College Success Guide Missing The Gap Year Option

I recently reviewed an article on the internet entitled 'A Student's Guide to College' http://www.gonorth.org/start/highschl.htm.

Like many college guides the article points out the pitfalls that prevent so many from succeeding, but don't get to the root cause, nor do they offer real solutions. For example, One tip offered in the article is "Advance Preparation for Independent Management". Here's what it says:

"I can tell you that the best students come already prepared to manage themselves like adults. They have already established good study habits, keep to a bedtime, participate in a sport, go to class and make efforts to earn friends most like them, with similar interests and good habits as well."

Okay,so to be one of the "best" students, one needs to arrive on campus prepared to "manage themselves like adults". Okay, Mom's and Dad's, granny's and grandpa's, guardian's etc., ask yourself, is the student you are supporting able to do even 3 or 4 of the 6 things mentioned by the author? One solution to develop these softer "life skills" is to help your student participate in a structured gap year program. Visit our database to get some ideas at https://www.planetgapyear.com/gap-year-options

There are many articles and books written by educators and college admissions counselors who repeat over and over again that so many college freshman are ill-prepared to handle living independently at age 17, and are unable to balance the social and academic demands of college life in America.

So why aren't colleges, the U.S. government, doing everything possible to help students succeed in college? Money... Parents and students get caught up in the marketing foisted upon them by the nations public and private institutions who desperately rely on tuition and fees. The government keeps extending the loans and grants to both students and parents. But no one is going to save your student from failure or mediocrity during college except you, or the student, or the both of you together.

I have to ask the question: Why don't more parents and educators in the U.S. see the merits of an extra year between high school and college? Imagine, 12 short months out of a life to take a year to gain confidence, follow a passion, learn to live independently, and gain direction BEFORE going to college. Instead, arrive at college with confidence, know why you are there, what your passion is and what your future career looks like. College is just too expensive for most to use as a "growing up", "exploring college majors","farting around" experiment!

Taking an extra year or two between high school and college takes the traditional academic PRESSURE off young adults that they face throughout high school, and offers the chance to develop much needed life skills at a critical time. So what's there to gain from a gap year? How about learning to live independently, manage a budget and broaden your view of the world. Folks, this does not happen by sitting in the traditional classroom and working as a lifeguard or as a waiter/waitress at the beach before college. It's a big world. Get overseas and see how other people live.

Read the books written by gap year researchers and educators in this fascinating field of college planning. Their research and studies show that students that take a gap year either before college arrive on campus more mature, have a clearer idea of what their interests are, and overall are better prepared to face the challenges that college life brings. Why do you think increasing numbers of U.S. college admissions offices encourage a gap year? Because their own statistics show that these students who are a year older and more experienced do better than their counterparts who start college the September after they graduate from high school. College success comes to those who realize that preparing for college is not just academics, but exploring your interests and passions and broadening your world view through travel, volunteering and other experiences BEFORE college.