Some students may take courses to improve their academic skills in areas such as math or language studies, while others may learn a trade, pursue art, or participate in sports.
[2][3] Volunteer work is also a popular choice, as it allows students to give back to their communities and gain valuable experience.
[4][5] A gap year is described as “a semester or year of experiential learning, typically taken after high school, and prior to career or post-secondary education, in order to deepen one’s practical, professional, and personal awareness.”[6] During this time, students engage in various educational, work-related, and developmental activities [7] such as internships, work experience, travel, volunteering, participation in cultural exchanges, studying art or learning a trade, etc.
On the other hand, rejected college or employment applications have also caused high school students to pursue a gap year.
It gives young people the time to make an informed choice about the path they wish to pursue, as well as the experience of real-world situations to match academic theories.
[10] Ultimately though, the idea of a gap year is growing as it helps students gain the independence necessary for a smoother transition into adulthood.
[12] At first, the primary purpose of the gap year was for countries to exchange cultural ideals in the hope of preventing future wars.
With the long-term success of organizations like Topdeck, Flight Centre, and Raleigh International, the gap year industry developed rapidly.
The organization called Dynamy was founded with the intention of teaching young people self-confidence and the role they play in a large community.
[15] In the 1980s, the gap year idea was promoted by Cornelius H. Bull in the United States to allow students more time for individual growth.
They created one of the first social media websites[21][22] and actively promoted the concept in newspapers, radio and tv interviews using collected data and statistics.
Travel, program fees, and living expenses can accumulate quickly, making this an option inaccessible for low income families.
Sometimes this is limited to one year, but at times Australians and New Zealanders will remain overseas for longer, many working short-term in service industry jobs to fund their travels.
[41] In Australia, exchange programs and youth benefits provide many opportunities for young people to gain experience through travel in a gap year.
[49] In Israel, it is customary for young adults who have completed their mandatory military service to engage in backpacker tourism abroad in groups before starting university or full-time work (Hebrew: טיול אחרי צבא, lit.
While waiting for their JAMB result after secondary school, Nigerian youths usually learn a trade or skill or enrol in another academic program (remedial, pre-degree, JUPEB, A-levels, IJMB, etc.)
[citation needed] In the United Kingdom, the practice of taking a gap year – seen as an interim period of 7 or 8 months between completing secondary education and starting university – began to develop in the 1970s.
[55] Parents are starting to encourage their high school graduates to take a gap year to focus on service opportunities.
[59] Tufts University offers a program called 1+4 which allows students from lower income-families to volunteer abroad or within America for a period of one year before starting their bachelor's degree.
[67][68] For example, the National Civilian Community Corps, an AmeriCorps program, offers 18- to 24-year-olds (no age limit for Team Leaders) an all-expense-paid gap year (room & board, meals, transportation, etc.)
[69] AmeriCorps NCCC members travel the country in diverse teams and perform a variety of tasks such as rebuilding trails in national parks, responding to natural disasters, or working as mentors for disadvantaged youths.
Additionally, new federal partnerships such as FEMA Corps offer traditional gap year seekers an immersive professional and team-building experience that can serve as a launch pad for their careers.
For example, the Tennessee Promise program requires that students must "Attend full-time and continuously at an eligible postsecondary institution as defined in T.C.A.