The Debate Rages On!! To Take a Gap Year, or Not to Take a Gap Year
I just reviewed the article "Gap Year Now or Study Abroad?" by Leobardo Espinoza Jr.in the New York Times, posted March 21, 2013. Follow the link:
http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/21/envelope-please-leobardo-e...
This article reminds me that there continues to be a mind-set that is deeply embedded in our culture in America that makes people "afraid" to deviate in any way from the rigid path we are expected to follow from high school, to obtaining a college degree to landing the first job. Any alternative paths automatically raise red flags. Frankly, I'm convinced that the fear that dissuades some people from considering a gap year is routed in the same fear that many Americans harbor around the fear of taking time off from work.
It is no wonder that deferring admission to college for a year to take a "gap year" is a difficult decision for Leobardo, the student who authored the article. I have blogged about the benefits of taking a gap year several times over the past 5 years on my blog, and the statistical evidence has continued to accumulate (read the comments made on this article and see the statistics cited by the recently formed American Gap Year Association (AGA). It is a myth that gap years lead people away from higher education. I have documented many successful successful gap year stories on planetgapyear.com.
I'm sure Leobardo will make the right choice, and take the gap year!
