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Taking a year off between high school and college: A good idea?

The 'gap' year

High school seniors often dream of taking a year off before college. But is it a good idea?

2007-12-18
From McClatchy-Tribune News Service [published in The Free Press, Mankato, MN, 12/18/2007]

High school seniors often dream of taking a year off before college. Many crave time to recover from burnout and explore bud­ding interests after the competitive grind of high school. Parents, however, often fear that once stu­dents hop off an academic track, they might never climb back on.

Guidance counselors say that in recent years they’ve heard more students express interest in a “gap year.” Taking time off can be a wonderfully enriching experience, they say, but its wisdom depends on the individual student’s needs and motivation. Does he or she have productive goals in mind, or just a yearning to collapse on the couch with a bag of potato chips?

Pro: Joan Mei, supervisor of guidance at Westwood Regional Junior/Senior High School in Hackensack, N.J., says some students become more focused about their futures when they take a break to reflect as they travel or work.

Some students, especially high school graduates who finished at 16 or 17, need a bit more time to mature before the independence and social whirl of college. Some families also appreciate the chance to save more money for tuition.

“Students question spending $40,000 on a college education when they’re not sure yet what they want to do,” she says. “Sometimes when they get a little older, smarter, with more experience, they real­ize this is what they want. They’re not just going to college because everyone else is doing it.”

Harvard is so supportive of taking a gap year that it even suggests the idea in its letter to all admitted students. Some 50 to 70 students annually defer freshman year there. Some volunteer, intern to check out a possible career path, help a political campaign or devour great books. Some need to reconnect with their families after jug­gling hectic, high-pressure schedules throughout high school.

“Many speak of their year away as a ‘ life-altering’ experience or a ‘turning point,’ and most feel that its full value can never be measured and will pay div­idends the rest of their lives,” the admissions office adds on its Web site. “Many come to college with new visions of their academic plans, their extracurric­ular pursuits, the intangibles they hoped to gain in col­lege, and the career possibilities they observed in their year away. Virtually all would do it again.”

Con: A gap year can be expensive if the student embarks on exotic trips or volunteer projects. Postponing college also delays the day when the student graduates to become a self-supporting adult. The main concern for many, however, is the risk that once students leave the school environment, they’ll lose the drive to return. Some also fear losing their study skills and academic discipline.

Jane Weisfelner, a guidance counselor at Tenafly High School in New Jersey, says taking a year off can be an extremely worthwhile experience, but stresses that it’s important to have a good plan.

“What are the students going to do in that gap year?” she asks. “Are they going to sit at home and watch reruns, or are they going to get a full-time job or do community service? Doing something unproductive is not a good thing ever in life. It would be very bad not to have any structure.”

She also notes that students who end up delaying college for several years can get out of sync with their friends.

“There’s an advantage to going when all your peers are going,” she says. “It’s a rite of passage for 18- and 19-year- olds to go together.”

Guidance counselors advise students considering a gap year to apply to col­lege in senior year, get accepted and defer matriculation, rather than postpon­ing the applications process. It’s hard to get recommendations and transcripts when exploring Guatemala. Most col­leges are willing to defer admission.

For more Free Press news go to www.mankatofreepress.com.

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