Essentially, the more money a student’s parents make, the more likely that they will fund whatever the students fill their time with during the gap year.
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Malia Obama has been accepted at Harvard, where both the president and first lady went to law school. “Her decision is bound to send positive shockwaves to this generation, effectively validating the gap year as a worthy and viable option for all college bound students”.
According to O’Shea, gap years started in Britain during the 1960s and spread to other European nations, Australia and New Zealand.
Still, despite growing acceptance of the gap year, or bridge year, by university administrators – and its ready adoption in other parts of the world – many Americans continue view it with trepidation.
Hege Ferguson, director of admissions at FSU, said the university encourages students to take this route.
The American Gap Association reports that students taking a gap year has been on the rise for a decade, so it looks like Malia will have plenty of company for her year off.
Beyond this, stress among college students is alarmingly high and rising each year with the majority of students feeling consistently anxious, overwhelmed and hopeless. He said that delaying college is generally a good thing. Rather, more and more colleges and universities are promoting it as a way for students to contribute to society through structured work with nonprofits or community-based organizations at home or overseas. “Students get to hone their skills”.
I did some research and came across a column by Jan Moir of Britain’s Daily Mail in which she wrote this: “Anyway, what is it with this gap-year nonsense?”
Interestingly, a 2010 study of almost 3,000 Australian students hints that the benefits of time off from school may be especially important for the students who struggled in high school. So attending a college that locks you into the major you chose at 18 could be an expensive mistake.
“Students go to college more satisfied and engaged and universities often see these students become leaders on campus”, Knight said. “[But] there’s only two months in between, and having that time to literally grow up was really important for me, personally”.
Just to be clear, for a gap year to produce these kinds of benefits it needs to be purposeful. CIEE, a Maine-based nonprofit study overseas and intercultural exchange organization, operates in nine countries and offers opportunities for those seeking a year break before college. Students who receive financial aid also need to make sure that a gap year would not affect that aid.
“It’s hard to do it if you don’t have the resources”, said Chris Yager, founder of Where There Be Dragons, which leads worldwide programs. So, the question is: “What’s going to work for you?”
Still, it’s been slow going for the gap year.
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The Finnish study found no difference in growth in goal commitment, effort, expectations of attainment and strain, or in actual university enrollment in those planning to enter university directly versus those who plan to take a gap-year.
