Planning Advice

Please read author Kristin White's blog post below outlining her new gap year planning book, and then follow link at bottom of blog to her site.

I am the author of a new book called “The Complete Guide to the Gap Year: The Best Things to Do Between High School and College.” As an educational consultant, I work with students who are applying to colleges and private schools and other educational options, but I found that helping students craft an exciting gap year program was my favorite part of the job. I ended up writing this book because there are so few good books out on the gap year. There are some that are focused on British students, on backpackers and travelers, or for parents, but there really wasn’t a comprehensive directory of structured programs, or a book that included chapters about the college admissions implications of the gap year. I spent a year researching and writing the book and I found a few facts which might be new or interesting information for you.

The New York Times Business section recently published Delaying College for a Year Could Have Benefits, an article by Jonathan Glater which argues that NOW is an ideal time to take a year out, because college funds are scarce. Read the article, then return to our Gap Year Options database to find specifics on a range of volunteer service,volunteer travel, study abroad, internships, and more!

Listen to Planet Gap Year interview the 2009 Gap Year Fairs Sponsor, Greg Cappello of Dynamy Internship Year. Discover why students and parents across the U.S. are jumping at the opportunity to attend these events.



A recent article in the Miami Herald titled "Economic Downturn Forces Students to Rethink College", by Andres Viglucci points to the fact that families and students are looking for cost saving options to start college. The author says more students are applying to less costly in-state schools vs. expensive out of stat, and more opting for community college.

Like many articles popping up lately on the Internet, the columnist points out that students are DEFERRING college entrance to work for a year. This development reinforces the trend that college admissions offices have been reporting even prior to the economic crisis, and which suggests more and more students will be planning 'gap years' now and in the future.

Ethan Knight, executive director of Carpe Diem International will discuss the benefits of a gap year between high school and college at the upcoming Pacific Northwest Homeschool College Fair in Bothell, Washington. Portland-based Carpe Diem offers three-month group semesters abroad to gap year students.

Demand for Student Gap Year Programs Growing

I recently read an article published in the Denver Post titled, Attention College Bound Seniors, by Ryan Brown. The author, a Duke University student, encourages high school seniors getting ready for college application process to consider a gap year before going straight to college. Ryan didn't take a gap year, but says she wishes someone would have told her it was okay to take time out between high school and college. She says, "think of the cool things you could do with a free semester, or year, like hold down a full time job, learn a language or join AmeriCorps."

I just read an article Change the World-on Dad's Time, by Judith Timson, of the Toronto Globe and Mail. The article takes a humorous poke at the upper-middle class appeal of the voluntourism industry, yet rightly points out the positive personal impact international volunteering can have in the lives of students.

What's the Idea Behind Taking a Gap Year?

This blog is written especially for students, parents, and guidance counselors who want a better understanding of gap year, and to learn why a growing number of Independent Education Consultants are recommending a year out between high school graduation and starting college.

Even though the gap year is more widely understood in the U.S today, than say, five or ten years ago, we feel compelled to educate the masses, especially in the U.S. about this growing trend! "Gap year" is a term that refers to a prolonged period (often, but not always, a year) between two major life stages. Most gap years are taken pre- or during matriculation in a university or college, between college and graduate school and a profession.

The following question was emailed to Planet Gap Year last week from a student named Ryan in Wisconsin. With his permission, we are posting his email to show our readers an example of the increasing interest shown by American students to choose volunteer service in the US for a gap year. My answer to his question is at the bottom of the page.

I have a question about taking a gap year. Right now I am a college freshman at a university located in Kenosha, Wisconsin. I was looking at different options on your website for a gap year and one really caught my eye. It was the Habitat for Humanity-Americorps one.

I read an article published in January 08 on the personal finance site TheStreet.com entitled How to Get Uncle Sam's Help With Student Loans by Laura Moran. My summary below is worth a read if you want to take time out to volunteer and reduce your educational debt at the same time!