"The Complete Guide to the Gap Year: The Best Things to Do Between High School and College by Kristin White"
Please read author Kristin White's blog post below outlining her new gap year planning book, and then follow link at bottom of blog to her site.
I am the author of a new book called “The Complete Guide to the Gap Year: The Best Things to Do Between High School and College.” As an educational consultant, I work with students who are applying to colleges and private schools and other educational options, but I found that helping students craft an exciting gap year program was my favorite part of the job. I ended up writing this book because there are so few good books out on the gap year. There are some that are focused on British students, on backpackers and travelers, or for parents, but there really wasn’t a comprehensive directory of structured programs, or a book that included chapters about the college admissions implications of the gap year. I spent a year researching and writing the book and I found a few facts which might be new or interesting information for you.
1). The gap year does not have to be expensive. And in fact, for thousands of students, it is entirely free. Students who spend their gap year with AmeriCorps or other select government agencies receive not only a free program, but also college tuition bonus of $4,750, which is then doubled by many universities.
Students are able to use their federal financial aid to cover costs for certain overseas gap year programs. There are also innovative, new programs which offer full scholarships to select low-income students. And finally, many hard-working students have funded their own travels and program fees by working for the first part of the year to fund their travels.
2). Students can apply to college from their gap year: Of course the safest route is to get accepted at your college of choice, and then defer your admission to go on a gap year. But students who are not happy with their college acceptances, for whatever reason, can start the process again. Those attending “post graduate year” programs will get the added opportunity to improve their grades and test scores.
3). The gap year does not have to involve travel or volunteering. There is a gap year program for just about any interest a student has. Independent-minded students forgo structured programs and use the time to work on an invention, join a political campaign, write a novel, or study music. There are gap year programs which focus on such varied subjects as oceanography, sailing, sports, art, or archeology; and there is even a program on the art of being a DJ!
4). All types of students can benefit from a gap year. The gap year is truly for all types of learners. Students often find their passion on a gap year, or they remember how to love learning again-- new ideas which will help them make a great transition to college life.
Kristin White is the author of “The Complete Guide to the Gap Year: The Best Things To Do Between High School and College” published by Wiley. Contact info at: www.completegapyearguide.com
gap year and college admisssions
It's true that the "safe route" is to apply to college, be accepted, and then to defer enrollment in order to take a gap year.
Having said that, it should be noted that US students may come at the idea of a gap year from other angles.
In our program, we've had kids who discovered that the college they always "knew" they wanted to attend wasn't right for them. Having made this discovery in the fall term of their freshman year, they chose to take some time out in the spring term to re-assess the situation. They wanted a program that was at least partially academic in order not to lose their study skills; a vacation was definitely not their goal!
We have also had a few students who, due to unfortunate events in their personal lives (e.g. death of a family member in their junior or senior year), felt unable to cope with school AND with the stress of the college admissions process. They needed a gap year in order to sort things out and to take a less-stressful path to college.
John
Getting accepted to college before taking your gap year
A typical US high school graduate who is considering a gap year really ought to go through the college admissions process (as harrowing as that is!), then request to defer admission in order to take a gap year.
On the other hand, not all gappers fall into that category.
I know some gappers who were not happy with the college they chose---or that chose them---and who decided to leave that college after the fall term and take a spring semester gap in order to sort things out...and they did! A gap term was just what they needed.
I also know of some who, as a result of an unfortunate event during their junior or senior year (e.g. the death of a parent), felt overwhelmed by the college process and who faced a considerable challenge just focusing on graduating from high school. They took academic-oriented gap years in order not to lose their study habits, though the gap year programs they chose awarded no grades or academic credit. These programs generated less stress; stress being the last thing these gappers needed.
A gap year, then, holds appeal for kids who find themselves in a variety of situations.
John