What is a GAP YEAR why do people take a GAP YEAR how to take a GAP YEAR

VIET NAM COMMERCE UNIVERSITY
ENGLISH FACULTY

DISCUSSION
GROUP 2

GAP YEAR
Class:
Teacher:


MEMBERS OF GROUP 2


OUTLINE
What is a gap year?
Why do people take a gap year?
Misconceptions About the Gap Year
Misconceptions About the Gap Year
Ways to spend your gap year
Tips for choosing a gap year
Financials of a Gap Year
Tips for Making Your Gap Year a Success


I.

What is a gap year?

In its most basic form a gap year is a year taken off from traditional schooling
between high school graduation and the beginning of freshman year of college.

While many parents fear that a gap year will be frowned upon, guidance
counselors and school administrators have begun to see the value of a gap year.
Taking a gap year is not just a trendy way to delay college, it is instead an
incredible opportunity for students to take a year of their life to better themselves
before continuing their education. Once a rarity, gap years are becoming
increasingly common for students of all academic aptitudes and walks of life, as
the benefits they provide are universal.
“Gap year” is also called pathway, prep-year, leap year, defer year, bridge-year,
drop year, year out, year off, overseas experience (OE) or foundation year. A gap
year comes under many guises - backpacking, a career gap, a short gap year,
travelling, time out, a sabbatical - but they all mean the same thing. A gap year is
constructive time out to travel in-between life stages. It usually means travelling,
volunteering or working abroad. Often it means all three!
Most students who choose to take a gap year follow a very similar path as those
who decide to go directly into college, as the best way to take a gap year is to apply
to college, then defer once accepted. This allows students to complete their gap
year with the assurance of a continued educational path waiting for them.
Almost all colleges will encourage the journey because of the benefits it provides
for students -- as long as they have a defined path and plan for their gap year.
While some individuals may wait to apply to college in the hopes that a gap year
will help their application, it is almost always better to apply before the year.
Should a student wait to apply until after they complete their gap year, they greatly
increase the chance that they will not return to college. In addition to the risk of not
returning to college, having education plans up in the air and an acting stress factor
negates one of the main reasons for taking a gap year: Escaping the stress of
traditional education in order to "recharge”.


II.

Why do people take a gap year?

Students may choose to take a gap year for a wide variety of reasons, but one of
the most common is feeling unprepared for college. For these students, the gap
year is an opportunity to reflect on what they will do in the future, and take time to
mature before they return to academia to begin college. By coming to college a
year older and more mature, students often find that they get more out of their
college experience both in and outside of the classroom. By exposing themselves
to the "real world" over their gap year, these students will often learn more about
the value and importance of a college education, which can be difficult to see in an
academic environment.
For those students who might be otherwise socially and academically prepared, a
gap year can be a chance to mentally prepare for college. After spending four years
studying and preparing to go to college, many individuals feel burnt out from the
grind of simply getting there. For these students, going directly into college could
be disastrous, as they may not be mentally prepared or able to do their best work.
To begin college in such a state of mind could lead to poor grades, low quality of
life, and the potential for drop out. By taking a gap year, students can avoid these
problems without negative consequences, as their college spot will still be waiting
for them when they get back.
Still other individuals may take a gap year to travel or see the world before they
head to college for four years. While many college students take a semester or year
abroad, for some students it can be difficult to wait for the opportunity to travel.
For those individuals with a feeling of wanderlust, the chance to gain global
perspective and cultural knowledge is hard to pass up. These individuals will often
pick up significant language skills and obtain impressive cultural knowledge,
making them more global citizens, and potentially opening doors for them later in
their lives and careers.
A gap year can also be a chance to decide what to study in college, as many
students leave high school completely undecided as to a career path or field,

sometimes taking years of college just to decide what they really want to study. For
these students, taking a gap year can be an opportunity to take a job or internship
that may give them greater perspective as to what they enjoy and would be
interested in studying in college. In these cases, the decision to take a gap year can
benefit both the student and the parents, as the student spends more time studying
what they like and are interested in, and the parents feel as though their money is
being better spent at college.
Lastly, some individuals are attracted to community service programs, and may
want to take a year to help others, oftentimes in another country. This goal is best
accomplished through an existing program, and can be a great way to give back to


