What Is a Gap Year and Is It Right for You?

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Read time 6 minutes

Published on Dec 19, 2024

High school can feel intense sometimes, especially toward the end as you’re busy preparing for college entrance exams, going on tours and wrapping up your last round of high school finals. Some students decide that they’re ready for a break after high school before they move on to college.

This is known as a gap year. What is a gap year and what is its purpose? Learn more and gain clarity in determining if a gap year could be right for you.

In This Article:

Gap Year: Meaning and Purpose
Potential Benefits of Taking a Gap Year After High School
Potential Drawbacks of Taking a Gap Year After High School
What To Look Forward to as a College Freshman
Exploring the Scholarship Opportunities at GCU

Gap Year: Meaning and Purpose

It’s customary to head straight off to college following the summer after high school graduation. However, some students take a gap year instead. The definition of a gap year is straightforward: It’s a year (or sometimes a semester) spent on activities other than formal education, typically taken prior to starting college.

Beyond this simple definition of a gap year, the meaning can be a little different for every student. Its purpose could be to:

Pursue personal growth
Travel the world
Gain work experience
Volunteer for a meaningful cause
Improve mental health
Refine academic and professional interests

While the exact definition of a gap year can be a little different for every student, it generally:

Is intentional
Has opportunities for experiential learning
Is done for enrichment

Although a gap year after high school is quite common, other people may take a gap year at other points in their lives. For example, a person might take a gap year between earning an undergrad degree and heading off to grad school or a professional school (e.g., medical school). Gap years might even be taken at around the mid-point of a person's career, although they're usually referred to as "sabbaticals."

Potential Benefits of Taking a Gap Year After High School

If you're thinking about taking a gap year following your high school graduation, it's important to give careful consideration to the pros and cons. Weigh your motivations for taking a gap year and your intentions for it carefully. What do you hope to accomplish? Are you in need of a mental break or do you want to pursue personal or professional enrichment?

There are indeed several potential benefits of taking a year off before matriculating at your chosen college, but bear in mind that not everyone may experience the same benefits. This is because every person’s gap year experience is a little different.

Explore the World and Experience Other Cultures

Many high school grads decide to use their gap year to travel abroad and immerse themselves in other cultures. This can be an invaluable experience for students who are genuinely open-minded and non-judgmental about other cultures. It's also important to be receptive to the idea of exploring other perspectives, worldviews and cultural traditions and values.

Growing in cultural competence can allow students to develop greater respect for others, which can support more productive communications in college, the workplace and beyond.

Become More Independent and Overcome Challenges

College freshmen often struggle with the transition from living in their family’s home and having most things taken care of for them to living away from home and having to figure out all the “adult stuff” themselves. Another potential benefit of taking a gap year after high school is having the opportunity to become more independent.

If you use your gap year to travel abroad or even to gain professional work or volunteer experience, there will inevitably be challenges you’ll need to overcome. You may find that, after your gap year, you’ve developed greater resilience and self-sufficiency. This might make heading off to college a little easier.

Refine Your Academic Interests and Career Goals

One major motivation for taking a gap year is to figure out what you’d like to major in and what you’d like to do after college. Taking a year off between high school and college can allow more time to reflect on your goals. You might also volunteer or work in an industry you’re interested in to get an inside look at what to expect.

Potential Drawbacks of Taking a Gap Year After High School

Although there are several benefits of taking a gap year, there are also potential disadvantages. Before making any decisions about the year after high school, it’s wise to thoroughly reflect upon the potential drawbacks and how they might affect you and your future.

Loss of Academic Momentum

If you go to college shortly after graduating from high school, you’ll have the benefit of momentum. You’ll still be in the habit of going to classes, completing schoolwork and studying. This academic momentum can benefit you heading into college.

If you decide to take a gap year instead, you’ll spend a whole year doing activities not pertaining to formal education. You won’t attend classes, write essays, conduct academic research or participate in class discussions. Even if the experience enriches you in other ways, you may find that your study skills become rusty as a result.

Loss of Lifetime Earnings Potential

Lifetime earnings refer to the amount of money you can expect to earn during your working lifetime. If you decide to delay your college education, you must remember that you’re also delaying your anticipated college graduation date, and consequently delaying the start of your professional life. This could have the effect of reducing your overall lifetime earnings, which may ultimately affect whether you’re sufficiently prepared for retirement.

Feeling Behind Compared to Your Peers

Entering college a year later means you'll be a year older than most other college freshmen, including your roommates. Your own peers — students the same age as you — will likely already be sophomores. This might not bother every student, but for some, it might feel unpleasant to be academically behind one's peers.

Plus, it takes extensive planning to do a gap year following high school. You’ll need to figure out what your goals and intentions are, where you’ll go and what you’ll do.

What To Look Forward to as a College Freshman

If the cons of taking a gap year seem to outweigh the potential benefits, then you should know that there’s a lot to look forward to as a college freshman. If you’re interested in taking a gap year to gain greater independence, then what better way to experience transitional independence than as a freshman away from home? If you’d like to use a gap year to travel the world, why not plan a study abroad semester in college?

Similarly, students who are thinking about taking a gap year to gain work experience can apply to internships during college and on summer breaks. You don’t need to feel like you’re missing out on something by not taking a gap year; there’s plenty to love about life on campus, too. You’ll be able to dive into your academic interests (and refine your career goals along the way) while meeting new friends and enjoying a full calendar of activities.

At Grand Canyon University, there are many options to choose from. Not only can you choose from a varied list of bachelor’s degree programs, but you can also join any number of clubs, sports teams (including intramurals) and other campus activities.

Exploring the Scholarship Opportunities at GCU

GCU is committed to making higher education more accessible to all. Talk to a university counselor to find out which scholarships and grants you may be eligible to apply for as an online or traditional on-campus student.

If you do decide to take a gap year following your high school graduation, you may be eligible to apply for a gap and transfer student scholarship. Review the information on our website and reach out to a university counselor if you have any questions.

When you’re ready to explore all that GCU has to offer, a university counselor is here to help you get started learning more about the admissions process and what to expect. Choose from our wide range of bachelor’s degree programs across many fields — from engineering and psychology to counseling and education. Our Christian university looks forward to welcoming you into our learning community. Fill out the form on this page to get started.

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