The path for most students is relatively clear, especially if they are pursuing higher education: Go to high school, get good grades in high school, apply for college, do well in college, perhaps sprinkle some internships in between and then get a good job. But this is not the path everyone takes anymore. Around 3% of Americans, which is much lower than the statistic for Australians and Europeans, take a gap year now. The benefits of taking a gap year have been well-studied and ascertained; yet only a small percentage of Americans venture out to take this option, especially in the duration between high school and college. The number of people who take a gap year between college and entering the workforce is harder to determine, but still not very large.
The “gap year” as it is known now began as a British tradition in the 13th century: a way for students to experience the world more before resuming their studies or professional careers. This is a likely contributor to why more European students take gap years compared to students from the US; however, this is not the only reason. For one, traveling to different countries and seeing new things is far less costly and difficult for European students than it is for Americans; the cost of traveling and the amount of planning it takes is often a deterrent. But this can change. More and more organizations have begun helping in planning gap years for students, and there are scholarships available to those who do wish to travel. Establishing these programs as trustworthy and creating more scholarships for those who wish to travel may help make it easier for people to engage in a gap year.
Additionally, the uncommonness of taking this path creates certain stigmas and peculiarities around it which generate dialogues that make people think that gap years make it more difficult to get into college. But if you can explain why you are taking a gap year and how the experience garnered during the year would assist you, colleges don’t usually view them as unfavorable. It can also be difficult to choose this path when most of your peers are choosing to go to college.
There are but some challenges—in the costs that sometimes arise, in trying to figure out how to navigate a path that is less straightforward—and obstacles that often lie in the way of those who wish to take a gap year. But opportunities to overcome them do exist. And when observing the benefits of gap years, taking them should be encouraged and supported no matter the field you wish to enter. Indeed, studies have found that students who take gap years commonly graduate with higher grade point averages.
Gap years have also been to show a general positive impact on the careers and education on the life of those who take them. From a broader perspective, gap years allow you to sometimes take a much-needed break to gain important life experience you may not be able to attain in any other portion of your life. And for those who didn’t take one after high school, you could take one after college.
Taking a gap year, especially to do something that may be seen as relaxing, may seem especially daunting in a culture that has taught us to always be working. And though they’ve become common before graduate school for medical students they remain the path less taken for many students. But its benefits make it evident that gap years should be more considered as a path that students take and moreover, and one that can prove to be incredibly rewarding.