Students are becoming more inclined to take time off to work or travel before pursuing post-secondary education (Photo credit: Jesse Edwards).
After 13 consecutive years of education and standardized testing, an increasing number of students are choosing to defer higher education for a year spent abroad.
A gap year is time taken off, usually between high school and post-secondary, when young adults go overseas to work, travel or volunteer. It’s an opportunity to find experience outside of the classroom before having to commit to important career decisions.
While not a large part of North American culture, the travel gap year is popular among youth in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and European countries. It is seen as an accepted, and relatively expected, rite of passage.
A study done by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research shows that in 2009-’10, 24 per cent of young Australians took a year off to work, travel or volunteer abroad.
Daniel Nel, a 21-year-old South African student, spent his gap year working at a school in England as a sports coach and teacher’s assistant. He spent his breaks backpacking through Europe.
Like many other students, he was unsure of what program of study to take in university. He was compelled to take time off after hearing about other people’s experiences. “It sounded too good to miss,” he said.
In North America, the traditional timeline has been to graduate from high school and go straight to post-secondary for fear that students would lose their academic drive.
Yet, from a 2008 analysis of Statistics Canada done by Queen’s University, researchers suggest that those who do go straight into post-secondary may find themselves in debt or stuck in programs they don’t like. The study shows that 18 per cent of freshmen drop out initially, with over half of that percentage switching programs or schools within a two-year period.
What makes gap year travel so appealing to students like Nel, is finding a sense of purpose and achievement that doesn’t revolve around grades. According to him, it’s more than just messing around for a year.
“Gap year is still one of the best years of my life, from the people I’ve met, to the experiences I’ve had,” he said. “I learned more on my gap year than I did in any other year of schooling.”
Nel is currently in his third year of Industrial and Commercial Property Development and Management program at the University of Cape Town.
Although he planned his gap year himself, there are websites such as Real Gap Experience that offer opportunities for youth from teaching English to working with wildlife or volunteering on building projects.
Cindy St-Laurent
The idea of a gap year always sounded appealing to me because I love travelling and their are so many places I want to see but I unfortunately did not have the funds to do so. I think that a big reason most of the people I know didn’t do a gap year is because it was necessary for us to save money for our post-secondary education. Although I can see the benefits, I knew in high school exactly what I wanted to do for my career and I decided finishing school to pursue it, is achieving another one of my dreams.
Aasim Raza
The only reason why this practice is famous in Europe is because travelling there is affordable. I have friends who traversed 6 European countries for only $800.
I have a thing for travelling too, but doing that from here is very expensive.
Parker Lund
I agree, the main issue for students here is getting the money to travel for a year. A great concept, however. I can definitely see the advantages to traveling for a year, prior to starting post-secondary schooling.
Marissa Mallari
I definitely would have wanted to travel before going into a set program in University, howver, i do agree with everyone else in that it is way too expensive to do so from here, the plane tickets alone costing thousands of dollars. For those who can afford to, I think it would be a great eye opening experience to meet new people and experience new cultures before life gets too hectic. I think that doing so from here would cause a gap longer than a year due to the fact that people would probably have to work for quite some time before being able to afford such an experience.
Julia Vergara Carnero
To enjoy freedom for the first time in life – what can be better? Not necessarily doing nothing for a year, but to work or volunteer would be a great way to explore jobs possibilities and have an experience abroad. But I agree that money is a big thing that should be thought through carefully. You don’t want to get in debt before even going to university.
Megan Renaud
I think a gap year is a great idea! I would have taken one myself, however I thought it would have been way too hard to go back to school. This is a really great piece.
Adam Sekkat
Taking a gap year to travel is one of the smartest things you can do. It gives you a huge life experience and you can learn so much more than you ever will from a textbook. Unfortunately I chose not to take a gap year right away but instead, took one after 2 years of uni. It was definitely a smart decision. I came back refreshed. I had a new perspective on life. I figured out what I really wanted to do. And I met so many amazing people and made so many great friends.