By Katherine Stievater, Founder, Gap Year Solutions
We are so excited to be celebrating the 10th anniversary of Gap Year Solutions this year! What started as helping my son research gap year options sparked the realization that there is a market for services to help other students (and their parents) plan gap time.
I’ve seen a lot of change since 2015. Here are some of the biggest trends based on conversations with over a thousand families and countless school counselors and IECs:
- College readiness and acquiring more professional skills now equals or surpasses volunteering and social activism as the goal of gap time
- Mental health challenges have become more prevalent with our teens – many people point to social media and then the impact of the COVID pandemic as primary drivers of this
- Beyond the increases in anxiety and depression we have seen, more students are struggling with decision making and basic motivation
- Fewer students are participating in structured gap year programs, as more are pursuing independent experiences including shorter projects, internships, and more locally-based activities focused on what they might want to do in college
- More students already enrolled in college are taking gap time – in the past, most students thinking about making a change would transfer to a new school without taking a break
- 10 years ago there was more stigma about taking a gap year – today, most students know someone who has taken a gap year, and no one looks at you funny if you tell them you’re taking gap time before or during college
- Previously, students would often need to beg their parents to let them take a gap year – now, we see this script flipped as parents are SO much more open to the idea of gap time
Check back all year long as we celebrate our 10th anniversary!
