Gap Year
The benefits of taking a gap year are many and blend together across multiple areas. Taking a structured gap year invariably serves to develop the individual into a more focused student with a better sense of purpose and engagement in the world. From Joe O'Shea's book, Gap Year: How Delaying College Changes People in Ways the World Needs found that taking a gap year had a significant positive impact on students' academic performance in college, with the strongest impact for students who had applied to college with grades on the lower end of the distribution (Birch and Miller 2007; Crawford and Cribb 2012). In fact, in the United Kingdom and in the United States, students who had taken a Gap Year were more likely to graduate with higher grade point averages than observationally identical individuals who went straight to college, and this effect was seen even for gap year students with lower academic achievement in high school (Crawford and Cribb 2012, Clagett 2013).
For more gap year data please visit the Gap Year Association website.
"No two gap years are alike: Intentionality, deliberately expanding one's comfort zones, having a cross-cultural experience, and reflecting on your experiences are critical components to a quality gap year." (Gap Year Association Website)
Gap Year Options
For 70 years, AFS has offered high school students and recent graduates a choice of full-year, semester, or summer programs abroad.
A national initiative involving people of all ages in community service through full-time and part-time programs. In exchange for service, participants receive education awards. The typical time commitment is 10 months.
An AmeriCorps program for ages 17 to 23 for a year of community service and leadership development. Participation includes s weekly stipend and post-service award that can be used for college tuition or other opportunities. City Year services 28 cities across the United States.
A semester or year of education in the form of nine week, full-time internships in Worcester businesses and organizations. Participants can earn college credit through Clark University in Worcester for certain seminar classes offered through Dynamy.
This non-profit organization matches paying volunteers with scientific and conservation projects around the world. The average length of stay is a few weeks to a month.
Volunteers build housing for low-income families. Typically, volunteers work for a few days or a week on construction projects at hundreds of sites around the country. Habitat for Humanity take volunteers for up to one year at their headquarters in Americus, GA. There are also international projects in which volunteers work for three to twelve months or more.
A non-profit educational organization offering challenging outdoor programs. Programs can range from three weeks to a semester.
NOLS offers wilderness educational expeditions in the United States and abroad. Programs, ranging from two weeks to a full semester, emphasize skills mastery and leadership.