Planning For a Gap Year
As a guidance counselor, it’s important to represent a gap year as a viable option for your students. Gap year participants leave their programs more flexible, confident, and culturally sensitive—not to mention more focused for college and more marketable for internships and jobs.
You can share with your students some of these Facts About A Gap Year, as well as this planning checklist for juniors and seniors.
Junior Year
- Speak with interested students about gap year opportunities
- Have open dialogue with students to help them determine what they want out of a gap year. It helps for them to define a goal: do they want to learn a new language? Engage in community service? Refocus and re-energize? See the world?
- Ask students to determine a budget
- Help students research gap year options and destinations
- Determine logistics and deadlines for applying and going on a gap year
Senior Year
November – December
- Students submit college applications
January – March
- Students submit applications to gap year organizations
- Students receive acceptance letters from colleges
March – End of April
- Check colleges’ gap year policies
- Help students discuss deferral options with colleges
- Confirm if scholarships and/or special program acceptances will be honored
By May 1
- Student sends deposits to chosen college
- Student makes a formal written request for deferment
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