A year of life lessons

College freshmen look at gap year amid virus uncertainty

Isaac Toub was in eighth grade when he first considered taking a gap year before college. At the end of middle school, he felt like it would be a good way to get out of school for a year. But today, as he prepares to start traveling — with money he earned from juggling delivery jobs this summer — it’s become something much bigger.

“It’s kind of like an opportunity to do whatever you want, take a year, and settle into yourself,” the 18-year-old said. “You can do a lot in a gap year.”

Initially, the Cheltenham, Montgomery County, resident planned to travel the world before starting school at Drexel University. He envisioned three months in Europe, ringing in the New Year in Amsterdam before stops in Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Spain. He planned to meet a friend in Madrid before traveling to Israel for four months.

But as the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc across continents, his plans are up in the air. And starting college right now won’t provide the “authentic experience“he’s looking for in his first year.

“The way we see it is some country will let us in,” Toub said. “I think entering college with another year of experience of life is definitely beneficial.”

With many universities opting for online instruction this

year — some without tuition reductions — some students are considering a gap year, or community college courses before they start at a four-year institution. For some, the online environment lacks the spirit and social scene of the anticipated first-year experience.

According to a May survey from the American Council on Education and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, about 10% of students are unsure of their plans for the semester. And on the local level, some schools are seeing more students opting for gap years.

At Lehigh University, 30 students are opting to defer admission, compared with 16 the year before, according to Dan Warner, vice provost for admissions and financial aid. At Moravian College,

three students expressed interest in a gap year, spokesperson Mike Corr said.

“It’s weird that more people aren’t doing it,” said Asher Powers, 19, who is spending a second year in Israel before starting at Muhlenberg University. “This would be the perfect time.”

Powers is among 14 students deferring admission before heading to Muhlenberg in fall 2021, according to spokesperson Kristine Todaro. Last year, 15 students took a gap year.

Powers, 19, who grew up in New York, initially opted to study in Israel after graduating high school as a “transfer period” before starting college.

He was impressed with the way his program eased into the online environment, and fondly recalls the moment when they inched back to in-person learning. Now, he’s ready for a second year in the program, which will offer a different course of study than the first, he said.

Powers also thinks staying abroad is a safe option, since Israel was very strict about the shutdown during the first wave of the coronavirus, he said. He planned to fly home to family in the United States in July, but decided against it, afraid he wouldn’t be able to get back.

“America is not in its second wave, yet. America hasn’t finished its first,” he said. “And that’s frightening to me.”

Rina Duggan, a college and career counselor at Allen High School in Allentown, said taking a gap year isn’t common among her students, but many are waiting until the last second to register for college, given the confusion and uncertainty.

“There’s tremendous uncertainty about what an undergraduate will be able to experience — not just this semester, but beyond that,” said Jack Silva, assistant superintendent in Bethlehem Area School District.

Duggan said that some students considered an online university, or a local community college, where classes could be more affordable.

At Northampton Community College, applications have increased according to Sedgwick Harris, vice president of student affairs and enrollment. Fall semester applications are up nearly 5% from the same time last year, he said. Enrollment in the late summer session, which started July 6, surged over 20% more than last year.

Harris said that the school anticipates “very strong enrollment” in August, thanks to local students choosing Northampton as a “cost-effective” and “short term” option.

Recently, Harris said, more than 100 students went to enrollment centers in Bethlehem and Monroe County, where they extended hours to meet the demands of those interested in taking fall classes.

Abby Brody, a self-described “gap year enthusiast” and expert, launched Mind the Gap, a semester designed to teach skills to prepare people for the workforce. While the program is small, Brody is expecting a jump in the spring.

Mind the Gap’s first cohort will start in September entirely online, she said, even though she initially planned an in-person program ahead of the pandemic. The cohort isn’t limited to incoming freshmen, she said.

“This is not a time to graduate into the workforce,” she said. “Whatever you can do to distance yourself from the 2021 spring graduation class, I think, is in your best interest.”

Brody also emphasized the financial side of college amid COVID-19. In the case of schools operating under a hybrid model, students are paying to sit in their dorm room taking online classes, she said.

“This is not a return on investment,” she said. “Your education and your educational experience is worth more.”

Instead, she said, students could spend a year on a road trip with friends. Students can get a lot out of travel, spending time outside of their comfort zones and finding themselves, she said. Gap years don’t have to be expensive, she added.

For Toub, it feels right to take a gap year now. He doesn’t know if he feels ready to go to college now — but he could if he had to, he said. And he’s also not sure when he’ll have another chance to travel abroad.

“I don’t know if there’s any other age where I could just say, ‘OK, I’m going to live somewhere rent-free for eight months and work and save so that I can go and travel and do whatever I want in any other country for six to eight months,’ ” he said. “I don’t think that opportunity really comes around after this.”