Wondering about a Gap Year?

High school is many things, but stressful is almost certainly one of them. Given this reality, there are many reasons why taking an intentional pause between high school and college can be a powerful and transformative choice for a student. If you are wondering if a ‘gap year’ might be a fit for your student, here’s our advice for how to approach this opportunity:

Tune in & open the conversation:

If your student is raising doubts about college, has trouble envisioning their life on a college campus, or expresses feelings of burnout or needing a break from academic life, this is a good sign that it might be time to open up a conversation. Many students feel pressured by family, peers, and so many internal and external forces to keep pressing forward. We encourage parents to engage these conversations with their kids, ask open-ended questions, and really listen. If your child is struggling, do not delay in seeking the mental health support they need. But if what they express is a desire to catch their breath before settling into college, a gap year could afford the breathing room to reset and head to college more focused, committed, and confident in who they are.

Explore the possibilities:

If your child is curious about a gap year, explore the possibilities together. Discuss as a family what the budget and parameters for the year might be. What options are on the table? Students find meaningful experiences in work, volunteering, travel, self-directed efforts, and organized programs. For many, the idea is to change the pace from a traditional academic environment, engage experiential learning, and challenge themselves beyond their comfort zones. The Gap Year Association is a great place to begin learning more and exploring vetted programs and opportunities.

Move forward with a plan to apply to college in 12th grade:

This surprises many students and families, but if you intend to pursue a gap year, the best way to do this is by moving forward as a college applicant in 12th grade. The reasons for this are many. Among them:

• It is much logistically easier to apply to college as a high school applicant, with the support of your high school counseling office to send out your official school materials, transcripts, and recommendations.
• Admissions officers are most accustomed to reviewing applications from 12th grade applicants. When a student applies out of this cycle it requires additional explanation and context to provide a rationale for the gap year. Most students are best served by avoiding this extra complexity.
• Most importantly, if a student waits to apply, then they will spend the first semester of the gap year after high school graduation in the application process. For most students, the purpose of this time is to step away from all the demands of high school and the college application process. This has the potential to really take away from the gap year experience.

As a 12th grade student, an applicant will complete and submit applications on the typical timeline, receive acceptances, and make a decision about which college to attend by May 1st of 12th grade. Once a student has completed the deposit and enrollment steps for their selected college, they then contact the admissions office and complete the college’s formal process to request a deferral in admission to the following year. Though not guaranteed, so long as a student has a purposeful use of the gap year, these deferral requests are nearly always approved.

In this way, a student has until May of 12th grade to finalize their plans, secures a spot to enroll in college the following year, and can head off to immerse themselves in a gap year experience.

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