College Confidential Site Answers Questions About Gap Year

I recently reviewed the College Confidential web site College Admissions Resources From CollegeConfidential.com and found a great article written by one of their admissions counselors called Pro's and Con's of Gap Year. By the way, College Confidential's site offers free college admissions based content in the form of articles, and a discussion forum to help students and parents navigate the complexities of the college admissions process. They also offer a host of fee based admissions counseling packages. As college planning and taking a gap year often go hand in hand, I recommend this site as a useful resource.
The article makes a few points that I think are of particular value to Planet Gap Year Readers. First, the author’s advice is to come up with a plan, even if it is preliminary, before committing to a year off. The article says that they have heard from dissatisfied “gappers” who complain that they didn’t have any fufilling activities lined up, once there friends had headed off to college in the fall. Planning for a gap year definiatley takes planning and initiative. In some cases, if a family can afford it, a fee based gap year planning cosultant may be the answer. However, many students have planned their own successful gap year experiences using the internet, reading books, and talking to others who have gone before them. I don’t like to hear about these folks wasting precious time sitting around the house!

Second, the article includes two great community service programs that actually pay students for their participation! Hurrah, let’s show parents and students that a gap year doesn't have to cost a fortune, and is not just reserved for the wealthy.
At Planet Gap Year, we want to get the word out about budget options for taking a year out. Opening up the opportunity of a gap year to students from lower and middle income backgrounds is very important to us. If you have any suggestions, please email us using our contact page. A growing number of organizations offer financial aid, grants, stipends, etc. to help make experiences more affordable. Many of these offer college credit as well.