Time – Joe O’Shea
“Over the next three months, many high school graduates across America will start college. Some, unprepared for the challenges of higher education or the independence it requires, will struggle without clear direction. Almost half won’t graduate within six years. As educators, we work hard with limited resources to make college accessible and formative. But part of the answer could be found outside formal education, before students set foot on campus. American students are taking gap years at record numbers, and educators are embracing the trend as a way to increase students’ motivation and performance and make them better thinkers and citizens. As president of the board of the American Gap Association, which sets standards and accredits gap-year programs for high-school graduates to participate in before they start college, I have the privilege of helping promote the practice for U.S. students. Common in Europe and Australia, the gap year—taken the year before starting college—is growing in popularity among American students. How do the college-bound spend their gap years? Many defer college admission to volunteer overseas, but others stay within the U.S. to volunteer or undertake expeditions or internships. The main idea is that they be immersed in new environments that expand their skills and their perspectives, so that they can see themselves and their world in a new light.”(more)