Minding the Gap: Taking a Year Off Helps Some Students Succeed

By Jacy Cabler 

While many students transition directly from high school to college, this is not the case for everyone.

Emma Mortensen, a freshman from Brush, Colorado, said she understands the impact of her decision to defer a year from college.

“It was a tough decision,” she said, “but I thought of it as an opportunity to mature, learn, travel and serve before I began my college career.”

Gap years are gaining more momentum with recent graduates, and an increase in future numbers is expected. Since 2010, gap year fairs have seen a 294 percent growth in attendance and interest, according to the American Gap Association website.

Mortensen said she was nervous about taking a year off from school, and she questioned her decision every day. The animal science major said it was a year full of challenges and life lessons. Looking back now, she said she is confident she made the right choice.

“It has been so valuable to my personal growth and development,” Mortensen said, smiling. “I believe that I am much more mature, focused and have a better perspective on my college career, and my goals and aspirations.”

According to the Gap website, Mortensen is among 98 percent of students who utilized a gap year and reported personal development as the most significant outcome from their time off.

The Gap website also reported in 2015 that 90 percent of students who took a gap year attended college within a year. Mortensen knows how difficult not only returning, but excelling, can be after a year’s absence from school.

Mortensen said she will be the first to admit it was hard to transition back into the daily routines of homework and studying. She said she was uncomfortable at first, and it took time to get back into those habits.

Lynn Simmons is the director of communications at South Plains Electric Cooperative, Inc. She said she experienced difficulties falling back into a routine after her unplanned gap year between high school and college.

“It was a very hard transition,” Simmons said. “I didn’t know how to study anymore. It was very challenging on my part.”

Simmons’ gap year was taken after her mother’s death left her family in a financial crisis. Her gap year was spent working, saving up to further her education.

Simmons falls into the 28 percent of gap year takers who did not express an intention to take a gap year when surveyed as a senior in high school, according to a Center for Analysis of Youth Transitions study.

“Sometimes you just have to do what life gives you, and it’s not always your plan,” Simmons said. “You just have to roll with it.”

Jacob Brown said he believes gap year students who apply themselves in the real-world are usually ahead of college students who have not had the opportunity to gain life experiences.

The junior personal financial planning major from Pflugerville, Texas, said he has noticed the most successful students on campus, and after graduation, are those who already have experience in their particular field. Brown said gap year students are a great example of this.

The Gap website indicated 84 percent of gap year students reported one of the most significant outcomes was acquiring skills to be successful in future careers. Eighty-eight percent of gap year graduates reported their gap year significantly added to their employability.

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“I believe gap years can be beneficial, but it is solely up to the individual to make it so,” Brown said, shrugging his shoulders.

Colleges such as Princeton, Harvard and Yale encourage deferments for gap years to incoming students to allow time for exploration of their interests, according to the Education Week website.

Mortenson said taking a gap year was the best thing she has ever done for herself, and she would do it all over again if given the opportunity because of the experience and skills she gained.

“Taking a gap year affected me the most,” Mortensen said, “by broadening my experiences and giving me the ability to travel, learn, speak and serve before all of my schooling responsibilities.”

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