<p>I am currently a senior in high school and I've done well in school. I haven't gotten into any trouble, I've gotten accepted into my number 1 school, I received good merit $, my parents will pay the rest of my college tuition/fees, and after completing several summer programs at different universities, I wouldn't say my maturity level is lacking.</p>
<p>Is doing a gap year a bad idea if you aren't someone who has a valid reason for doing one? (lack of maturity, financial issues, etc)</p>
<p>I just want to travel and experience things-- I feel like I've lived my whole life in a bubble. Of course I value learning, and I'm anxious to start college, but I feel like taking a gap year would be the only time that the stresses of class and schooling wouldn't get in the way.</p>
<p>side note: yes, my college will defer my enrollment a year and my parents are simply unsure of whether taking a gap year is a good idea or not.</p>
<p>Sounds like a perfectly good reason to me. I didn’t take a gap year before college but I did between college and medical school–and you could see a big difference in attitude between those who went straight on and those who had taken time in between–we were much more appreciative of the opportunity to learn and had greater perspective on things. My D1 did a gap year for maturity reasons–but towards the end of that year said “I really miss learning,” and is happy and successful so far in college (one quarter in!). </p>
<p>D1’s college wanted to know her plans for the year before they granted the deferment and that she was doing something of value.</p>
<p>I’m with Sudsie in voting yes for a gap year. I myself took a gap of sorts long ago… nannying for former neighbors here in their homeland abroad. It was a very educational experience. Just make sure the gap ends up with the list of cool projects that you are interested in: any volunteering at places that have a passionate hold on your heart or working for pay at different places to see what it’s like in ‘the real world’ or ??? Sometimes it’s easy to sit and watch reality t.v. all day, sleep until noon, and then spend too much time on FB, etcetera. Make sure you have a plan. I’m all for it. Several of my daughter’s friends did gap years after graduation (class of 2015). You sound like you are very organized and have everything lined up for a gap!</p>
<p>Oh: and a p.s.: you mention stress associated with school/studying, so a gap is great, too, because it might fire you up for college and help you see how college, with all the stress it brings, leads to something good in the end. :)</p>
<p>NEUgirl: I just realized this is posted in study abroad, so are you asking about doing a gap year abroad or a gap year at home? Sorry for a possible misunderstanding on my end because if you want to go to other countries, then my ideas re: projects to do during the gap are kind of illogical, though my daughter did do some volunteer work on her study abroad program (arranged by the program for students)… so I just wanted to add that. :)</p>
<p>A gap year is a bad idea when you’re taking it for some reason other than its own sake.</p>
<p>It’s a bad idea if you’re using it as a delaying tactic, to see whether you can get into a “better” college if you try again. That’s not you.</p>
<p>It’s a bad idea if you’re taking a gap year to put off going to college because you just don’t want to go. That’s not you.</p>
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<p>Despite what you seem to claim in your original post, this is a “valid reason” for taking a gap year. Indeed, I would venture to say it’s most students’ reason for taking one.</p>
<p>It might make frosh year hard if you plan to pick up math studies or foreign language studies where you left off. You could forget a lot through lack of practice.</p>
<p>There are very few times when it’s bad to take a gap year, and the only ones I can think of are
when you would use it to sit on your backside in your hometown for a year, rather than doing something productive
when it would cause you to be in a significantly worse financial position when you start college
if you’re going to major in maths at college - I know UK unis (this being a country where gap yeas are very common) get a bit sniffy about people taking a gap year before a maths degree, because they feel that high-level maths skills are lost very quickly. However, I would disagree with WasatchWriter on the foreign language front - if you take a gap year then you can spend time in a country that speaks that language, and improve very rapidly. </p>
<p>I took a pre-university gap year, learned a lot and had a fantastic time - worked full time for seven months (there’s nothing like working 60 hour weeks on anti-social hours with awful pay, awful customers and awful bosses to make you appreciate university and the value of having a job that you enjoy after you gradate!) followed by 6 months of solo work and travel (there’s nothing quite like being alone on the other side of the world to make you self sufficient and mature!)</p>
<p>Honestly, do it. I never intended to have a gap year - it was rather thrust upon me for reasons outside my control, but regardless of that it was one of the best things I’ve ever done, and if I had my time over again I wouldn’t change a thing. </p>
<p>Where do you think you might like to travel to on your gap year? Any idea of what you might like to do whilst travelling, if there’s anything beyond sightseeing (there’s nothing wrong with that!)? We might be able to give you some good suggestions. One tip for travelling: half as much luggage, twice as much time, and twice as much time! Oh, and skip the organised programs - they’re invariably a rip off, and volunteering in developing countries often does more harm than good, especially when it involves children (if you want to know why, let me know). Return flights, a passport + visa, travel insurance, a backpack, a copy of the Lonely Planet and your first ~3 nights already booked in a hostel are all you really need to go travelling - or at least, that’s how I went!</p>
<p>Wow, thank you for the great responses, everyone!
