What's a Gap Year?
The terms “gap year” and “year out” refer to a period of time off between high school and college, college and graduate school, or school and career.
Many people use this time to gain skills and practical “life experience” that you can’t get in a classroom setting, by traveling, doing internships, or volunteering. Popular adventure programs like Outward Bound and National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) are another way to take a break from school while gaining valuable leadership, communication, and survival skills.
The reasons for taking a gap year are as varied as the people who take them. Some just need a year to “recharge their batteries”. Others are ready to step out of their comfort zone by living and working or volunteering in a new and different environment, or they may just want to “try out” an occupation before committing themselves to years of study.
But what would colleges think?
You might think universities would try to discourage students from delaying enrollment or taking time off from their studies, but actually they encourage gap year options.
“Fred Hargadon, former dean of admissions at Princeton University, said that the ideal age of an incoming freshman class would be over 21. He believed that they would then have the wisdom and experience to take full advantage of Princeton’s offerings. Colleges are recognizing the obvious benefits of a freshman student who is more mature and focused, and less likely to drink to excess or flounder about changing majors.”
—Excerpt from “What Universities Say” at www.yearoutgroup.org
But what would employers think?
Universities are not alone in their endorsement of a gap year. Employers are also starting to realize the benefits of hiring people who have gotten some nonacademic experience.
“Becoming a ski instructor in Canada, teaching English in Cambodia or helping run summer camps in Russia…would make you more confident, a better leader, more worldly, more mature and to that end, a better employee. Most employers now, particularly the more progressive ones, would see all of those things as a great benefit.”
—Campbell Sallabank, CEO of career and networking site www.Linkme.com.au
