<p>I am very interested in hearing what you all think when you consider a gap year (if you consider it at all). This is for students and parents both. It may be this thread dies a quick death which in part would be an answer to my question and curiosity. </p>
<p>For those of you who don't know, some/many educators believe that it is wise to take a year off between high school and college. There are many organized programs to fill this year, and there are also informal ways. The idea is that the transition from HS to college is so important that a year off increases maturity and focus. </p>
<p>Have you considered taking a gap year?</p>
<p>Have you considered suggesting/allowing your child take a gap year? </p>
<p>Do you support it in the abstract, but not for your child? What about for one child and not the other?</p>
<p>My oldest son is planning to take a gap year -- and I support the idea. Not sure about the youngest one, we will have to evaluate when the time comes.</p>
<p>I support it in the abstract, but not necessarily for every kid.</p>
<p>One really big obstacle is that most kids drop off their parents health insurance if they are not full-time students -- and it can be costly to get individual coverage. </p>
<p>We told my son that he will need to earn money to pay for his gap year (we will still give him some money each month, but not even close to the amount he would need to live on) so finding a job and working and saving will be part of his gap year plan.</p>
<p>Depends upon the child/student and what the options are. For an immature sheltered child facing matriculation at a large, impersonal state university, an extra year of maturation might be beneficial. For an athlete seeking further growth, development & academic preparation, then a PG year at a private prep school may help. Enrolling in the military may help with maturity, travel & costs. Depends upon the child. And upon the parents. And upon the particular facts & circumstances of each case.</p>
<p>One of my friends just completed her gap year at an orphanage in southern Asia...</p>
<p>I wouldn't do it, the reports I've read from students doing Gap years generally aren't good...problems with the program, housing, other people, etc. </p>
<p>Just a warning- they're probably not like that in general, I just happened to read the bad reviews. :|</p>
<p>it also depends on what the reasons are for the gap year and what the plans are for the time.</p>
<p>I also know that some students are offended when it is suggested they take a gap year -- they assume that parents think they aren't "ready" to handle college or that they aren't ready to let them go.</p>
<p>I am sure there are problems -- but that is part of the process of learning. It shouldn't be a vacation -- but rather a learning about life in the real world experience.</p>
<p>there have been a ton of threads on gap years here on CC: Privacy</a> Policy of College Confidential.com</p>
<p>I don't know why it says "privacy policy of CC" -- it is a link to the google search for "gap year" here on CC.</p>
<p>Let me answer this both as a parent as well as as a medical school professor and from personnal background.</p>
<p>1) When I was at Stanford, 80% of the students did 2 quarters overseas with a 3rd quarter off overseas. If you were premed, you then took courses such as Gouthe, European history, etc -- and you did not fall behind in your premed courses. As such, the University encouraged a gap year which this served as.</p>
<p>2) As a parent, I would have no problem. The timing would depend on my child. If they are sure in what they wanted to do, I might encourage it toward the end of college. If they are entering college without any idea what they want to do, I would encourage it early on. After the freshman year might be a good place (as already accepted at school).</p>
<p>3) As a medical school admission committee person, I like it. It shows that they were smart enough to figure out that they needed to do something. Obviously it makes a differance if they take that year lying on the beach in Mexico or backpacking throughout Europe.</p>
<p>Of course as everyone has said it depends on the student and their reasons. One of our children took a gap year as a breather after going to a very high powered secondary school. S/he did a structured travel program the first semester and the second semester lived at home, took extension school classes and had a volunteer job in the medical field. This was beofre it was quite so common to do so, and our reasons for supporting the gap year had nothing to do with immaturity, being burned out, or as yet another piece of resume-polishing --it just seemed like a good idea to have a few months that wasn't crammed with so many opportunities and obligations before starting in again at college. That being said, (see princessdad's comment) the volunteer job, which continued as paid employment throughout summers in college, led directly to his/her admission to medical school.
