Thinking of a gap year?
gap year
noun
BRITISH
- a period, typically an academic year, taken by a student as a break between secondary school and higher education.
Being stuck between going to college and not is one of the hardest decisions. By default, many high school grads will decide to enroll in some kind of university after graduating. But is this because they want to attend and they feel like they will gain a lot from it? Or because they were educated on what else they could do. When considering the possibility of not going to college, many people fear that you will not amount to anything at all. But this does not have to be the case.
In my previous article in this series, we covered the alternative of joining the workforce immediately and what that could do for you. In this article we will cover gap year programs, and what they have to offer. There are a million different gap year programs that exist for people who are ready for the next step, but maybe not a four year long commitment.
Many gap year programs can give students the opportunity to travel abroad and learn new languages and live in a different culture. These programs vary in cost and commitment, and the experience that you get varies depending on what program you go to. Some focus primarily on some kind of learning opportunity whether it be language, or cultural learning, such as cooking or speciality jobs. Other programs that focus on the experience rather then the academic benefit definitely exist as well. Many outdoor programs are available, and can lead you through a backpacking journey, or a volunteering program that bounce country to country.
If you are interested in learning more about these programs feel free to check out the links below, and watch out for the final piece of my three part series on college alternatives- traveling.
https://usagapyearfairs.org/programs/
