Questions to ask before taking a gap year
High school seniors are on the cusp of significant change as they begin their final year of secondary school. As students try to decide what to do after high school, many will be preoccupied with applying to college and exploring their interests in the hopes of finding the right subject to study upon enrolling in college or university. Students consider those weighty decisions while simultaneously preparing to leave home for the first time and focusing on their schoolwork. While the vast majority of high school seniors will enroll in a college or university in the fall after they earn their high school diplomas, a small but growing number of teenagers are taking gap years. A gap year is a year away from the classroom between high school and college that students use to gain more life experience as they try to decide what they want to do with the rest of their lives. The Gap Year Association notes that gap year planning should be conducted with purpose and intent. While the gap year need not be as structured as a typical school year, a year entirely free of structure might not provide the insight students are hoping for. In fact, the Gap Year Association recommends students answer the following questions before taking a gap year so they can be sure they’re making the best decision possible.
How can I make college possible after my gap year?
The Gap Year Association recommends students confirm whether they need to defer, take a leave of absence or arrange for a Consortium Agreement in order to enroll in college after their gap years. Make a note of all deadlines, including when tuition deposits are due, before taking a gap year so your enrollment is not jeopardized.
How long do I have for my gap year?
Fitting a gap year into existing academic structures should allow students ample time to get what they want out of their gap years and still afford them the chances to earn money via summer jobs. So students who plan to travel or volunteer overseas should aim to do so during the months they would normally be in school.
Should I go with a group or go it alone?
Students should assess how they have fared in collaborative situations in the past as they try to decide if a group setting or something more independent is best for them.
Students may fare better in teams or working alone, and that can be used to inform their decisions. However, students who want to challenge themselves to grow may benefit by making a decision that takes them out of their comfort zones.
How much structure I need?
Some students may take gap years to get a break from the structure of student life. But students should be honest with themselves when assessing just how little structure they can handle. A year completely free from structure can be disorganized and therefore not as enlightening as students hope. In addition, students must consider safety concerns when deciding how much structure they want. Going it alone with very little structure may put students in compromising, unsafe situations, a potentially dangerous course for students who have spent their lives within the often protective confines of school and family.
Where do I want to be, and what do I want to do?
A lack of purpose or direction during a gap year will not provide students with much insight into themselves and the world. Students should determine where they want to be and what they want to do (i.e., volunteer, teach, etc.) before deciding to take a gap year.
What is my budget?
Gap years can be enlightening, but they also can be expensive. Students should figure out how they’re going to finance their gap years in advance. Students who will need to work during their gap years should make sure work does not take up so much time that the goal of their gap year, namely learning about oneself, is compromised.
Gap years can help students learn about themselves. But like many of the other decisions facing teenagers as they prepare to graduate high school, the decision to take a gap year requires careful consideration of a host of factors.