<p>I cannot find any posts that talk about gap years because my 'search' function on CC is not working... so I am just trying to find out more about this topic basically. I am seriously considering doing a gap year but I do not know what kind of opportunities are available out there for gap year students, how you go about doing it, etc. So, I just was curious to hear ANY insight that you all have on gap years, whether you have taken on or not. Thanks!</p>
<p>Search on amazon or other booksellers. There are some good books on gap years, taking a year off, etc.</p>
<p>Hey, I'm wondering too. I just started a gap year, but have anxiety about being a year older than everyone else. I know this is ridiculous, but I do worry about constantly feeling like an old lady. Any opinions/insight?</p>
<p>Char, Assuming you go to a school with NO graduate programs at all, then 3/4s of the student body will be a year older than the incoming first years. A number of the incoming first years are also boys with year end birthdays whose parents held them back a year (very common in our area). </p>
<p>The only reason you may feel 'old' is that having spent an extra year working before college, you will have life experiences that give you an advantage over your peers.</p>
<p>If by "gap year" you are referring to taking a year off between high school and college, I applaud your maturity. My wife did this when she graduated from high school and received enormous negative responses from her friends and family. They told her that she wouldn't go to college unless she did so right away. They questioned the intelligence of her decision. In the end, she disregarded her detractors, got an apartment with her best friend and worked as a bank teller. She made a crappy wage and gained life experience. She was able to save up some money for college, but more importantly, she got past the immature drinking and pot smoking phase that results in high drop out numbers. She also had exposure to people who hadn't gone to college and were unable to capitalize on their careers, and were still unhappily being bank tellers at 45 years old. She came into college a year older than the average freshman but did better in her classes and had a more fulfilling experience.</p>