Liz's blog

The Wide World of Gap Years

by Robin Pendoley, Co-Founder & CEO of Thinking Beyond Borders

Exploring gap year options is not always an easy task. Here are some quick tips to help you find all of the options and begin to narrow them down to the best fit for you.
Where Do I Find Gap Year Options?
Unfortunately, there is no single source for information on every gap year opportunity. However, there are some great places to gather the options:

* Your High School Guidance Counselor – Many guidance counselors encourage students to consider a gap year during the college planning process. Visit your counseling office to ask for brochures and recommendations from the educators you know and trust.

Peterson's College Search (A Comprehensive Guide to College Education in the U.S.) does a great job of succinctly outlining most popular alternatives for transitioning to college including a gap year. Read the article, Should You Take a Gap Year Before College and Explore Alternatives?

Article Quote:

"Many students (and their parents) worry about getting off the college-bound train, but we have found that most students interested in higher education will go to college, and that a gap year of some kind often increases their motivation for college and their odds of success once they enroll."

Associated Press article Paying for a post-high school gap year need not deplete the college savings.

Eileen AJ Connelly writes "The growing popularity of taking a gap year has generated much attention about the cost. Prepackaged programs promising life-altering experiences are replacing the old model of backpacking across Europe. Programs can charge $30,000 or more. But it’s possible to get the benefits of time off without digging into savings, if you have a plan."

Read the article in its entirety.

This article was submitted by Carys Hutton via Travellers Worldwide

When did you decide to take a gap year and why?
I decided in my final year at university to take a gap year after graduating. I wanted to follow my degree with a masters but wasn’t sure if this was the right choice at the right time. I have always wanted to take some time to go traveling and this seemed like the perfect time.

Where did you go and why?

Great article from MSNBC Nov 2010 reveals gap year trend steadily growing in US.

Linda H. Connelly, post-high school counselor at New Trier Township High School, outside of Chicago, was quoted as saying "Low achievers, ultra-high achievers, and those in between, and can benefit from time off, to stave off burnout and indulge in a little self-discovery...they want to explore what’s out there in the world. It’s a time to reflect and not at such a fast pace. Students learn a lot, it helps them figure out what they want. I see kids blossom, find their passions.”
Read More U.S. students taking ‘gap year’ break..

According to a January 2007 Time article Democracy Reborn, by Rich Stengel, a 'youth quake' of participation in the voting process is taking hold in America, reversing successive declines in election cycles between 1972 and 2004. Stengel comments that "young people sense they are coming of age at a time when leadership, and their role in choosing it, really matters".