When the President's older daughter, Malia, announced that she would experience a "gap year" before entering the freshman class of Harvard University, her decision brought considerable publicity to what, for many American young people, is an increasingly popular travel activity. Though not every "gap year" involves travel, enough of them do to justify this discussion in a blog devoted to travel.
Although "gap years" are today chosen by young people in numerous major countries, they primarily began in Great Britain. There, because advanced universities (like Oxford and Cambridge) issued their acceptance of applicants too late to enable them to begin their studies in September, the successful applicants had no choice but to remain out-of-school for a year before continuing on to those universities. Organizations developed to enable them to engage in horizon-widening travel during those intermediate months,
The practice has now spread to the United States, and usually involves international travel. A graduating high school senior completes his or her senior year in early June, but decides not to enter college for a full year to come. They skip an immediate start in September of 2016, let's say, and only enter college in September of 2017. Though some youngsters explain that they simply want a year of rest from their studies, others find more serious reasons for devoting their "gap year" to real-life experience, often involving travel.
By gaining a further year of maturity, they enhance the educational benefit of college. By first experiencing a job or project for a year, they gain a better idea of what they want in life. More and more youngsters--and their parents--believe in the remarkable lessons that a a year off--a "gap year"--brings. A student who has traveled extensively in Europe, Asia or South America before beginning college, is a more serious person able to bring useful perspectives to their studies.
But how can a graduating high school senior, and their parents, afford the luxury of a year "off"--especially one that involves international travel? The best suggestions that I have found are in a website called Americangap.org, the "mouthpiece" of the non-profit American Gap Association. Among other things, it lists and describes several organizations that assume the expense of a student's year abroad (provided, of course, that the student performs productive labor during that time). It details, as one example, the programs offered by Americorps, that permits young persons to earn their way in both the United States and abroad.
And simply going to Wikipedia and entering the words "gap year" will bring you to an exhaustive summary of numerous groups that assist a young person to enjoy a productive "gap year".
There seems little doubt that the "gap year" practice brings concrete benefits to its participants. Studies conducted by AmericanGap.org show that the "gap year" led to a major improvement in student scores on aptitude tests; and 82% of the group's alumni felt that the gap year had greatly aided them to choose an eventual career.
So Malia Obama seems to be making a wise choice. And your own youngsters, or youngsters you know, might want to consider the very same course.
