The Gap Year: A Solution for Burned Out High School Students
A friend recently confessed that his son doesn't want to go to college. At least not right now. The 17-year-old is tired of school and doesn't want to pursue an advanced degree just because his parents are pushing him to. My friend now has to find a way to keep his son on the "educated" path while allowing him to feel like he has some authority over his own life.
I hate to sound dramatic, but the stakes are high. A recent study published by Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce says that more than 60 percent of job opportunities in 2018 will require some college education. The research goes on to say that we've experienced a paradigm shift in our economy and that while earning a college degree was once the preferred way to enter (or remain in) the middle class, now it's the only pathway in.
The Gap Year
It turns out my friend's son is not unique. More and more high school students are feeling burned out and want to take some time off from the education treadmill, says Holly Bull, president of The Center for Interim Programs. The good news, she says, is that students who take a year off from studying -- known as a gap year -- and do something worthwhile, often feel rejuvenated and enter college with more maturity than the kids who go straight from high school to a dorm room.
What do colleges think of this plan? Many schools, including Harvard and Princeton, are embracing the gap year, says Bull. The extra focus kids gain by getting some real world experience can also eventually save parents money. Although many gap year programs aren't free (there are often fees associated with them), the kids who take the time off tend to graduate college in four years, rather than the growing trend of five or six years. So parents who plan to pay their child's tuition bill could actually come out ahead.
Sound intriguing? Here are three ways your son or daughter could spend his or her gap year:
1. Volunteer Work
The quintessential gap year option is to do some good either in your own community or in a foreign country. One of the best known programs is AmeriCorps, an independent federal program that places 75,000 adults each year in projects across the country and abroad. Members who complete a year of service can earn an education award of $4,725 that can be put toward college.
2. Professional Internship
No need to wait until college to dip one's toe into the professional world. During a gap year ambitious high school graduates can take an internship that allow them to see firsthand what it's like to work in, say, the hospitality industry, politics, or journalism.
3. Foreign Language Programs
We live in a global economy. Learning a foreign language is no longer a nice skill to possess but a requirement for 21st century survival. And the best way to learn a new tongue is to live and study in a foreign country. Anyone fancy a year in Hong Kong?
Do any of these programs sound interesting to you? Which one would you recommend for your child?
Image by Benrybobenry, courtesy of CC 2.0.
Stacey Bradford is the author of The Wall Street Journal. Financial Guidebook for New Parents.