FINDING YOUR CHALLENGE ZONE by GYA admin Photo: Trek EpicA comfort zone is a nice place to be. It is easy, it is relaxing, it is…well, very comfortable. It is important for us to occupy our comfort zones regularly: a comfort zone minimizes stress and anxiety, gives us a sense of control over our lives and environments, and allows us the satisfaction of feeling like we have enough—love, support, nourishment, care—even for just a moment. This is an essential space for humans to maintain if we don’t want to exist in a constant state of adrenaline- and cortisol-fueled movement through…
Gap Year Benefits
FAFSA DELAYS: HOW TO PLAN A MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCE FOR AN UNEXPECTED GAP YEAR by GYA admin Photo: YMCA of the RockiesApril 2024 has seen a noticeable uptick in REPORTS OF ongoing issues from the rocky rollout of the updated Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). At this point in the year, continued FAFSA delays will have serious implications for many college-bound high school seniors who need to make their college acceptance decisions based on available financial aid packages. For many, it might mean delaying their college start altogether, leaving a large body of students feeling suddenly unmoored as they…
How to Write a College Deferral Letter for a Gap Year by GYA admin Photo: Where There Be Dragons With college decisions looming, many high school seniors are weighing their options and trying to decide what their post-graduation life will look like. Let’s start this conversation by talking about some numbers from GYA’s 2020 National Alumni Survey, which analyzed responses from 1,190 gap year alumni across the United States: 97% of gap year alumni reported an increase in maturity and self-confidence as a result of their gap year experience 84% of gap year alumni reported an increase in academic motivation…
Gap Year Affordability by GYA admin Photo: Global Citizen Year offers a variety of scholarships for funding gap year students’ experiences In our attempts to spread the word about gap years and to encourage the gap year option for more students, we run into a lot of gap year myths. Much of our gap year advocacy involves debunking those myths in order to get more people thinking about realistic gap year possibilities. A common example: GAP YEARS ARE EXPENSIVE. Let’s bust this myth, shall we? First and foremost, we must acknowledge that yes, the idea of a gap year—an opportunity…
The Gaps in Mental Health that Gap Years Can Fill by Danny Recio, PhD, LPC One of the issues with many psychological disorder diagnoses is that they can give the impression of a hard division between mental illness and its absence. However, the reality of how people experience mental health issues is not black or white; it’s mostly some kind of oscillation between shades of gray. Gap year experiences have the potential to fill these shades of gray in mental health. The field of psychology has historically struggled to adequately address the continuum of mental health issues and has been…
An essential and holistic best practice for study abroad and gap year programming includes staff training about the life stage of Emerging Adulthood. Understanding the gifts and challenges of 18-25 year-olds is key. Knowing who our students are broadens professional skill sets for preparing students and staff for successful learning experiences in new and different contexts. Characteristics of Emerging Adulthood (J. Arnett. 2004) include a long period for exploring a wide range of possibilities for career choices and relationships. Of particular note is that Emerging Adulthood is a stage of optimism and possibilities.
What the Pandemic has Taught Us About Resilience by Emily Rosser and Elizabeth Bezark, with commentary from the wider gap year community What is resilience? How do we achieve it and how do we use it? Individually and collectively. In Option B, Sheryl Sandberg writes about resilience in crisis situations and what people can do to manage our responses to crises. In an excerpt of that book, Sandberg says that: “Resilience doesn’t mean rejecting unpleasant emotions. And letting emotions in doesn’t give them power over us; rather, it gives them room to move through us. Sometimes voicing fear gives us…
Advice for Parents from Gap Year Parents by Julia Rogers As a GYA-Accredited Gap Year Consultant, I work closely with students to design meaningful plans for their year out. Whether a consultant is involved or not, parents play a pivotal role in their child’s gap year. They can help set reasonable boundaries, provide encouragement, and offer support during this transformative rite of passage. I always remind parents that a gap year is also a milestone in their lives – watching your child fledge is full of its own set of emotions. In many ways, gap year parents are asked to…
A Bite Into the Big Apple Our Food Justice Cookbook and Reflections on our Food and Sustainability Focused Gap Year Semester by Clara Pitt and Leila Tilin We chose to spend the first half of our gap year semester with the Living City Project (LCP) investigating the NYC food system, its inner workings, and the people and organizations that are fighting for justice and change within this system. We felt guided by one question specifically: How can we build a sustainable and equitable food system that respects our diversity, nourishes our citizens, and protects our planet? We chose to study…
Gap Year to College to Career by Holly Bull Planning for, taking, and unpacking lessons from a gap year can impact a young person’s journey for the better. Students learn planning skill and languages, engage with global and domestic communities within and outside their cohorts, and build resilience as they navigate uncertainty. Andrew, a 2017 gap year alum, landed a full-time position after completing a gap year and his undergraduate education. While a linear path isn’t the only indicator of success, it is one indicator of success and we love to see students reach back out to tell us about how…