Is A Gap Year Right For You?

There are some students who have just graduated High School and would like to attend College. Some students enter College right after High School and others wait a year and return the following year. This time off is called a Gap Year. Traditionally, a student from England and other European Countries take a year off between High School and College or University. A gap year generally doesn’t include sleeping all day and partying at night. A gap year is spent helping out other organizations like the Red Cross or they may volunteer for community service or partake in some type of independent studies.

If you are one of those students who would like to take a year off before entering College, then you should make the most of your time off. Here in the United States there are organizations that provide jobs and opportunities to students who wish to participate in gap year. Gap year, you should understand doesn’t include working at the mall. Gap year jobs could include some of the most rewarding and interesting opportunities that you will ever have the chance to do. Here are just a few of the exciting things that you can do with your gap year.

Volunteer South Africa

BUNAC offers some great opportunities in Teaching, Care Work, Medical and health, Animals and Summer Jobs in locations such as South Africa. This opportunity lasts from 5 to 17 weeks. The location is Cape Town one of the most beautiful places in South Africa. To qualify for this program you must have a British or Irish Passport or a resident of the United Kingdom. You must be 18 years old and have some environmental background if you wish to work or study in the Wildlife location.

Studying Abroad

While you may not be ready to start a full time College program, you may want to take a year and study abroad. There is a program called then Center for International Studies or CIS. They offer yearlong study programs in such countries like Australia, Italy, Mexico, China, Spain, Ireland and Costa Rica. This opportunity is a once in a lifetime experience, image how much you will learn about other cultures while getting College credits.

Traveling Home and Abroad

Another great way to spend your gap year is to travel. Whether you are from the United States or another country, travel is a great way to see your own country as well as other if you are more adventurous. Do some research about the country where you want to travel to. Find the sights you want to see and find local hotels or hostels where you can stay on your trip. You don’t want to break the bank on this trip so try to be as conservative as you can with the money. This may take a month or so of planning.

Gap Year is not for everyone, if you want to take a break and do something more than hang out with your friends, then take advantage of the gap year. If you just are not committed to expanding your horizons then this may not be the thing for you. It would not hurt to do some research on these opportunities and more. Think about how life changing this experience this could be.