Taking a gap year between high school and college

This page is about the option of taking a gap year between the completion of high school and starting college. The page goes over the different reasons one might take a gap year, the pros and cons of taking a gap year, how to decide if it's good for you, and what to do if you do take a gap year.

Classification of gap years

Classification based on one's college admission status and college-going intent

We have the following different types of gap years based on college admissions status:

Gap year taken by people who already have been admitted to the college of their choice, and have been granted a deferral of admission for a year.
Gap year taken by people who did not receive admission to the college they wanted to, and who intend to apply to colleges in the next application cyclw.

In addition, gap years may be classified based on the extent to which one intends to go to college:

Gap year taken with the full intent of returning to the academic world (i.e., going to college) after the completion of the year.
Gap year taken with the intent of exploring possible options whereby one never has to go back to college.

Classification based on activities done in the year

People use the gap year for a wide range of activities. Note that the categories below are not mutually exclusive:

Career-oriented work gap year: They just treat the year to do full-time work that is in roughly the sort of career direction that they eventually anticipate going into. For instance, somebody who is considering a programming career may take a programming job.
Travel gap year: The gap year is spent traveling around the world, going to new places, meeting new people, etc.
Passion pursuit gap year: The gap year is spent pursuing some passion, such as writing a book, or participating in drama.
Volunteering gap year: The gap year is used to volunteer to do something one believes to be socially useful within a broader community or to the world.
Academic study gap year: The gap year is spent studying material somewhat similar to mainstream academic contnet, but possibly tailored a bit to one's specific goals. Academic study gap years are common for people in countries where college entrance is determined by annual competitive examinations -- such people might spend a year in order to prepare better for the competitive examination. Academic study gap years may also be used to get a headstart on college learning in order to be able to finish college more quickly and efficiently.

Short-run considerations for gap year logistics

Finances and parental support

If you're not earning money yourself, and therefore you're relying on your parents to support you, you need to discuss with them whether they will support you financially through the gap year. In case you'll stay at home during the gap year, you should check whether they expect you to contribute to the family finances in some way. If they have such expectations, and your gap year is not career-oriented, you may need to factor in time needed for additional part-time work to make the required financial contribution.

Finances are less of an issue in career-oriented gap years, because you have a steady income stream. Some of these may involve staying far from home, in which case costs are also higher (for instance, if you have to take an internship at a different company in a different city). You should consider whether the income you get will suffice to cover living costs. To the extent it doesn't, you need to discuss with your parents whether they would be willing to cover the difference.

Finances can become more of an issue in travel, volunteering, and passion pursuit gap years, though the details can differ considerably. So a careful look at finances would be warranted in these circumstances.

College admissions deferral for people who already got into college

If you are deferring college admission at a college you already got into in order to spend the gap year, you need to make sure that you clearly communicate to the college that you wish to take a gap year, and they accept. The college admissions committee may require some description from you of what you intend to do during the gap year before they let you take it and/or after your gap year is over. Make sure you are clear of expectations on that front before you take the plunge.

College admissions opportunities for people who do not yet have their desired college admission

If you didn't get admitted into the college of your choice the first time around, then it's important that you use the gap year to improve your admissions prospects.

In countries where college admissions are heavily governed by performance on annual competitive examinations, this may mean working hard in order to do better on that examination. Even if your gap year is not primarily an academic study gap year, this is an important aspect you should pay a lot of attention to.
For the United States:
- If your performance on standardized tests wasn't good enough, consider preparing for and taking them again. Keep in mind that college admissions committees only consider the best of your scores.
- You may or may not be able to take more Advanced Placement courses or tests. Advanced Placement tests have to be taken through a school, but if you have a good relationship with your former school or some other school, you may be able to take the tests without formally enrolling in the relevant courses. However, the results of any Advanced Placement tests you take during the gap year won't come in by the time colleges have to decide whether to admit you.
- You can use the gap year to shore up your extracurricular activities list. This particularly applies if you are engaged in a passion pursuit gap year, but also applies to career-oriented, travel, and voluntering gap years. Think in advance about how you can leverage your gap year experience in this respect.