Should I take a gap year between high school and college?

If you or someone you know is finishing up their last year of high school this thought may be entering minds, “Should I take a gap year?”

A “gap year” is a year off from studies between high school and the first year of college. It’s not a vacation year, either. It should be time put to productive use.

Many students take a year off because they are tired of the academic grind. So taking a gap year really depends on your motivation and purpose. 

 

Taking a year off from academia is the perfect opportunity to learn about yourself and the world around you. So if a gap year is what you need, plan for it now.

First, you can plan on traveling around California, the USA or perhaps abroad. Check the Internet for programs and cost to see if this idea would work for you. 

Perhaps you have a career field of interest you’d like to explore? Spend some time working in that field as either a volunteer or intern. It will be time well spent for you’ll learn real fast if this profession matches your personality and true interests. If it doesn’t, look into another area.

You can easily find a volunteer program in the United States or abroad where you can work in a hospital, build houses, tutor children, or get your hands dirty on a cleanup project around the Santa Monica Bay.

Think about taking a few classes at a community college to improve grades in classes you did poorly on in high school. This will improve your GPA and perhaps gain entry into a better college.

According to Mike McPhate in the New York Times, an increasing body of evidence points to the intelligence of taking a gap year. Research show students taking a gap year perform better academically than ones who didn’t. Also gap year students tend to “end up in more satisfying careers.”

Harvard University has encouraged gap years for decades. Malia Obama heard that call. The president’s eldest daughter will be taking a gap year prior to starting at Harvard in the fall of 2017.

A gap year is a great way for young adults to find themselves, learn about their true interests, and perhaps earn a little money to help pay the expensive college bills.

Whatever you decide to do, plan ahead so your gap year bears fruit that will make your college experience more worthwhile.

 

 

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