Deferring College: Student Advice About Taking A Gap Year

From avoiding burnout to gaining more real world experience before starting college, taking a gap year may be just what you need between high school and college.

Taking a gap year before starting university is common practice for non-U.S. students who take the time off as an opportunity to gain work experience, save up money, or backpack through various countries before recommitting to academic life. If you’re thinking about a gap year, here are the top reasons these AdmitSee college users decided to defer college and what they gained from it:

1. Recharge to Avoid Burnout

• “I took a gap year for a variety of reasons: I was burned out from high school… I was able to reset after a grueling high school experience. My physical health had taken a toll due to an inconsistent sleep schedule, poor eating habits, and stress. I’ve felt really, really great during my gap year: physically, mentally, and emotionally. Everything on my schedule and task list is something that I have self-assigned. During school, 85% of my task list had been assigned to me. My renewed sense of personal agency has been really liberating.” - randostudent (Stanford University ‘22)
• “By the end of the year I felt rejuvenated, bold, and better equipped to handle whatever was to come next. I was ready to jump back into the rat race of fluctuating GPAs, examinations, deadlines, projects, college major selection, identity crises and everything in between.” - nishchala (New York University ‘19)

2. Be More Financially Prepared

• “I hoped to apply to more scholarships (I dropped the ball on this during high school), and itched to narrow down my potential majors/fields. I realize that college can be a fantastic place to narrow down your interests, but I figured that I could explore on my own and not have to pay skyrocketing tuition to do so.” - randostudent (Stanford University ‘22)
• “Having a paying part time job heightened my sense of responsibility, organization and accountability. It was an invaluable experience, but the true take away is the maturity I developed from working, being professional and being financially responsible.” - nishchala (New York University ‘19)

3. Discover New Passions

• “I’ve gotten time to pursue projects and skill development that I had pushed off for too long: lots of reading, lots of writing, and learning programming to build some projects that I always wanted to do but didn’t have the skill set or time to complete during high school.” - randostudent (Stanford University ‘22)
• “My gap year was a combination of my interests: travelling and singing. Think about what you’re passionate about and go out and do that during a gap year.” - amustoe (Harvard University ‘20)
• “Put down your computer and start making this year count. Take some surfing lessons, sit at a park and paint, or try out for a local band. Anything that peaks your curiosity, chase it. That is what this year is all about.” - lizyou (University of Pennsylvania ‘21)

4. Cultivate Life Skills

• “I’ve developed good habits and crucial interpersonal skills earlier in life that I believe will pay dividends in the long run: networking in the real world, learning to ask for informational interviews, learning how to cook, how to manage my time without external structures, etc.” - randostudent (Stanford University ‘22)
• “My fellowship journey has undoubtedly been one of the most brilliant and meaningful experiences I’ve been a part of. I had never before led a team at that scale, and I had never before felt like I was making such a positive impact on society.” - nishchala (New York University ‘19)
“By taking a year off, students often gain interpersonal skills, a global perspective and a clearer vision for what they want in the future. Gap year students often out perform their peers and are better equipped to cope with stress.” - lizyou (University of Pennsylvania ‘21)

5. Personal Growth

• “I wanted to take a gap year before going to college, as did my parents. Without a doubt it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I came to college so much more prepared to live on my own and take responsibility for my life. Seek situations which will put you out of your comfort zone and with different people. I learned the most on my gap year from others.” - michaelkearney (Brown University ‘20)
• “Even more, the time off made me feel more connected with myself: I made the every choice with intention, engaged in activities with passion and curiosity. My journey sculpted me and taught me skills and lessons that no school textbook could ever teach.” - nishchala (New York University ‘19)

Final Words

• “In the larger scheme of things, a year here or there doesn’t really matter. Of course though, taking a gap year has its risks. If you don’t use it well you might fall into a year long pattern of laziness which can be difficult to get out of. But if you do use it well, the effects can be rewarding! There is no such thing as a “typical” gap year since you can do pretty much anything; the sky is the limit!”
• “I remember hearing a quote that went something like this: It’s important to know what you want to be when you grow up, but it’s far more important to know who you want to be. In our monotonous routines of school, examinations and classes, we often forget about personal growth. My year off implored me to reflect on what kind of person I was, what I wanted to do, and where I wanted to go.”