“Malia’s more than ready to leave, but I’m not ready for her to leave”, Obama told DeGeneres.
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“Oftentimes, students in high school have one particular idea of what they want to do, and that isn’t always what they should be doing”, said professor Thomas Shinick of the Adelphi University School of Business. About 80 to 110 students did so each year, it said. Among them were Princeton and Harvard, where her parents earned degrees.
When I worked as a high school tutor, I quickly learned that students from less-privileged homes often struggled in the classroom for reasons other than not comprehending the assignments. Will it be a life-changing experience?
“At the end of the gap year, I went back and I looked at myself, and I was able to say I grew as a person; that I was able to take responsibility for myself”, said Adelphi student Isuri Wijesundara.
“Don’t make your decision based on, well, where are all my friends going so that I can do the exact same things with the exact same friends that I did in high school”.
Although it was unexpected, the gap year appears to be a clear way to make sure the Obamas will be able to experience the last few months of living at the White House together without having to worry about shipping the oldest daughter off to school. Once approved, during that year a student may need to provide updates or otherwise check in periodically to the university as a way to affirm their activities and continued interest in the university.
Many of us can only dream of a year off from work, but for some future college students, it’s becoming quite the reality. But first? A year-long break to enjoy life outside the spotlight (or at least less so than she’s used to).
In fact, many colleges and universities, including some with prominent national reputations, don’t just allow for a gap year but actively encourage it. She and her colleagues also found, for example, that the Australian and Finnish students who did not take time off before university were more committed to their academic goals than their peers who had – but on the other hand, they were also more stressed than the students who’d taken timeoff.
Popular destinations for students according to the group were parts of Central and South America, Israel, India and Australia.
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Students considering taking a gap year, should keep up communication with the counselors at the college they plan to attend to help secure scholarship money and their spots at the college, officials said. She can take the year to see if her heart lies in more traditional studies like science, politics or math, or if she wants to do something completely different-like study literature, languages, music, psychology, or theater.
