It’s time for parents in the U.S. to realize the benefits of sending their kids off for a gap year before college.
They’ve done it for decades in the UK and Australia, but for some reason many parents in America are unaware of this possibility, or fear this may lead to:
- laziness
- waste of time
- waste of money
- a kid who refuses to go to college after their gap year
Well I disagree, and here’s why.
Your child has been learning in school for about thirteen years straight. He’s burnt out. He’s not sure what he wants to study, but as a parent, we prefer him to get into college right away so he doesn’t miss an opportunity to get a degree. Everything is so competitive that we believe if we don’t act now our kid will never get in. Wrong. In fact, Princeton encourages a gap year. Harvard’s a big fan too, and so is Tufts and MIT.
So why are some of the most prestigious universities in the nation urging students to consider something that would make most parents cringe? “Better-prepared students mean higher completion rates. And it’s completion that matters,” according to the article, “Should your child have a ‘gap year’ before college?” With nearly 30% of all students who enter college not returning for their sophomore year, and three out of five students not finishing their degree in four years, parents and students are potentially “wasting” a ton of money.
Of course, all parents want their kids to succeed, but not all kids are ready for college; some like Rebecca in this video below, aren’t sure what they want to study and end up wasting an extra year or two switching majors. This turns out to be even more expensive in the long-run than had she taken a year off (which she did) and discovered what she wanted to do with her life.
So what can a student do during their gap year?
- Travel
- Volunteer abroad
- Work
- Internships
Usually a gap year involves travel abroad, volunteering and work experience as well as internships.
Global volunteer network: Is an example of a non profit organization which places volunteers in community projects worldwide.
Rebecca, a young student in the video, says she had no clue what she wanted to study after graduating high-school and her gap year working on projects in Romania and Ghana, taught her life skills and offered so many opportunities when she returned home.
The benefits of a gap year to a student:
- Experience the world
- Meet another culture
- Grow as a person
- Discover yourself
- Open your mind to other possibilities
The gap year is not just for 18-year-olds graduating high school. In the onlineathens, Smith, 23, had a year off before starting medical school and decided to ride in the Great Divide Mountain Bike Race — a 2,745-mile run from Banff, Canada, to a border station near Antelope Wells, New Mexico. Smith and his friend Giannini finished the race in 17 days, 22 hours and raised more than $4,000 for the Children’s Miracle Network.
“There’s not a lot of times in your life when you have the time and you’re still in good enough physical shape to do something like this. Most of the time we were basically out of contact, so we couldn’t have any real responsibilities, like families or jobs that we had to take care of. But it was worth it.”
For those of you looking for information on what your student can do during a gap years, Education.com offers helpful tips and links.
So what do you think of a gap year for students? Any experience you want to share?
What about for adults? Please stay tuned. That will be in a future post.
I had a gap year before starting university and spent most of it working – first at a supermarket (short and boring) and then with mentally disabled kids (badly paid but so worthwhile).
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Lady Fi, I’m surprised you didn’t travel abroad. I know you did the equivalent of Peace Corps work in China, but that must have been later.
I can see both the pros and cons. Few 17- or 18-year-olds know what they want to do in life? I like the idea of volunteering or trying out different things.
However, my biggest concern would be losing some of the things learned during the senior year, especially for kids going into the hard sciences. My son was sick and missed the June SAT subject tests in math and chemistry. When he took them the following October, he was bummed because he knew he’d forgotten some things he knew in June. So if a high school senior tests into calculus at the end of 12th grade and starts the class more than a year later — after being off — is that such a good thing? I don’t know.
There is a lot of talk about American summer vacation and how educational reinforcement is recommended so kids don’t forget everything over the summer.
There’s also the competitive aspect. There are only so many spots. If a student decides to take a year off, is there any guarantee a spot will be waiting for when he or she return? I’d want that in writing. Signed, stamped and notarized!
Pam,
You bring up the issue of everything being competitive and a good point about forgetting stuff. But I also pointed out how Universities are changing their thinking, (including Harvard and MIT etc. the most competitive in the U.S.) and how so many kids aren’t ready for college, and benefit from a year abroad. I also think this brings a global perspective to students, a maturity and experiences that will stay with them for life. I’ve lived in Europe and brought my kids up in the U.S., so I’ve seen both sides, and I do think many kids in France, England and Denmark, have traveled more and are often better informed on world issues, than many kids (not all of course) in the U.S.
I am very much in favor of a gap year for young people. I know so many young people who are now working in jobs that have nothing at all to do with the degree they have.
