Get your parents involved as soon as possible. Let them know that this Gap Year experience will help you to become more mature, learn new skills, get more clear on your life’s passion, and make the most of your/their college dollars. Below are a lot of ideas to share with your parents — including how a Gap Year will help with future job searches. Don’t forget to mention how global citizens help to make a better world.

Then, show them the program you have come up with and how you plan to pay for it. You might even share letters from Gapper parents and recent articles in the Resource section. Your parents can always contact us if they have questions or comments.

The expectation of a gap year will serve as a stimulus to many potential high school drop-outs to graduate.

Many high school graduates are not ready for the academic and social challenges of college and the job world (30 – 50% of college students drop out).

After 13 years of school and structure, this time is a natural break…before students start adding responsibilities. It provides an invaluable learning experience free from the competitive pressure of grades and the college admissions process, helping students to regain their enthusiasm for college.

It is education, not vacation. There are gap year programs all over the world. We are encouraging Gappers to do service programs, get involved in research, go to school, work, or create journals, art, music photography, and theater, while living with host families.

Experiential education opens minds and hearts, encourages respect and understanding, and teaches interactive skills. Students come home as global citizens, more confident, more focused, more flexible, and ready to take on the challenges of life, whether academic or vocational.

Learning about and from other cultures will change how young people think about the world…and themselves. Take a look at some of our letters from students.
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Most Gappers will need to raise money to pay for most of their trip. This responsibility builds independence, self confidence and helps students become accountable. (Our Raising Money page gives them lots of ideas).

Students are getting experience, discovering their passions, and building a resume before they start college. A Gap experience can improve their chances for college acceptance and it may reduce the overall cost of college; the student will return more focused and more likely to stick to an academic path which reduces courses and costs.

Princeton, Harvard, Tufts, MIT, and a lot of other colleges strongly encourage incoming freshman to take a Gap Year before they start college.

More and more colleges support the Gap Year concept when students do something valuable with their time. When students are engaged in a creative, structured experience, they will be more mature, motivated and productive, and a more sought after student overall. See our growing list of colleges granting deferrals (there are many more not yet on the list).

Gap Year is a British invention dating back to the 60s that now includes the Aussies and New Zealanders. In the UK alone, 250,000 students take a gap year before, during or after college each year.

Students don’t fall behind but get ahead with a gap year.

Americans live in a global economy but are not worldly. Only about 30% of Americans have passports and only 15% travel beyond the North American continent.

U.S. companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index earn 50% of their total revenues in foreign markets. To continue as a world leader, U.S. companies need employees that respect and understand the cultural differences that dictate corporate decisions and business practices.

In a 2006 Committee for Economic Development report, 80% of companies felt that they would achieve a rise in sales if they had a more internationally competent staff.

An international gap experience broadens perspective, trains young adults to be citizen diplomats, and prepares them to work for international corporations in the global economy.

Skills gained by taking a Gap Year are in demand by employers. In a Rand Survey, intercultural experience is in the top 5 of 19 attributes that employers look for.

Skills gained by taking a Gap Year include fundraising, working in teams, risk management, thinking under pressure, and an international perspective. A well-planned Gap Year also helps students acquire problem solving and decision making skills that are needed in the workplace.

Many employers feel that a Gap Year applicant has a level of maturity that surpasses those who have never taken the time to explore their place in the world.

In England, where Gap Years have been a norm for a long time, a recent study found that over half of UK business managers view Gap Year experience as being equally or more important than a university degree.