How Gap Years Are Preparing Students For College

Going through college isn’t what it used to be. According to U.S. News and World Report, 70 percent of college graduates carried student loan debt with the average 2016 graduate holding more than $37,000 in student loan debt. Even before students get to college, issues may be brewing. Researchers say that students in selective, high pressure high schools can get burned out before they reach college.

Mushrooming student loan debt and rising high school student burnout are conspiring to ask a question on more people’s mind: is college worth it?

Taking a gap year, some say, can address and may even reconcile these two hard college realities. Many parents are listening. According to the American Gap Association, a gap year is “an experiential semester or year ‘on,’ typically taken between high school and college in order to deepen practical, professional, and personal awareness.” The taking of gap years in the U.S is up 20 to 30 percent since 2006 and counts Malia Obama as one of its high profile members.

Highland Park resident and recent Highland Park High School graduate, Olivia Varones, decided to defer college at Pomona College for one year to take a gap year.

“I’m looking forward to college but everything I’ve read and heard about gap years appeals to me on many levels,” Varones said. “I think there’s huge benefit to step out of your comfort zone and get to know yourself better. And something tells me it will give me more self-confidence to tackle four years of college rigor after four years of high school rigor.”

No stranger to nascent academic rigors in high school, Varones said that demands in and out of the classroom often translated into studying until and sometimes past midnight.

Studies are supporting the academic benefits of gap years. According to widely cited study by Bob Clagett, a former Dean of Admissions at Middlebury College, students who have done a gap year have higher GPAs through college and finish in four years.

Beyond the benefits to students while in college, gap years may improve job competitiveness and impact long-term wealth creation says Merrill Lynch wealth management advisor, certified financial planner and Highland Park resident Ben Klein.

“Finishing on time means less college financing costs to bear and a higher GPA means better job marketability,” Klein said. “What’s more is that the added self confidence and self awareness that gap years tend to provide is an intangible every employer is looking for and wants. In the big picture, securing employment out of college and doing well at your job is an essential building block to achieve your most desired life goals.

Top photo via Pixabay