As we continue to watch the speculation of fall classes for college students we continue to discuss with our clients the idea of taking a gap year. Many students are not enjoying and thriving through distance learning. They find it stressful and more difficult to learn the important content being taught by their professor a thousand miles away. Other students are so burnt out by high school distance learning that they can’t fathom doing it again next fall.
Gap Programs have become a regularly discussed topic with our rising seniors and current college students. Many parents call to express their concerns surrounding gap years:
Aren’t those programs canceled because of travel restrictions?
Gap year programs are really expensive. We can’t afford it and there isn’t a return on investment!
My student can’t sit around the house for another semester. What types of things could they do during a gap program?
We continue to learn of the changes in gap year programming but here is what we know:
Gap year programs are altering programming based on the safety of their students. Many companies are altering programming to ensure their students’ safety.
Gap year programs don’t need to be expensive. There are many that are less expensive than college and many colleges will provide additional scholarships for students who complete a gap year. There are also programs that will give students college credit during their gap year for a lower cost than a semester of college.
Gap year programs are not for students who want to sit around the house. These are highly structured programs that have students pushing themselves in a variety of ways to expand their sense of self, self confidence, knowledge base, and understanding of the world. If your student is trying to “do something easy”, these programs won’t fit the bill.
Want to learn more? Feel free to reach out to Jill and Jordan. You can also check out Gap Year Association to learn more!