grade, and wanted to jump right into more advanced math, even knowing they might have to retake Calc they wanted to do the most advanced level.</p>
<p>And last reason… we are pretty old parents! I can’t wait to be done supporting these guys! A gap year just adds another year until I can turn those boy bedrooms into my fantasy fiber storage rooms… oh, and one will be a train layout room…</p>
<p>Very insightful post! So I’m an international student (but I do have green card) who spent a year in U.S. during my high school years and I already go accepted into my top choice college in the States. I’m definitely doing a gap year; however, I’m going to U.S. for my gap year mainly for two reasons:</p>
<ol>
<li>Immerse in American culture, polish American accent and learn to communicate in English more effectively.</li>
<li>To get some real working experience. Obviously the economy is not helping right now, but any work that deals with people will be very attractive for me. Getting the working experience is all I want.</li>
</ol>
<p>So I was wondering if the parents here have any advice for me to seek these sort of programs? Also any recommendations will be greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>My son is doing a gap year and it’s wonderful. He’s doing an unpaid internship / flunkyship with a professor at Big State U and living at home.</p>
<p>Replying (late) to post number 6 because I just now saw this thread. I haven’t finished reading it, but felt that this was pretty important for other people who may see the thread.</p>
<p>
The gap year mentioned in the OP, and others like it, are only available for 18 and up. As are Americorps and other cool stuff. But the opportunity to work for free may be fairly available, and the opportunity to read voraciously, repaint the living room, and self-study a language is always available.
That’s my kid! 
My son, who matches yours, did programming, unpaid internship, voracious reading…</p>
<p>I just wanted to agree with the OP that a gap year is wonderful, even if the child is still legally a child.</p>
<p>CityYear/Americorps, which my daughter did is for people 17 to 24
[City</a> Year](<a href=“http://www.cityyear.org/default_ektid13307.aspx]City”>http://www.cityyear.org/default_ektid13307.aspx)
</p>
<p>I think the real issues is - - as the title of the thread states - - “if you can swing it.” </p>
<p>The interesting programs are expensive (are they any different than the expensive int’l community service, language immersion or adventure trips high school students take during the summer?). And absent financial necessity, most kids don’t want to spend a year working (usually at a min wage job) prior to going to college - - that is assuming they can find jobs.</p>