the local community, or a community somewhere else in the world. Service work
can also teach new real world skills, and give students a sense of achievement and
purpose.
If a student doesn't fit perfectly into one of these categories- don't worry! These are
just a few of the reasons people take gap years, and as long as there is a legitimate
and important reason to take a gap year it will be a valuable experience. Some
people find themselves in more than one of the categories above, and some find
themselves in none of them, but they all can still find value in a gap year.


III.

Misconceptions About the Gap Year

The gap year concept is growing more awareness in the United States by the day,
there are still common misconceptions about this growing trend among parents and
high school students. Here's my perspective of the Top 5 misunderstandings
1. Students go on a Gap Year because they don't feel mature enough for college.

Actually, a majority of our students feel ready for the college social scene. What
they fear most is that they won't make the most of their college experience from
both an academic and social perspective.
2. Students go on a Gap Year because they don't know what they want to do with
their lives or what to study.
Some students come into our program to discover themselves and their passions.
Others come in to affirm their passion and broaden their experiences to give more
support to their academic choice of focus. One of our students this year came in
knowing she wanted to study pre-med and become a doctor. What the program
offerred her was several life experiences and exposures to healthcare on a global
level. She now leaves the program affirmed in her passion for pre-med and a
focused desire to apply herself in the area of infectious diseases based on what she
saw in four different continents.
3. Students who go on a Gap Year never go to college.
We have yet to graduate a student from our program that has not pursued higher
education.
4. Gap Year students will lose scholarship money or fail to get into their school
of choice if they wait a year.
So long as you do not take any outside credit from the school of choice, many
colleges will maintain your scholarship even if you defer for a year. We also see
that our program broadens students experiences and appeals to universities to
qualify you for more scholarship money and different types of scholarships. Some
students who did not get into their school of choice will take a gap year to boost
their resume and gain the attention of their desired school as they re-apply the
following year.
5. A Gap Year puts students one Year behind all their peers who will graduate
before them.
The average college student is spending more than 4 years working on their
undergraduate studies. The average college student changes their major 3 times. A
gap year student is making an investment on the FRONT END of their studies in

order to
avoid the endless change of majors and lengthening their years of studies beyond
the necessary four years to complete an undergraduate degree. You will most likely


graduate with a majority of your peers but be more focused and purposeful in the
four year process.


IV.

Ways to spend your gap year.

Taking a gap year in between finishing college and heading off to graduate school
can also be a great way to refresh before heading back to higher education! There
are plenty of productive and even life changing ways you can spend your gap year.
Here is five productive things to do during your year off.
1. Go abroad
Maybe you didn’t have the time to study abroad during college while trying to get
all those credits out of the way, or maybe you just have a lot of wanderlust to get
out of your system. Either way, going abroad during your gap year is a great way
to expand your horizons and experience the rest of the world before coming back
to focus on graduate school. If you do decide to use your gap year to go abroad,
you can use an official gap year program or design your adventure abroad. If you’d
like more structure to your year abroad or you want to work, study or volunteer
while there, doing it through an organization may be best for you.
2. Volunteer
Spending your gap year helping others can really change your perspective,
especially if you didn’t get a lot of time to do volunteer projects in college. There
are plenty of volunteer programs available for college students and young adults.

