Author -
Shveta Prakash
A guide to gap years: What
they are and whether you
should take one
If you’re reading this, we assume you’ve heard the phrase “gap year” before, but
might be a bit unsure what exactly it means, or maybe what the benefits are of
taking a gap year. Or maybe you’re looking for help with how to plan out a gap
year, or whether a gap year is the best choice for you.
This guide is here to help answer these questions!
We’ll walk you through:
1) What a gap year actually is
2) Pros and Cons of gap year
WHAT IS A GAP YEAR?
A gap year is a period of experiential learning, usually taken between high school
and college. And to clarify, a “gap year” doesn’t actually have to be a year—maybe
you take one full semester off before enrolling in college, for example. Gap years
can take many forms—travel, internships, volunteer work, paid work, or classes for
college credit. The options are endless!
We’ll get into this in greater detail below, but gap years can, if planned out well,
offer students significant benefits with future education and career. Which is
probably why colleges like Harvard and Princeton highly recommend them. Gap
years can offer these benefits because they can give young people time to make
better, more informed decisions about the path they want to pursue, and possibly
give them experience to help clarify their goals.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF GAP YEARS
Gap years started becoming popular in the US in the 60s and 70s. Companies in
the US and UK were created that began offering experiences like volunteer
projects that would help other nations develop while also strengthening the
students’ skills and understanding.
In the 80s in the US, gap years were promoted as a way for students to focus on
growth and to develop hands-on skills. And with increasingly widespread use of
the internet in the 90s and then the advent of social media websites, gap years
developed into more of an industry.
In some countries, for example New Zealand or Norway, time off between the
equivalents of high school and college or career are more the norm than the
exception. While far less common in the US, gap years have steadily increased in
prevalence as students, families, and universities have come to understand their
value.
SHOULD I TAKE A GAP YEAR? PROS AND CONS
Should you take a gap year? Maybe. That really depends on how well you plan it
out, since gap year experiences can really vary. We’ll talk you through how to most
effectively plan out a gap year below, but first, we’ll cover some potential pros and
cons:
PROS
Recover from Academic Burnout
Taking a year off before starting college can give you the chance to decompress,
recover from academic burnout, and enjoy not studying (at least in the traditional
sense) for what may be the first time you can remember. After a year off, you’ll
likely find that you feel even more motivated and excited to re-enter the academic
sphere.
Explore Your Interests
Maybe you’ve always dreamed of improving your photography skills, learning
Chinese, writing a novel… Whatever your passions or curiosities are, a gap year
can provide the opportunity to explore on your own terms. Maybe you’ll start a job
or internship in an area of interest, take a class, start a personal project, or
something else entirely.
Develop Hard and Soft Skills
A gap year is a great time for developing valuable skills—the kind of skills that will
help you immensely in college and beyond! You can learn a foreign language,
master a new programming language, or grow your knowledge of permaculture.
You may choose to live in a different city or country during your gap year.
Immersing yourself in another culture and language can be transformative. In
addition to hard skills, you’ll develop invaluable soft skills, like independence and
intercultural communication. (And while we generally don’t think you should pursue
things just because they might look good to a college or future employer, it’s
probably useful to understand that those soft skills are often valued more than your
specific degree.)
Unsurprisingly, a gap year can be a wonderful addition to your resume, setting you
apart when you apply to college or future jobs.
Save Money
A gap year can also be an opportunity to work or intern and explore potential career
paths. Not only will you develop skills, you can save money for your education.
Another tip—if you have a younger sibling who’ll be entering college soon, taking a
gap year could improve both of your financial aid packages. Due to the financial
burden for a family of having two (or more) children in college at the same time,
colleges tend to offer more generous financial aid packages.
Personal Development
Regardless of how you choose to spend it, a gap year means gaining life
experience. It provides valuable time to mature before college, helping you enter
college with more clarity on what you want out of the experience and feeling more
prepared to take full advantage of it. And considering a huge proportion of students
enter college unsure of what they actually want out of it, that kind of clarity can be
super valuable.
Gap years help you develop resilience and grit, and grow as a thinker and
individual.
Check out this podcast to hear more about the benefits of an alternative
educational path.
CONS
Cost
Gap years can be expensive! As you explore taking a gap year, make sure to
consider how to make it financially feasible for you and your family. That could
mean working for part of the year or pursuing a work exchange. While some
structured programs have high price tags, other programs actually give you a
stipend or an education credit to apply to the cost of college later on.
Fear of Missing Out
Beyond the cost factor, FOMO is real. If all of your friends are going right off to
college, it can be isolating to take a different path, even if that path may ultimately
be right for you. As you look at photos and hear about your friends’ first years of
college, you might feel like you’re missing out. But remember, it’s just a year!
Taking a single year off school is unlikely to have any lasting repercussions on your
academic or professional path.
Losing Academic Momentum
Another potential disadvantage is losing academic momentum. After a year out of
the classroom, your study skills and motivation might suffer. However, recent
studies do show that a gap year does not weaken young people's enthusiasm to
study or their performance when they return to school. Instead, taking a gap year
can actually improve your academic performance.
If you’re worried (or your parents are worried) about losing academic motivation,
consider applying to college before taking a gap year and then deferring.
