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Does going on gap year actually improve you C.V?

I want to take an amazing gap year.

  • What do you suggest for a productive, amazing, life-changing gap year between high school and college? I'm in the middle of my junior year in high school, but I'm quite sure I want to take a gap year in a year and a half. My parents are OK with it, but I don't think they want me to stay home and work or travel without a plan. They'd prefer I do something structured. They'd probably be okay with a summer of that, and maybe I could travel with the hope of finding /something/ to do for the next year? I've seen a bunch of askMeFis on similar travelly topics and am combing through them but nothing is all that specific to my situation, since my parents don't really want me travelling out of a backpack (though I'm working on them for that. I am responsible, and spent 2.5 months at the beginning of my sophomore year in a (english friendly but not dominant, very safe) European country living in a very permissive homestay, going to school, figuring out busses and all kinds of stuff on my own). It could turn into 2 years, or more. That's okay (with me at least). I'll do the normal college application process during senior year, but I will defer. I'm choosing schools with their deferral policies in mind. If I lose admission because I want to stay where I am, then fine. I am a spanish beginner, but working hard at it and it's something I'd really like to improve. I'd love to spend some time in a central American country or something. I've recently become passionate about both social justice-type issues and economics. My hope is that my future career will combine these in some way, though I'm also very inclined toward general entrepreneurship. Hopefully, I'd be able to do something fascinating there. I'd like to start planning now, but clearly I've still got plenty of time. Where should I start? I'm a little lost. Should I look for structured programs? I'm looking for practice being part of the 'real world', living as an adult, stretching myself, going out on a limb, and really developing my perspective/figuring out who I am an what I believe. Ideally, this wouldn't be insanely costly, but I recognize it could get expensive. Suggestions?

  • Answer:

    Perhaps you could find something through http://www.sciint.org/ (SCI)? I mildly regret not taking a year out to do something like this before going to college (I would like to have volunteered somewhere, if they covered living costs). I studied civil engineering, and I feel that I could have had a better sense of what I could achieve, if I knew of some challenges that exist in the world, while studying. I think it is great that you are thinking about this now, and wish you luck with your decision.

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I worked for a year at a regular job (in a warehouse). It's one of the best things that ever happened to me. It also allowed me to save up a lot of money for college.

Chocolate Pickle

http://www.americorps.gov/for_individuals/choose/index.asp. It's a structured program, you can earn a bit of money, see different parts of the country, have fun etc etc.

Brandon Blatcher

I agree with schmichael absolutely. You sound like a very nice person who means well and thinks well of others, but you don't come across as having had experience with the stresses that adults have to do through. If you do want to see how 66%+ (I suspect higher) of your countrymen live, or have lived, get a line of credit (you might have to get your parents to co-sign) for, say, $3000* and greyhound to the next major city (or town, but with a lower line of credit) with only what you can bring with you on the bus and try to get 1) a place to live, 2) a job, 3) a social life. If next major city contains someone you know or someone related to you who can help you get acquainted with the city, that's great. No credit card (well... it might end up being an object lesson if you did use one), and no gifts from parents. Since you're American... I feel irresponsible suggesting that you get off of your parent's health plan, just in case. Try to make 6 - 12 months (set a time frame before you start) and see if you can get your credit line paid off in full, and see how much in the black you can be. *will depend on 'next major city' - ie., Boston: this might be more challenging, Cleveland, this might be too generous

porpoise

Right off the bat, let me say that I am the Director of a gap year program, so I'm a big believer in the idea. This isn't a promo, though. A gap year can cost a lot or a little, but even a seemingly expensive semester program (7 -to-10 thousand bucks) is a bargain when compared to the cost of a year of college in the usa. If you grow up and mature during your gap year, you won't waste time and money in your freshman year--you'll be a lot more focused. I'm not so sure that wandering around the world with a backpack is necessarily the way to go, though it sounds romantic. If you're going to travel far from home, you'll want lots of contact with locals and who won't treat you like a tourist. You should also do something constructive, e.g. volunteer. Otherwise, you'll just be navel-gazing in the hippie-esque world you've concocted for yourself. If you want to get beyond the tourist thing and understand what really makes a culture or a people tick, you ought to: speak their language, live with them (i.e. a homestay) and dig deep into the history, culture and daily life of the place, preferably in one country, as opposed to roaming from country to country in search of the best weather.

Elcasal

Ah, evertything sounds so amazing. Workaway looks fascinating, as does being an Au Pair. Well, everything looks amazing. Thanks so much for your suggestions! I'll start looking into everything, but it looks like I'm gonna have a really great year regardless.

R a c h e l

I did http://upwithpeople.org and had the best time of my life.

divabat

Seconding the au pair suggestion - I'm in France and I've met quite a few young expat au pairs here, though I'm not doing it myself. Free housing, usually part-time work hours, and nice if you end up with a good family. I'm not certain, but I believe French classes may be free for air pairs, as well (though it might simply be that they're mandatory). And if organic farming in lovely locales floats your boat, you might check out the http://www.wwoof.org/ network.

nicoleincanada

Check out http://www.bunac.org/usa/. Several years ago, my friend went through them to work in Ireland for a summer. Their site mentions several more options: interning in the UK, working and traveling in New Zealand, etc.

trillian

I'm just gonna have to deal with the fact that no matter what I pick, I'll be giving up a billion other amazing opportunities, I guess. Welcome to adulthood:)

fso

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