One other child went straight to college, which was perfect, and another is doing a gap year for athletic reasons. So as everyone has said, it really depends on the child, but there are tremendous opportunities out there.</p>
<p>But much of what students do in a gap year could easily be accomplished during the summer break or by taking a semester or a year studying abroad. The well intentioned students I know that took a gap year did not fare well. Those trying hockey juniors, however, did much better.</p>
<p>i'm planning to take a gap year if i can raise enough money to support myself for that long. i was planning to travel the world and then go to college or i could just do that after college, who knows?</p>
<p>I'm thinking of taking a year or two off between undergrad and grad</p>
<p>i cant imagine myself taking a whole year off, and then bieng prepared to jump into college.</p>
<p>Interesting responses. Our situation is that S took all of his junior and senior classes this year (11th grade) so he can go abroad as an exchange student for his entire senior year. Effectively this will be a gap year for him. Staying at our PS would have been a year of treading water and he wanted no part of that...</p>
<p>that sounds like a great plan -- what exchange program will he be doing?</p>
<p>Lax.
That sounds like a great year. The only thing, from reading some threads here and elsewhere on the exchange programs (such as the one offered by ?exeter), make sure that the family he stays with is ok. Also, I would check with colleges re: interviews, etc. That being said, I think that is the perfect type of gap year.</p>
<p>We also get people applying to medical school that did something else - or worked - after college and then decided they wanted to do med school. They turn out to be some of the best students.</p>
<p>What an interesting topic Laxtaxi! I really like the idea of a gap year (depending on the student), and will be open to exploring this when the time comes -- though we're a few years away since my oldest is now in 8th grade. Laxtaxi, we have friends whose D had the same situation as yours -- had completed all high school requirements by 11th grade, and then took senior year as a gap year, one semester each in different countries, with one of those semesters involved in a community service project. To me, it sounds like an amazing growth experience, with the view that real life experience, both through travel and going outside one's comfort zone are most invaluable. I also think a gap year is worth considering if someone has gone through an extremely rigorous secondary school program, just to recharge for college. When you look back at your own college experience, would it really have made any difference if you had started at 18 or 19? If this is something my son wants to explore in a few years, I would be very supportive. But what may be right for one child in the family, may not be the right thing for a sibling. For instance, while my oldest will be heading off to BS for 9th grade, he has a sibling for whom BS would never be the right option. Lax, your S's choice sounds perfect for him and a life experience that will enrich his outlook for the rest of his life.</p>
<p>Skibum
Let me give you an alternative. I have lots of students who do their premed studies in three and then start medical school. I usually vote against them.</p>
<p>I think your friends' D should have used her senior year to take Shakespear, Hx of Europe, gay/black/male writers, art...</p>
<p>The problem with education is that we are pushing our kids to do the required and the needed for their future occupations. They need to stop and smell the roses. Take courses for fun. My nephews graduated from Exeter and they say that their only problem was they did not do enough. Let them enjoy being young and take diversified classes. </p>
<p>Now if the only way they can study abroad is by doing their 3 years, ok -- but they should take some of the "fun" classes there!</p>
<p>laxtaxi,
Is your son doing a program like AFS or Rotary?</p>
<p>Princess'dad -- I am in total agreement with you; my point was that there is no reason to not take a year and do something that will add to one's character. What I envision as a gap year is typically a year taken at the end of HS/BS after 4 years, just to mature and see the world, as is quite commonly done in Europe, though in some cases, like Laxtaxi's son, there are some who have completed their education requirements in 3 years (which in the cases that I have seen, is not a case of kids working feverishly with blinders on, but certain talented kids who have been able to skip a number of courses due to their various levels that they were at when they entered HS). But yes.....I'm all for enjoying the journey along the way!</p>
<p>S has an acute interest in international relations and languages generally and the mid-east specifically. He is involved with Seeds of Peace and has traveled on summer programs to Morocco and Egypt. His coming exchange program in Turkey is through AFS. None of this was through our direction - this is all on him. We just follow along and support his passions. We are very aware that the family situation abroad is very important. We trust S completely to make the best of what's offered him and to advocate for himself to change an unacceptable placement. He is remarkable.</p>
<p>We are aware of the challenges of interviewing from abroad. The schools in which he is interested have alumni interviewers there, and we will probably spend some time this summer going through and making sure he has arrangements made ahead of time as much as possible...</p>