3. Explore possible careers with an internship
You’re going to be spending two or more of the next few years of your life hitting
the books, so why not try getting a little work experience before heading back to
school? Interning can be a great way to try out a career you might not necessarily
have the option to explore or study in college or grad school. It can pave the way to
new opportunities that you might not have expected!
4. Learn something new
You’ve been learning like crazy in college – but what about that foreign language
you’ve always been dying to learn, or that cooking class you’ve always wanted to
take? Whatever your interests might be, taking a year off before grad school can
give you time to learn new things and develop new passions you haven’t had time
for before. The best part? No grades or forced credit hours to stress you out,
meaning this learning experience can be way more stress-free than your regular
classes.
Because it’s so important to be able to show employers and grad school
representatives what you’ve done during your gap year, gaining a new skill is a
great way to show that you haven’t just been taking the year off.
5 . Pursue your passion


Maybe you’ve been interested in creating an online comestic shop with some
friends or you’ve always had the idea of starting a fashion blog in the back of your
head, but you haven’t had time to do it with your classes, extracurriculars and grad
school applications. Whatever you’re passionate about doing, your gap year is a
great time to do it!
If you plan to spend your gap year this way, stay focused by structuring your
project. If you want to start a blog, stick to a schedule of writing, editing and
creating posts to keep yourself on track. This ensures that you’ll stay productive
throughout your whole gap year.
Whatever your passion, your gap year is a great time to pursue it.

V.
1.

Tips for choosing a gap year
Does it offer a strong connection with the comminity?

Choose a program with a strong local connection.Look for a program that has
an intimate relationship with the comminity where they era traveling.
2.

Is the program reputable and safe?

Parents and students should do sample research before selecting any program,
but safety is of utmost importance. Respected programs have good reputations
and records of safety.
3.

Do it offer a high level of immersion into the local culture?

Find out how involved the program is with the local community and
infrastructure. Students should choose a program that will truly integrate them
with the people around them. You want them to learn as much about the local
culture and traditions as possible- right down to the food they eat and how they
prepare it.
4.

Do it have a strong alumni network.?
Connection can help students down the line gap year programs provide network

for college, internships and jobs long after the trips are over.It's one thing to
learn while you are there, but you can leverage it afterwards


VI.

Financials of a gap year
1. Bank Accounts

You're going to need a bank account that you can access throughout your
Gap year, so why not start it early and make that your savings fund. Any
money that goes into this account in the lead up to you year abroad doesn't
get touched until you've set off. Try and set up an account that doesn't incur
fees and it may also pay to give your parents access to it if need be. At least
give them the account number so they can make any extra deposits
throughout the year.
2. Part time jobs
These are good to have to ensure there's a steady income being deposited
into your bank account. You may already have one or are thinking of getting
one, but a Gap year is a good incentive to start saving. You may want a retail
or hospitality job you can do on the weekends. Remember any hour that
you're working and earning money, is an hour you're not spending money, so
more can go into your account. Look out for odd jobs as well like gardening,
helping out at events, stock taking at stores, offer your services around the
neighbourhood or pick up a few extra babysitting shifts. Every little bit
helps.
3. Think before you spend
In the lead up to your Gap year pay attention to what you're spending your
money on. Do you need that new pair of shoes? After all you're not going to
be wearing them in the next 12 months. Before you buy that morning cup of

coffee do a quick exchange rate calculation in your head: how much could
you buy in Africa, Asia or Latin America for the same amount of money?
You'll be surprised how far a few coins can go in other countries. By taking
some steps to ensure you have a little bit of money in your savings account
will make for a better Gap year. But how to spend that money during your
year abroad is another matter.


Tips for Making Your Gap Year a Succes

VII.

1. Apply to college before you go on the gap year- remove the stress of
2.
3.

4.

5.
6.
7.
8.

thinking about college on the gap year.
Create a detailed plan for the "what, why, and how"- what you are going to
do, why you are doing it, and how you are going to accomplish your goals.
Once you have made your plan, pitch it to someone else- parents, friends,
teachers, college admissions officers.
Revise your plan based on feedback. Take all feedback into account, but
especially consider that of admissions officers.

Remember to self evaluate throughout your gap year; ensure that you are
getting value out of the year. Go back to your pre-gap year goals, and
determine if you are on track to accomplish them.
Document your gap year, whether through making a blog, keeping a journal,
or filming vlogs.
Make sure to meet lots of new people on your gap year, and especially locals
in any areas you travel to.
Try new foods and activities, and try to experience local traditions.
Enjoy yourself.

END