Gap Years: What Are They? and Should You Take One?

One big question we get here at Crimson Education is “should I take a gap year?” Before we dive into the pros and cons of taking a gap year, it’s important to truly understand what a gap year is and exactly what it entails. Typically speaking, a gap year is taken after graduating from high school and before starting college. Over the past ten years, in particular, gap years have become increasingly popular. Many students use this time to travel, conduct volunteer work, learn new skills such as languages or trades, conduct research, and/or participate in an internship.

Why take a gap year?

With schools potentially being online next fall, many incoming freshmen are considering taking a gap year. Enrollment rates have remained relatively normal but with changing policies and more schools declaring online instruction, this is likely to change. US citizens are currently unable to travel to most countries, so gap year students will have to look to unique opportunities to grow from home. We encourage gap year students to take this time to pursue research opportunities, virtual internships or gain work experience. Taking a gap year can actually help students succeed in college; in many cases, students that participate in a gap year are more focused, mature, and motivated when they start college.

Here at Crimson we work with students every day and craft the perfect programs to help them get on track to gain admissions to the universities of their dreams. Co-founder and CEO of Crimson Education, Jamie Beaton shared seven great examples of reasons to take a gap year:

1. Taking a gap year is one of the only opportunities you have in your life to take a substantial break as college life and the early stages of your career are very intensive.

2. Think about if you have a highly structured plan for the gap year or is it spontaneous. Usually, students with highly structured plans will experience a lot more satisfaction.

3. Consider if you’re academically advanced relative to the college they are seeking to attend. Gap years can traditionally weaken the academic skills of students given the break from studies so they should only be considered if the student is ahead of their peers i.e. has an SAT score higher than the SAT average of their school.

4. The student's career and graduate school applications reward gap years i.e.: medical schools put weight on experiences such as in-field volunteering and the maturity it can bring.

Many students have attributed gap years to providing them with the experience and clarity necessary to be successful in college. With so many options available for majors and minors and ultimately careers, it’s important that students follow the right track for them. Seeking out opportunities to continue your education outside of the classroom often gives students a chance to learn more about their passions, and in turn, themselves.

5. If a student's final year of high school was extremely stressful and the student needs to reset from a mental health perspective in order to perform at an optimal level in college, taking a gap year can benefit them.

6. If the student has close family ties such as siblings or other personal reasons that make an immediate departure to college more difficult, a gap year could be an important time to strengthen family relationships.

7. Another reason for taking a gap year could be if the student has an entrepreneurial project such as a technology start-up they wish to pursue which would be impractical if they were at college.

Crimson Senior Strategist, Megan works with students every year that aim for top schools. Many of her students have gained admission to the nation’s top schools including Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Duke, and the University of Southern California! With the changes in admissions due to COVID-19, many students are asking if gap years are the right idea. While gap years can be beneficial for some, Megan explains that they are not the best plan for all students: “Taking a gap year can potentially add value to your profile if you are able to use that time away from school wisely. However, if you do not have a firm plan in place about what you will do to stay productive during the year off, it may not be the best decision.

“Additionally, keep in mind that some students find it isolating - be sure you’re ok with the fact that your friends will be starting their college lives while you are doing something different, and that when you do arrive to begin your university experience, your immediate peers will be a little younger than you.”

Megan further explains that gap years are not for everyone and that those looking to pursue this option should plan in advance and have a clear vision of the benefits that time away will bring.

“If planned well and backed by purpose, the gap year experience can boost a student’s profile and increase their chances of admission to competitive programs. They can be especially useful if a student decided late in their high school career to pursue a very specific and highly competitive major like computer science, engineering, or business. A gap year can be a great way to build up the necessary demonstrated interest for these programs! I’ve seen very successful Gap Year undertakings during which students greatly expanded their independent projects (like non-profit organizations), joined full-time research teams, or pursued their passions, and ended up at top programs in their respective fields.”

As for a ‘quick tip’ when it comes to gap year focus, Crimson Strategist Brice — whose students have recently been accepted to Harvard, UPenn’s Wharton School, UT Austin and many more — offers another piece of advice: “It is always helpful to try to incorporate an academic pursuit into your gap year so that you can demonstrate you are ready for a full-time academic environment when you ultimately return to school. In short, gap years should add to your application and highlight your passion, academic prowess, community commitment, and the enthusiasm you will bring to campus.”

What are your options for gap years?

While gap years can be used for travel, conduct volunteer work, and learning new languages or trades, they are an awesome way to grow as both a person and a student; however, there are two activities in particular that will truly make your gap year stand out.

Conducting research: When you apply to college, you will need to illustrate your intellectual curiosity, your capacity to think innovatively and originally, and your ability to commit to and execute a college-level project. In fact, all of the above can be achieved simultaneously by completing an original, independent research project. By participating in and conducting research while in high school, you are exhibiting an interest in a subject and entrepreneurial personality which is highly attractive to university admissions officers. To find research opportunities, you can try emailing and contacting professors in your area. Crimson can also set you up with a top professor to act as your mentor through our Crimson Research Institute.

Landing an internship: Interning in your intended area of study demonstrates to admissions officers that you’re dedicated to and passionate about your studies and will be a strong candidate to join that university’s student body. Crimson works with students to assist with researching and securing internships at a high level. Through our connections with thousands of national and international companies, our students have completed internships in fields like STEM, lifestyle, marketing, finance, etc.

Crimson alumna, Jennifer, explains her gap year offered her the chance to develop her resume: “I decided to take a gap year after I found out about the opportunity to study abroad after I graduated from high school. I had strong IB results, but hadn’t...built an extracurricular profile. In my gap year, I studied for and sat my SATs and SAT IIs, worked at a tech startup, became a UNICEF Youth Ambassador, and started a network of youth clubs.” Using this time to develop both her extracurricular and academic profiles, Jennifer credits her gap year with opening more doors. “I also took a couple of classes at a local university to give me a jump start for when I started my degree. I’m so glad that I took a gap year because it enabled me to get into my dream school (NYU Stern) and opened up many global career pathways.”

Whether you decide that gap years are a good fit for you or not, keep in mind that every student’s road to success looks different. To chat with an advisor about whether a gap year might be a good fit for you, sign up for a time here.