It seems many of them had no idea what to do and so took the degree program that was least offensive. When they are out in the real world, they find they don’t like that line of work at all.
I have known a few who took some time to figure out what they wanted to do before going for more education. They took the courses they wanted and got where they wanted to go. They were also a bit more responsible in their studies and behavior.
I encouraged all my kids to take some time. Two did and one didn’t. Of the two that did, one is still in school and the other working in her own business in textile design, which is what she went to school for.
The one that went off to school right away got her degree in education and is now doing quite well in the banking industry after returning to school to earn a second degree in finance.
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Steve,
Thanks for giving your opinion. Do you think your daughter who went straight to school would not have entered the education field had she taken a year off?
Okay, so I want to bring up another point too – the whole “college is for everyone” thing. My husband wanted to be an automotive tech from the age of 12. But, his parents wanted him to go to a real college and get a degree. So he did, for 4 years, without ever getting the degree. His heart wasn’t in it, he couldn’t get through…it just wasn’t for him! He finally was able to get to go to technical school and he did amazing!! Now, he is a tech for Volkswagen and while like everyone, he has bad days, he loves what he is doing. I know this is off topic, but it gets me to the point: Not everyone has the same desires, drives, and motivations. I think that every individual needs to have the choice, and the parents should understand that their “child” should be able to make their own decision when they graduate. Forcing them to go to school (or not go…) isn’t fair if it isn’t going to be right for the student.
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Kirsten,
I agree with you. My youngest son, now 17, is passionate about the Army and is almost done with Basic Training. As a mother, I wasn’t thrilled because all mothers fear the future, however, he loves it. So who am I to say, “No.”
His two brothers are so different, and I’ve let them follow their own studies, one engineering and the other biology.
I’m happy your husband found his passion and a little sad perhaps that he couldn’t start sooner, but at least he’s doing what he loves now.
I have heard about it – in my country it is not popular. I can see some good and some bad aspects – good is that the kid will have a lof of time, the whole life to work bad – it may loose a chance of a good job in the meantime. somehow I feel each year is harder and harder to find a good job
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I agree Ola, but at the same time it might open doors from the experience that student gets working abroad.
I fully share your views Sonia! The problem is when we discuss a topic, not all the people have the same information in their minds and plus the different ideas!!
Philip,
I think it’s great to express different views. As I mentioned, some kids know what they want to study, others aren’t so sure and need to mature a little. So either way, there’s an opportunity for everyone.
The “gap year” used to be a stint in the Army. 18 months actually. They learn to be part of a group. In some churches it is 1-2 years of mission work. I have seen good things come out of both of these experiences.I see gap year as the time to decide—“Yup, I need to become an adult because I don’t want to do….for the rest of my life.”
As for traveling- universities now offer semester abroad in almost every field. Maybe that can replace the “play on mom’s dime” gap year.
I only believe in a gap year IF the child works to keep themselves going for that year. I have seen “gap year” unhinge when mom and dad foot the bill—over and over again.
I am taking a gap year right now. Left a great job because of burn out– took a year off—now reinventing myself because I am sick of sitting around!
Janette,
Great comment and wondering if you follow Chris Guillebeau, and the “Art of Non-Conformity?” I met a bunch of people at his WDS conference in Portland who were like you: sick of their job and trying to re-invent themselves. What did you do during your gap year?
I am glad that part of my kids lives is over and BTW I don’t think it’s a very good idea. I took a year off before grad school and that has lasted me for over 30 years and counting. ~ j///b
Lazy Blogger, Not sure what you’re saying. Is that year off what made you “lazy” or a “lazy” blogger, just trying to understand your comment. Thanks.
I wholeheartedly believe in time away from school before further study otherwise it’s incredibly easy to become institutionalised, never learning any self-reliance. Even if my child were hell-bent on attending uni straight after school I would probably suggest/encourage maybe working for a year.
Similarly, I would hesitate to recommend any kind of volunteering program at eighteen because it seems to me that the volunteering program could so easily replace Mama – see the video clip.
I agree with you Sonia and with Kirsten Wright ……it’s important for the child to make their own decision but I have to say I would encourage a different perspective through work and travel. The ‘and’ in that last sentence is not a typo. I agree with Janette. I cannot abide the practice I have come across of giving young people the parent’s credit card with which to travel around the world!!! How to counteract the maturation process in one feel swoop. Rest assured that child is going to take a whole lot longer to grow up than one year, if they ever do.
