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ESL11B–Spring2013

Section2038

GapYear:Congrats!You'reAcceptedtoCollege,NowGoAway

BySUSANDONALDSONJAMES(abcNEWS)May14,2012

SamHeldrop,18,hasdeferredhisacceptancetoHopeCollege

inMichiganandoptedtoteachEnglishandbackpack

inThailandnextacademicyear. (CourtesySamHelderop)

SamHelderopreceivedanacceptanceletterfromMichigan'sHopeCollegethisspring,buthasnointentionofgoing--atleastnotinthefallof2012.Thecollegehasallowedhimtodeferhisadmission,andHelderopwilltakeagapyeartoteachEnglish

withtheDaLaaprojectinaremotevillageinThailand,thenbackpackthroughoutSoutheastAsia-"untilmymoneyrunsout."

"Ialwayswantedtotravelprettymuchmyentirelife,"saidHelderop,agraduatingseniorfromGrandRapids,Mich."Butafter18yearsofthesameoldroutine,goingtoschooland

sittinginclass,Iamnotmotivatedenoughrightnowtogothroughfouryearsofcollege.""IfeellikeagapyearwillnarrowdownwhatIwanttostudyanddoinmylife,"hesaid."Togetmyinterestineducationbackagain."

Helderop'smotherisnothappyabouthisplanstostepofftheacademicladderanddovolunteerwork.However,highereducationexpertssaythatgivingstudentsanopportunitytoexploretherealworldhelpsthemmature.Moreover,earlyresearchrevealsthatoncetheyrestarttheiracademicstudies,theyactuallyperformbetterthanthosewhogostraightfromhighschooltocollege.

Anestimated1.2percentoffirst-timecollegefreshmentakeagapyear,mostofthemmalestudents,accordingtotheHigherEducationResearchInstituteattheUniversityofCaliforniaLosAngeles.

"Thesearestillsmallpercentages,"saidJohnPryor,directorofthecooperativeinstitutionalresearchprogramatHERI.Nevertheless,collegeadmissionofficerssaythegapyearisgainingmomentum.

InBritainandEuropethegapyearhasbeenrespectablefordecades,buta2011surveyofAmericancollegesestimatedonlyabout18,000ofthe1.5millionfreshmenhadtakenayearoffafterhighschool.

Recently,however,someofthenation'smostcompetitivecolleges(Harvard,MiddleburyandPrinceton,amongothers)haveadoptedformalpoliciestoallowstudentstodefertheir

admission,andpubliccollegesliketheUniversityofNorthCarolinaofferaGapplscholarshiptopursueacademicsandserviceabroad.

"Whatadmissionofficerstellyouisthatthegapyearincreasesindependenceandself-relianceandstudentshaveaconfidenceaboutthem,"saidJuliaRogers,directorofVermont-basedEnRouteConsulting.InapersuasivecolumnintheBurlingtonFreePress,sheparaphrasesMiddlebury'sacceptancelettertothosewhohaveaskedforagapyeardeferment:"Congratulations,you'rein.Nowgoaway."

Herstudentshavespannedtheglobe.Rightnow,CindyLiofChesterbrook,PennsylvaniaisinterningforaradicalartcollectiveinMexico.MicaThompsonofCapeElizabeth,Maineis

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workingonanelephantconservationprojectinSouthAfricaandTeganHenderson,anAmericanlivinginLondon,islearningfashionalongsidedesignerStellaMcCartney.

"Weliveinanincreasinglydigitalworldandexistmorevirtuallythanbefore,"saidRogers."Thegapyearforcesthemintoarealexperience-learningalanguageontheground,meetingpeople,engaginginsituations-allofwhichisbecomingmoreandmorerareamong

theirpeers."

Thegapyearisalsoanattractiveoptionfinancially,costinganaverageof$10,000to$25,000comparedtocollegetuitions,whicharenowupwardsof$55,000ayear,accordingtoRogers.

RogersishelpingHelderopshapehisplansprobono(withoutcharge)becausehismotherisnotsupportinghisgapyear,andhisfatherdiedeightyearsago.

"TravelmakesAmericansnervous,andwearesuspiciousofothercultures,"Rogerssaid."ButIthinkthat'schangingandevolving,especiallythisgeneration,whichisexploringtheworldmore."

Forstarters,Rogersrecommendsthatgapyearstudents"dogoodwork,beinasafelocationandhavealocalcoordinator."

Helderopestimateshisyearabroadwillcostabout$7,000,moneyhehassavedhimselfthroughcoachingtennis,workingatadiner,andevendonatingplasmatogetclosermakingtohisdreamareality.

