By Indigo Coylewright
Some students out of high school seek a gap year or other alternative learning to learn about themselves and the world.
Connor Greenawalt, Program Director of the Communication program at the National Student Leadership Conference, said leadership programs and other similar camps and programs allow you to explore what you would like to do without the need to take a gap year.
According to Parenting New Hampshire, taking a gap year “can lead [high school students] down the path to full-time work without a plan for more education.”
Although gap years and alternative learning experiences are not required before college, many students choose to take the opportunity.
The Chronicle of Higher Education wrote “many [high school students] are exhausted and burned out, eager to refuel their curiosity about the world through the kind of learning that won’t appear on a transcript.” According to Year Out Group, over 230,000 students are taking gap years this year.
Although students sometimes take their gap year before college to plan what they intend to pursue, Trevor Howell, a Team Advisor at the National Student Leadership Conference, said he recommends that people take a gap year after college before their first larger job.
He recommends spending this time thinking, working a small job, and, “Traveling, road tripping, and volunteering”.