Fewer high school seniors enrolled in college this fall than a year ago. Part of that may be due to the “demographic cliff,” meaning the population of potential college students is dropping, or the hefty cost of college. And some young people likely took a gap year.
Many young people contemplate what they might do if they didn’t rush off to college, and how they might spend a year off to figure out where they are headed.
For families of young people considering a break after high school, experts say it helps if you plan ahead.
Taking a gap year can help bring students clarity about careers they want to pursue and what college classes are worth spending the money on, but that requires spending the time wisely, said Joe O’Shea, an associate provost and dean at Florida State University, who wrote “Gap Year: How Delaying College Changes People in the Ways the World Needs.”
“If a student is saying they just want to take a break and are sitting at home for a year that might not be the best educational environment, whereas on the other end, you might have students interning overseas, doing volunteer work in a community for a while, some international travel and some internships,” O’Shea said. “Those experiences can be incredibly powerful.”
Here are expert tips on how teenagers can plan a productive and meaningful gap year.
Fewer high schoolers: Went to college this fall
1. International and local volunteering
The Gap Year Association, which counsels students about ways to organize a gap year, publishes an aggregation of accredited international volunteering experiences, including some in human rights and environmental conservation. AmeriCorps, a federal agency that connects people with community organizations, also provides a range of volunteer options for high school seniors. Most programs accept applications from 18-year-olds but some extend to 16- and 17-year-olds.
“International volunteering opportunities are powerful for students because they immerse them in a different community and it really forces introspection,” O’Shea said. “It challenges how they view the world and how they view their place in the world.”
Options for working abroad are more limited for families who don’t have the means to pay for programs or flights, but some organizations and colleges offer scholarships for gap years, O’Shea said. He noted that students can have a productive gap year in their communities if they don’t have the money to travel abroad.
The VolunteerMatch website lists volunteer options in communities across the U.S., including serving at food pantries, helping with translation at crisis hotlines and assisting with blood drives.
Two volunteers pack holiday boxes at the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, in Hillside, NJ, on Nov. 14, 2024. Volunteering is among the best ways to spend a year between high school and college, experts say.
2. On-the-job skills and network-building
Internships and technical skill-building programs are another way for students to try out options before they spend thousands of dollars on a path that doesn’t match their goals, said DJ DiDonna, a senior lecturer in entrepreneurial management at Harvard Business School, who wrote for his school’s business journal about the benefits of taking a gap year.
If a student lands a paid internship or works another job alongside a job training program, they can also save money they can spend on where they want to be headed, he said, which can help them avoid debt.
“A lot of people make incorrect decisions at that time based on this question of ‘What is the rest of my life going to look like?'” he said. “And they end up with more time or money wasted or end up in misery.”
Some high schools across the U.S. offer career-technical training courses in collaboration with national companies, which can help students secure jobs after high school before they choose a college pathway.
Bobbie Lynn Weir, a career and technical education teacher who runs a hotel hospitality class at a public high school in Dallas, Texas, said some of her students intern at major hotel companies and secure jobs there before attending college. Time spent working in the industry prepares them for college and gives them transferable hospitality, business and communication skills, Weir said.
Hospitality, engineering, health science, finance and information technology are great industries for students tp explore during a gap year, said Brooke Rice, vice president of curriculum and work-based learning at NAF, an industry-sponsored education nonprofit that works with high schoolers to provide post-secondary pathways.
During a gap year, students can benefit from networking and asking people questions about their career journeys, Rice said. The relationships youth build during this time can help them secure a job, she said.
“They should be thinking about how they can build their networks and their social capital,” Rice said. “Most jobs come from connection.”
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3. Explore your interests, from wilderness exploration to filmmaking
Jason Sarouhan, interim executive director and gap year consultant at the Gap Year Association, said people planning to take a year off should explore their interests in meaningful ways.
The vast array of accredited gap year offerings includes options such as wilderness exploration, boat building and learning to live sustainably, Sarouhan said. In November, he counseled a student who wrote a film and opted to spend a gap year pursuing filmmaking.
Morgan Pirozzi, a photo intern, and Shreya Vinodh, a habitat intern, photograph and document Right Whales during a research cruise with the Center for Coastal Studies in Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts, on April 1, 2024. One expert said “experiential learning” opportunities like this allow students to gain life knowledge before they begin their college studies.
Sarouhan said these “experiential learning” opportunities allow young people to gain hands-on experience in their field of interest.
This option is best for a student who already has a college acceptance letter and approval for a deferment to enroll after their gap year, he said.
For families of students considering a gap year, DiDonna said it’s important for young people to feel empowered as they choose a different path. It’s important to take time to research logistics, save money and talk with others who’ve taken a gap year to find out if it’s the right option for your child.
Contact Kayla Jimenez at [email protected]. Follow her on X at @kaylajjimenez.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gap year ideas to explore before starting college
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