5 Benefits of Taking a Gap Year (or Semester) During College
When you hear the phrase “gap year,” most people think of a formative year between high school and the beginning of college. But “gap years” can happen all throughout life: time between jobs, time after graduation, and even taking a sabbatical later in your career can all be a kind of gap year. While there are pros and cons to taking a semester or a year away from college, there’s no right or wrong time for a step off the metaphorical path - it’s what makes sense to you.
HERE’S WHY WE THINK TAKING A GAP YEAR OR SEMESTER DURING COLLEGE IS AWESOME!
You can continue to gain college credit while doing hands-on learning. Many gap year programs (including Gap at Glen Brook!) offer college credit. Many other outdoor leadership programs like National Outdoor Leadership School and Outward Bound offer credit through their semester programs, as well as smaller nature-based programs like The Good Life Gap Semester. Learning isn’t just about reading and writing: it’s also about doing, and taking time away from campus to experience the outdoors, another culture, or hands-on work diversifies your education experience while still allowing you to continue moving forward towards your graduation goals.
You can prevent academic burnout. We all need a break sometimes. The last few years have been especially challenging for young adults, as they have navigated virtual school, disruptions to schedules, and trying to find community in new environments during the isolation of the pandemic. Taking time away from school can help you re-center and return to academic learning with more resolve and resilience. Many gap programs, like Gap at Glen Brook, incorporate things like nature connection, practical skills, mindfulness, service work, and community-building that are perfect ways to prevent (or recover from) burnout.
You can re-evaluate and re-inspire your academic or career path. Having a straight path from college to career is not really the way things work for most people! While colleges often push the idea of deciding a major early on, and then getting employed in that field after graduation, chances are you’ll discover things about yourself, your skills, and your passions during your time in college. Those new discoveries will probably lead you down paths you’d never expected. If you’re at a crossroads in your academic journey, the time might be ripe to explore some of your interests out of the classroom. A semester on a farm, working outdoors, or working with people might help you gain insight into the dreaded “what are you doing after graduation?” question.
You can think of a gap semester program as a domestic “study abroad” semester. It’s standard practice for students to take a study abroad semester in their junior or senior year. While many international programs are fantastic (we’re thinking about you, Gap Year Association partners!), study abroad can raise some tricky questions about cultural sensitivity. We believe that getting to know where you are in a deeper level is just as important as journeying to the far reaches. Domestic programs, whether they help you gain work experience in vibrant cities like in Dynamy’s program, or are rooted in place-based learning like our program, can help you see a new side of your home country (or hometown!) and can be as much about seeing with new eyes as any international program. Plus, you’ll probably save money!
It might be a simple process for your college to grant transfer credit, if they have a domestic study abroad structure. One silver lining of the pandemic has been that colleges and universities recognized the power of domestic programs when international borders were closed. Many schools have listings of domestic study away programs on their websites or in their study abroad offices, and they might be well-versed in these logistics already. Increasingly, gap semesters during college are becoming easier to arrange!
As you consider what’s next for you, remember that getting to a goal isn’t always about the straightest, fastest path from A to B. Happy journeying!