Agapyeardoesn'thavetobeoverseas.AlexGalarcefromIllinoisisvolunteeringfor10monthswithCityYearinChicago.There,heservesasafull-timetutorandmentortokeepstudentsontrackforgraduationfromhighschool.Nextyear,he'llattendNewCollegeofFlorida.

"DoingCityYeariswhatmademeconsiderbeingateacher,"saidGalarce,whohadnoideawhathewantedtostudywhenhegraduatedfromhighschoollastyear."IfIhadn'tdoneagapyear,teachingwouldnothavebeensomethingIwasinterestedin."

RobertClagett ,whohasworkedinadmissionsforbothHarvardUniversityandMiddleburyCollegeforthreedecades,isapassionateconvert.

WhileservingasdeanofadmissionsatMiddlebury,heandhiscolleaguesdidacomparisonstudyofincomingfreshmen:thosewhobeganinthespringterm-so-called"Febs"-andthosewhotooktheregularrouteandenrolledinthefall.

Theycontrolledforvariableslikehighschoolcredentials,havinganaffluentbackgroundorattendingabetterhighschool.TheFebsnotonlyhadhigherGPAs,butthepositiveeffects

lastedallfouryears.Theresultswere"startling,"accordingtoClagett."Andweknewwewereontosomethinghere."

"ThebestpredictorofoverallacademicsuccesswasbeingaFeb,"hesaid."Mytheoryisthatstudentswhohaveanopportunitytogetoffthetreadmilldobetter."

TheFebresearchledtoanotherstudythatalsosuggestedthatstudentswhotakeafullgapyearmayalsooutperformtheircollegepeers.

"Thepressureofgettingintocollegetakesoverstudents’educationalgoalsinhighschool,"saidClagett."Andthestudentswhogetintocollegestepbackandsay,'WhereamInow?'

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Thatdoesn'thappenasmuchforFebs,whohavehadintenseexperiencesormaybeworked."

Clagett'sresearchisbackedupanAustralianstudyof2,502studentspublishedinthe2010JournalofEducationalPsychology,whichsaidgapyearstudentsaremorehighlymotivated.

"Theconventionalwisdomisyouruntheriskofthekidlosinghard-earnedstudyskillsand,maybetheywon'tgoontocollege,"hesaid."Butthosearen'tlegitimateconcerns.Inmy30years,Ihavenevermetastudentwhotookagapyearandregrettedit."

Inadditiontoits100Febs,Middleburyaccepted40studentswhochosetotakeagapyearin2011-"thehighestweeverhad,"hesaid.

Oneofthem,CarolineCatingofArlington,Massachusetts,hasworkedonorganicfarmsinHawaii,learnedtoflyandworkedasaskiinstructor.Today,sheisvolunteeringatadaycarecenterinMexicoforlow-incomechildrenofsinglemothers.

"Iabsolutelylovechildren,andnothingisaswonderfulasmakingmeaningfulbondswiththem,"shewroteABCNews.cominanemail."Ithasalsobeenwonderfultopracticemy

Spanishandlearnanewculture."

CarolineCating,19,volunteersatadaycarecenterin

Mexico.

Forher,agapyearhasmeant"individual,unmonitored,personalgrowth."

"Allofmydifferentexperienceshavehelpedmelearntobepatientandtohavefaiththatthingsworkout,though

notalwaysasplanned,"saidCating."I'velearnedtobudgetforgroceriesandgasandrent,tonavigatenewsocialsituationsinwhichthereisn'talwaysarightorwronganswer."

ChloeSharplesofAustin,Texas,willstartColoradoCollegeinthefallafterspendingawhirlwindyearabroadwiththefullsupportofherparents.

Today,the19-year-oldisinChiangMai,Thailand,volunteeringforArtReliefInternational,aftergoingonadaddy-daughtertriptotheremoteHimalayankingdomofBhutan.Lastfall,sheimprovedherSpanishvolunteeringinanenvironmentalprogramwithCarpeDieminEcuadorandPeru.

"Collegeisachoiceratherthanapathforme:Iamgoingtocollegetrulyexcitedtolearn,"shewroteABCNews.cominanemail."I'veseensomanyamazingthingsthisyearandmetandlearnedfromsomanyincrediblepeopleandI'vebeensoinspiredandbecomesocuriousaboutsomuchthatIcan'twaittotakecoursesonalloftheseamazingsubjects."

Heradvicetothenervousparent,likeHelderop's:"Don'tbeafraid."

Heradvicetostudentscontemplatingagapyear:"Bebraveanddothingsthatareoutsideyourcomfortzone(butdon'tbedumb).Talktopeople,theworldhassomuchtoteach."

Editedfrom:http://abcnews.go.com/Health/gap-year-momentum-grows-studies-show-higher-performance/story?id=16339935#.UaX-KZwkJ8E