Put another way: The research on what happens to students after a gap year remains fairly thin, but so far it seems to indicate that the students who do take time off from their studies do not perform any worse than their peers who do not, and some may in fact do a little better, especially in terms of motivation.
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Malia, the eldest of the Obamas’ two daughters, is a 17-year-old senior at Sidwell Friends, an exclusive private school in the District of Columbia that helped educate another first daughter, Chelsea Clinton, in the 1990s. So, the question is: “What’s going to work for you?”
“Participating in a gap year experience has been popular in Europe and Australia for many years and as we become more and more globally connected, USA students have become much more interested in this concept”. 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.
Grace Milstein, 21, was able to afford a gap year to Israel from September 2012 to June 2013 with subsidies and grants that went toward her $20,000 program tag.
Advantages of a gap year: Students who took a gap year typically say they entered college feeling more recharged and focused, while universities say those students often arrive on campus as better leaders – more civically engaged and motivated.
“FSU believes in educating global citizens and we see taking a gap year as another opportunity for our students to engage in activities that promote social awareness and responsibility”, she said.
Wessel said what’s even more common is taking a gap year or years after a student finishes undergraduate studies, but before they start work or graduate school.
One study on gap years from Middlebury College in Vermont found that students who take time off before starting college have a higher GPA over the course of their college experience.
President Obama’s predecessors have extended Secret Service protection for their daughters before leaving office, but it is unclear whether Obama will ask for the same level of taxpayer-funded security for his children before he steps down in January. That they had gone to college themselves.
There may be other less-obvious benefits, as well. “The larger the institutional ego of the place, the more comfortable you can feel about the ability to cope with that and still have as close to a normal experience as possible”. If you do take one, experts agree that having a plan both for the time off and for enrolling in college when the gap year ends is key for success. Many students spend their time off traveling and volunteering.
Wolcott spent her gap year at a program in Norway. “It was overwhelming”, she said.
“There are a lot of good colleges and universities out there, and it’s important, I think, for everybody here to understand you can find a college or university that gives you a great education”.
“Every student is going to have their own pathway from high school into college”.
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The “gap year” debate Some people wondered aloud whether gap years are more realistic for the privileged few.
