Why Aren't Gap Years Normalized In American Society?

If you ask a high school senior what subject they want to study in college, you’ll most likely hear the words “I don’t know,” yet 70% of high school graduates went on to university in 2016. Sure there are people who figure out what they want to do while attending school, but that’s a very expensive investment. This may explain why nearly half of the college graduates in the United States are either unemployed or working a job that’s unrelated to the major (and probably a job that doesn’t even require a university degree to work there).

Like many other countries, many choices people make are because of the group think mentality in the society that they live in. If everyone else is doing something, it makes one feel compelled to do the same so they don’t feel like an outcast from their peers.

When it comes to education, we are pushed through the conveyor belt. It is ingrained that we go through grade school, get into a good university, and then graduate school (if needed), then get a job. While there’s nothing wrong this linear path (per se), it’s flawed and not applicable to everyone. Taking a break isn’t going to cause academic or professional atrophy. Rushing into a career path that you have zero interest in, can arguably cause more damage. When done correctly, a gap year can be a wonderful thing. It allows one to:
-Figure out what they really want to do with their life
-Work on building life skills that aren’t taught in traditional education
-Work and save money for university
-Gain real-world experience through working, internships, apprenticeships, traveling and/or alternative education programs
-Build maturity
-Improve motivation and engagement when they decide to return to university
-Less likely to drop out of college

“Taking a gap year is easy if you come from a family with money”
This quote is a common response to those who object taking gap years. When the news broke out last year that Malia Obama, daughter of the former US President Barack Obama, decided to take a gap-year before attending Harvard University, many people were saying that it’s easy for her to do that because her father is rich, or as people like to call it “spending daddy’s money.”

There has been a growing trend of students participating in gap-year programs like Abby Falik’s Global Citizen program, or just a self-curated backpacking trip around Southeast Asia or Latin America. Many participants of these international travel programs do come from well-off families, so I can understand why people may think that gap years only apply the upper-middle to wealthy class (even though applicants can apply for scholarships to offset the costs). Who says that you have to partake in these alternative education programs? Mentors and apprenticeships can be found in the vicinity of your hometown. If money is a problem, why go a 4-year university and rack up tens and thousands of dollars in debt for a degree that doesn’t promise guaranteed success?

Are There Any Cons To Taking A Gap Year?
Absolutely. Everything comes with pros and cons. The biggest con when taking a gap year is not having a game plan. If you spend you year off not investing in personal development/self-education, identifying what career fields sound of interest to you, working on startup projects, gaining ‘“real world”, and networking, then yes, it will be a year wasted. Another con could be F.O.M.O. (fear of missing out). If all of your best friends went away to university, you can fill a bit left out because you’re stuck in your hometown by yourself. To that, I say focus on your own grass instead of worrying how green someone else’s is.

How About A Happy Medium?
If one is not ready for a 4-year institution and/or doesn’t have the money for school or alternative education programs, the next best thing would be enrolling in a community college while working/networking on the side. A list of web resources to find networking opportunities in your area can be found here. Community colleges are low cost compared to 4-year schools, and the credits are transferable to many 4-year universities. That way students can explore different subjects to see what they like as well as work with mentors on developing key life skills that aren’t taught in the traditional education system.

Conclusion
Whether a gap year is practical or not is up to the individual. I will say, given the rising cost tuition, student debt, and the percentage of college graduates employed at a job relevant to their field of study, one should think long and hard whether entering university right after high school is the best financial decision. It would be terrible to spend all of that money for a major you don’t even like or use.
Do you think “gap” years should be encouraged more in American society? Would love to know your thoughts in the responses below!

Also shared on Medium: https://medium.com/@nicolecoop/why-arent-gap-years-normalized-american-in-society-6c2e4f7372cc