To clarify, I would like to do a gap year abroad and maybe learn a language…thinking maybe Brazil or Morocco? (I know that seems really random, but they’re places I’ve always been fascinated by!)
My parents would never let me take a year off to just lay around the house! They want me to do something that is at least somewhat educationally stimulating–and they are not advocates of going anywhere without a plan (I do understand their concerns)
I really appreciate all the feedback. I don’t think taking a gap year is a horrible idea for me, but because I’m not really sure, I’ll probably end up starting freshman year and then studying abroad in a few years. However, I still have some thinking to do!</p>
<p>"It’s a bad idea if you’re using it as a delaying tactic, to see whether you can get into a “better” college if you try again. That’s not you.</p>
<p>It’s a bad idea if you’re taking a gap year to put off going to college because you just don’t want to go. That’s not you." </p>
<p>I know someone who took a gap year, applied to a different set of colleges and received much, much better financial aid (close to a full ride). I also think if a student doesn’t want to go to college, he/ she should probably not go because too many students go away and burn through tens of thousands of dollars. </p>
<p>NEU, will your college defer your scholarship? Many schools will defer an enrollment but not necessarily a merit scholarship. If they won’t, perhaps it makes sense to start and take a leave of absence during your studies (in other words, attend freshman year and then take a semester or a year off) or study abroad while in college. I am a fan of gap years but your parents may not want you to walk away from the merit scholarship.</p>
<p>I plan on calling the office when it opens back up to ask about whether my scholarship would still be available after a gap year. If not, then I definitely will not be taking one!</p>
<p>With regards to Morocco and Brazil, I can’t claim to have an in depth knowledge of either country, but I would strongly suggest that you ensure you have at least a grounding in the local language before you go. Otherwise, you’ll be left floundering with no foundation upon which to build your skills. I’d suggest getting some language lessons whilst you’re there too, so as to speed up your progression. You’d also do well to work out ways to avoid other English speakers, as their presence will only hinder your learning. </p>
<p>Do be aware that two languages are spoken in Morocco - Arabic and Berber. I presume it’s Arabic that you want to learn - it’s a very useful language for job applications later on! But, that will affect the parts of the country that you can go to. You could also consider Egypt - which I believe is popular with language learners, due to the dialect that they speak, though I would avoid Cairo due to the political instability (family who have a house in another city tell me that if you’re outside one small part of Cairo, you won’t know anything about the politics). </p>
<p>Brazil, of course, speaks Portuguese, which is a much easier language to learn because there’s no alphabet to learn first! However, like Morocco, it has a well-developed tourism industry, and so English speakers will be your biggest enemy!</p>
<p>My son graduated in 2013 and is taking a gap year. He was accepted at a school that will still honor the scholarship if he chooses to go there next year. He is in a gap year program in Florida and will be spending six weeks in the Middle East with them starting on January 1. It has been an amazing experience for him so far - he has matured more than I would have dreamed possible. He is bipolar and is doing so well that his doctor said he could stop taking meds (yes, I’m a little nervous about that, but I trust his psychiatrist!). He will have a much better chance of succeeding in college now. :)</p>
