Changing Lives
One Student at a Time™
Helping students increase college success by planning transformative Gap Years based on life skills and real world learning






Services/What We Do


Gap Year Planning
The Gap Year Plan helps students map out their Gap time and helps structure activities and experiences to meet their interests, goals and budget.


Gap Year Internships
Matching students with an internship experience that fulfills key objectives of their Gap Year plan, focusing on desired industries, job functions and skills.
Access a library of articles, presentations and other Gap Year information, including COVID-19 perspectives.
Access a library of articles, presentations and other Gap Year information, including COVID-19 perspectives.
From Our Blog


Discover Gap Years! – Part 2
Part 2 covers major Gap Year myths including that they cost too much, that students must travel, FOMO, and that there is a specific “Gap Year student”.


Discover Gap Years! – Part 1
Hands down, the biggest benefit of a Gap Year is maturity which shows up a number of ways for students. The teenage brain is just not, well, finished at 18 years old. It’s still growing.


New Type of Gap Year Student: College Transfers
A Gap Year after a student has already started college can also be a different experience. They are more mature with more life experience and time spent living independently.


Founder
Katherine Stievater
Gap Year Solutions helps students increase college success through transformational gap experiences. Founder Katherine Stievater works with students across the U.S. to structure work, service, travel and other activities into a customized plan. Her approach focuses on student ownership, and building life skills such as problem solving, independent living, and resilience. Katherine’s process with her students creates trust and powerful mentoring relationships. She encourages students to embrace this unique opportunity to step off the traditional path, be authentic, and continue to discover themselves!
Katherine Stievater
Katherine founded Gap Year Solutions because she feels strongly that many students can benefit from taking a step off the typical path, and become more self-reliant and confident through REAL WORLD LEARNING. She is a graduate of Georgetown University, with over 13 years of experience as an admissions interviewer, and was a Retail Buyer for Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City.
Katherine has four sons, the second oldest of whom completed a Gap Year before beginning college. Her oldest son spent his junior year of high school at a Spanish language school in Spain. In addition to being an accredited Gap Year Counselor, Katherine is a Member of the Advisory Board and Standards & Accreditation Committee of the Gap Year Association, is a Professional Member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), and has served as a Keynote speaker for USA Gap Year Fairs. Based in the Boston, MA area, she speaks regularly about Gap Years at high schools, libraries, and college fairs across the U.S.





