College Counseling: Should we consider a “gap year?”

When I started providing college counseling fifteen years ago, I would sometimes suggest “gap years.”

Most of my Connecticut suburban clients in the land of steady habits nixed any further discussion.

There was a middle uptick in interest in the late 2010s and then a significant increase in interest during the Covid years.

Gap year planning has become a sub-specialty of The Learning Consultants’ college counseling services.

I’ll lead with the challenges:

The biggest hurdle is often the psychological feeling of falling behind one’s high school classmates.

For anyone over 40, the thought of “falling behind” at such a young age seems silly, but, for 17 year olds who are pacing themselves by observing their classmates, this thought is a significant drawback.

The biggest practical hurdles are (1) figuring out what one wants to do and (2) figuring out how it can be done.

In terms of figuring out what to do, the creative possibilities make the task both enjoyable and maddening. When given the choice to do anything, most people have difficulty choosing.

When the choice is unconventional such as taking a year off, then the challenge becomes exponentially more psychologically challenging.

What are the benefits?

On the other hand, those who have the right spirit focused on creating an amazing educational and experiential year soon learn that they are in one of the luckiest spots in life.

They happily create an ideal year. Figuring out how it can be done is also challenging.  But we can help.

On the practical side, we have worked with several students who had ambitions that did not quite match their grades and test scores. While they were admitted at many schools, they preferred admission at schools with more selective criteria. They used their gap year to build their admissions portfolio with interesting educational experiences, internships and, sometimes, higher test scores.

On the experiential side, such years could consist of structured travel through outside programs (such as extended bike trips through Europe) or self-created programs (such as living with a relative in England) to provide some relief to students who feel “burned out” or could use a break from competitive pressures.

Certainly, for many, particularly young men, a year of maturity will make freshman year much better.

In sum, while the gap year is not for all, it certainly is an option that many should consider.

After all, when else does life present itself with the gift of time?