Is a Gap Year a Gap in Your Education?

High school seniors are faced with many tough decisions, one of which is whether to apply to college or defer to take a gap year. However, how does taking a year off to teach English in different countries or volunteering within a community influence future opportunities and affect college admissions?

The American Gap Association defines a gap year as “an experiential semester or year typically taken between high school and college in order to deepen practical, professional, and personal awareness.”

The Associated Press reports that in 2015 the percentage of students taking gap years increased by 22 percent over the previous year. Gap years, which originated in the United Kingdom, are growing more popular, especially in the United States. Attendance at USA Gap Year fairs has almost tripled, since 2010 according to the AGA.

More and more colleges are embracing gap years. Some universities, such as Harvard, state in their acceptance letter that they encourage incoming freshmen to take a gap year. Princeton has followed their lead, as has the University of North Carolina and Tufts. According to the AGA, 160 colleges and universities are becoming more welcoming of gap years and deferrals, and some are creating their own programs.

Research shows that gap years improve college success. Bob Clagett, former dean of admissions at Middlebury College, designed a method to track the academic performance of students who took a gap year as compared to those who did not and found that gap-year students “almost always over performed academically in college, usually to a statistically significant degree, and most importantly, the positive effect of taking a gap year was demonstrated to endure over all four years.”

Some worry that taking a gap year could have negative results, ultimately causing students to not return to school. However, the AGA affirms that 90 percent of students attend or return to college within a year.

Gap years have proven to not only be effective in the academic aspect, but also give people the opportunity to grow and explore themselves. The College Board website states that gap years are supported for students because “this is the perfect time to test their limits, meet different people, and immerse themselves in completely different cultures. It is a time to take chances and to make mistakes… a gap year goes a long way to ensuring some students recognize that there is a life after high school that is not college.”

The 2015 National Alumni Survey shows that taking a gap year also significantly improves job satisfaction after college: “Taking the time to figure out what success looks like is a sure fire way to be directed in achieving it.”

One of the biggest reasons students and colleges are tending to prefer a gap year is because of the “burn out” possibility. They worry that the amount of school and work that students have endured through high school will cause them to hit a wall when they get to college.

William Fitzsimmons, the former Harvard Dean of Admissions, states that burning out is inevitable for students who are trying to live up to unattainable goals and expectations. He says that a gap year is “a time to step back and reflect, to gain perspective on personal values and goals, or to gain needed life experience in a setting separate from and independent of one’s accustomed pressures and expectations,” which is a view that many students, families, and colleges agree with.

Not only have gap years been proven to provide for educational advantages and a leg up in admissions decisions, but they the ability to create irreplaceable memories and invaluable experiences. However, taking one is based on personal preference.