I learned a new phrase while reading Ed Week..."gap year." ("Scholars Suggest Adding 'Gap Year' May Encourage College Completion" by Sarah D. Sparks) Basically a gap year is a 6 month - 1 year period between high school and college, usually spent traveling or in service learning or experimental programs. I took one of those to backpack through Oceania, but, when I did it, most people called it "Are you crazy - aren't your parents furious?"
The article indicates that the gap year is catching on in the U.S. (already popular with Australians and Europeans) and may help motivate students to complete college when they return home. Ms. Sparks referred to a few studies which suggest that students using this "counterintuitive strategy" did better in "adaptive behavior" tasks (i.e. planning, task management, & persistence) upon return. My first reaction is that this strategy is only "counterintuitive" in the minds of many parents. (Historically, many of whom were taught that if their student doesn't go to college right away then s/he may never go. I feel fortunate that my gap year was my parents' idea.)
My experience leads me to believe that it is a very constructive strategy, which combats boredom, gives people the opportunity to find out who they are, affords them the chance to meet other people from many different places, teaches self-reliance and lets kids have some fun without the usual scholastic/social/familial responsibilities. For me, when I returned home & back to school, most of the usual freshmen drama around me was uninteresting, & I focused much better on my classes and activities. Many universities encourage gap years, which leads me to believe that they've had a similar experience with those returning students. I would definitely recommend it to most of my future students.
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