My idea of young people having a gap ‘year’ is them working to save enough money to take a flight somewhere then working along the way to finance the next leg of the journey. I’m also in favour of them working to save the money for the fare if they’re dead set on volunteering…..you usually have to pay your own fare to reach the country where you will be working. In actual fact I think it’s much better to do the volunteering thing when you have a bit of life experience and some well developed skills to offer the community you are supposedly going to ‘help’. Don’t get me wrong there are students who have a mature outlook at eighteen and skills to share too, I am speaking generally here.
As a mother and having worked in the field of education for many years I saw the benefits of young people testing their wings and gaining some maturity and independence before further study. I don’t know about in the USA but here universities are complaining that students aren’t even making their own decision about which uni to choose as parents are accompanying them to the interviews and taking a far greater role in it than they should be. (!!!) Secondly they complain that British workers generally are not hard working and lack a work ethic; unlike people of all ages who come from countries where they haven’t grown up cushioned by the Welfare State and Mummy and Daddy.
What I see these days is too many children stifled by an unnecessarily over-protective attitude and frankly too much molly-coddling from parents along with far too much money. These are the same brats your guest post referred to recently, Sonia.
We all know only too well that we learn by our mistakes, by facing unknown situations and having to deal with them one way or another. That’s not a bad thing for the next generation, it’s the best thing that could happen to them and parents should have more confidence in the important things they’ve taught their children ie. to work hard, to play, to think for themselves, to be fair, non-judgemental and to be able to look after themselves. So don’t let’s deprive them of the opportunity to develop some intuition, lateral thinking, a more worldly and philosophical attitude and a work ethic along with some real personal responsibility.
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Maggie,
Your response was a blog post in itself. Thanks so much for all your input. yes, parents in the U.S are very much involved in the University application procedure. I shall always remember a presentation I attended for University applications and the counselor said, “Now remember moms, the college application essay is to be written by your child not by you mom. We can always tell when the essay was written by mom.”
Exactly! My friend here was guilty of writing her daughter’s application and when I pointed out that she was not ensuring a place for her daughter, that it might go against her she seemed genuinely surprised. And the idea that they should hear her daughter’s voice on the application really unsettled her; I could hear the cogs turning as she wrestled with the idea of giving up this control. Prime candidate for a gap year!
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To me it seems like common sense to let the kid take charge. Perhaps some need a little motivation, or a kick to get it done, or some guidance, but not have the parent do the work for them.
Yes, I did my China volunteering after University as the minimum requirement away was two years.
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I know you said it really made a huge difference in your life.
I completely agree. In the UK, at least until the university fees started going up every year, it is common to take a year off. Here in France it isn’t, and kids regularly burn out shortly into their university years.
I took a gap year, and it completely changed the direction of my life. I learned so much about France, the French and the language, and realised that this is where I needed to live my life. It was wonderful to finally feel at home. 12 years on and I never did get round to going home to uni, but have led an interesting and fulfilling life, with good jobs.
If I had stayed at home and gone to university like my friends, I may be earning more now, but I would have missed out on so many wonderful things.
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After working in a country where this is so common (90+% students do this in between gymnasium and university), I am a STRONG believer! Because believe it or not, they actually do come back and go to the uni!
And that year (or 2) off really does help them to recharge so they can refocus and really put their all into their studies…
I am a believer!
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Kelli, So good to hear from an American who moved to Denmark and teaches there. So you can speak from both the U.S. side and the European side. Why don’t American students do this?
There are so many lessons beyond the classroom; travel/a gap year is a great way to learn them! The college classroom is not meant for some people, like my brother. I was the academic in the family, but he was a star on the playground. He’s just as smart as I am–in different ways–but never got a degree. He retired in his early 50s after a happy career as produce manager at Vons. Lack of a degree never hurt him.
I let my kids make their own decisions. I advise, but let them enjoy/suffer the consequences of their actions. Although struggling to pay the rent, my daughter’s happy as a flight attendant & my son is a starving artist. I suspect he learned way more studying abroad for a year in Florence, IT and traveling around in Europe on his own dime than he did at CSULB.
You should have my guest post today, Sonia. Thanks for the inspiration!
Melissa,
Thanks for sharing your story about your brother and your kids and pointing out how we all learn in different ways.
Got your guest post. It’s fabulous and can’t wait to have it up and running in August.
I agree wholeheartedly that a gap year usually turns out to be great life motivation for young adults before university. I’m glad you’re promoting it. You make several excellent arguments in favor of it and give some startling statistics about drop-out rates in universities.
Above all, I believe that U.S. students need a gap year to widen their horizons. Too often, they have little or no knowledge of countries outside of this one. Also, for many going to to demanding post-college careers, they will never have the time and freedom to travel and explore or at least, not until they are retirement age.
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