Burned Out Before You Begin College? Consider a Gap Year.
If you’re feeling fried from high school and the college admissions rat race, realize there’s no law saying you need to go directly to college. As the New York Times recently reported, more and more students are taking a “gap year” -- a year between high school and college devoted to work, an internship, travel, teaching, or just taking time off. A gap year can have many advantages as it allows students to mature, gain international experiences, focus their interests, find direction, and recharge their passion for learning.
Colleges are beginning to recognize the value of a break from academics after high school. Princeton President Shirley M. Tilghman recently set up a committee to explore a “bridge year” program for incoming students. With university support, students in the program would engage in a year of public service abroad prior to attending Princeton. Tilghman sees the benefits as many, but they boil down to admitting students who are less burned out, more worldly, and in a better position to have a meaningful college experience.
The majority of college-bound high school students are charged up and ready for campus life. If you aren’t, a gap year may be a great option. And an acceptance letter from a college doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go now -- many schools allow deferment for a year.
Photo by Endlisnis / Flickr
Comments
I think a break year is needed for many more students than we realize. This may be one of the contributing factors to the high attrition rate of college freshman across the country. However, the reality is that giving your children an opportunity for a break year is problematic since children over the age of 19 are not eligible for health insurance unless they are full-time students. Or they can try to get a full-time job w/ benefits, which is difficult for students with a high school diploma only.
A gap year is a great idea. As far as health insurance goes, there are policies available for those doing organized gap year programs abroad, and at a very reasonable price, through CMI Insurance Specialists. I do not work for CMI, in case you were wondering!