Tag: Gap Year

Interview with Lucia Poggi (UChicago ’23)

by Gap Year Solutions

Interview by Anna Nickerson

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Photo: Lucia (left) on the campaign trail in Northern Virginia!

It is a common misconception that in order to take a gap year, you must travel abroad extensively. Many students choose to forgo travel-based programs and focus on other opportunities, such as Gapper Lucia Poggi. Lucia just finished up her gap year, which consisted of career-centered work in the U.S. as well as independent travel. Gap Year Solutions recently spoke with Lucia and asked her about her year. Lucia’s experience serves as an important example that not all gap years are “One Size Fits All.” Independently planned gap years take time and careful attention to plan. Keep reading to learn more about Lucia’s gap year and the advice she has for potential gappers!

Tell me about yourself and your gap year.

I am from Richmond, Virginia and I went to the Hotchkiss School, a boarding school in Connecticut. I deferred my admission from the University of Chicago in order to take a gap year that combined some of my interests. I am really interested in political campaigning, so I wanted this to be a big part of my gap year.

Originally my parents were actually open to the idea of a gap year, but they didn’t want me to do a program. They felt that because I’m now an adult, I should plan my own experience and live where I want. When I started planning my year, the timing worked out perfectly because it was during midterms season. I worked in Northern Virginia on a political campaign for someone aspiring to be in the House of Representatives, 10th district. I wanted to do some resume-building and get real work experience in political campaigning. I lived in a house with fellow Hotchkiss alumni, whom I found through our alumni app.

In the Spring, I traveled to Bonair, a small Dutch island in the Carribbean. I lived and worked there for 3 months. 3 days out of the week, I volunteered for a turtle conservation organization and during the rest of the week, I waited tables at a local restaurant. I also did a lot of scuba diving, which was great.

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Photo: Lucia and friends scuba diving in Bonaire

What skills do you think you learned on your gap year?

I think the work experience in political campaigning provided me with a lot of professional skills. More specifically, I learned how to structure and organize my time during my entire gap year. One big challenge I had was that the elections ended in Mid-November, but I didn’t go to Bonaire until January. This left me with a couple months of unstructured time, so I wish I had maybe been more productive during those months in Richmond.

I also learned how to live alone and with fewer people than I’m used to. At Hotchkiss, I was constantly surrounded by friends, roommates, and my classmates. There was always an opportunity to be around other people, but my gap year forced me to be with only a few people or even by myself. As an extrovert, I think this was a really important skill for me to learn especially in preparation for college.

How did Hotchkiss support you in your decision to take a gap year?

 Hotchkiss was very supportive and encouraging of my decision to take a gap year, among other students who also chose that path. Out of my graduating class of about 172, somewhere between 10-12 students chose to take a gap year before attending college. Compared to my middle school, which was a K-12, I felt much more supported by Hotchkiss to take a gap year. Some schools can make you feel like an underachiever for taking a gap year, but that wasn’t the case at Hotchkiss.

Why did you decide to take a Gap Year? What got you interested?

 A lot of people at Hotchkiss actually take gap years, so that got me interested. I felt that it would be great to do a lot of things on a gap year that I couldn’t necessarily do once I’m in college or working in my professional career.

I was also feeling burnt out from school. I couldn’t get excited about signing up for classes and I knew that if I took a year off to re-evaluate, I would thrive much more at school.

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Photo: Lucia and her brother traveling on her gap year.

What was the biggest challenge on your gap year?

Definitely the unstructured time between the Fall and Spring sections of my gap year. Even though I learned how to manage my time better, this was challenging. If I did my gap year again, I would have planned more in between then.

What advice do you have for someone who is planning on taking a gap year?

Make sure you talk to people who have taken a gap year! I also think you should get a good balance of productivity and fun and doing things that you actually want to do or are interested in, rather than just doing things that look good on a resume.

 

Six Questions Most Students Ask Before Taking A Gap Year

by Gap Year Solutions

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Photo Credit: GYS student

  1. Would I be behind after taking a Gap Year?

Absolutely not! We understand that this is a common concern of both students and parents though. One of the ways they express their concern is wondering if missing math or not being “academic” for a year will cause a form of learning “atrophy”. This turns out not to be the case. Studies have shown that students who take a Gap Year end up graduating with higher GPAs. In fact, students who take a Gap Year feel more prepared, ready to learn and are more engaged academically and socially after they arrive on campus.

  1. What happens if I choose a different program than my major of study?

While there are no absolutes when it comes to the deferral process and college policies regarding majors and other areas such as transfer credits, for the most part students will find that colleges are flexible. We find that colleges are wiling to work with Gappers to accommodate changes in majors and undergraduate programs. It is up to the student to take the initiative to reach out to their college and ensure that things are in order for their enrollment.

  1. I would like to apply for College, should I apply before or after I take a Gap Year?

We highly recommend that high school seniors apply to colleges as they normally would. Students would then decide on their school, and put down a deposit to hold their place by the deadline. Seniors who are considering a Gap Year will often be thinking about and researching options during their last semester, and checking in with their school of choice to make sure they understand the deferral policies and process. Currently, every school has a unique process, and while there are many similarities, it is super important to understand how it works for the student’s own school. Having said this, we have worked with students who choose to apply to college during the first portion of their Gap Year. This is for many reasons, including not knowing what they want to study in college, not getting accepted to their preferred schools, and sometimes simply because they delayed the whole college application process.

  1. How do I find the right project(s) for me?

Typically students participate in multiple activities during their Gap Year. We tend to think of a Gap Year as broken up into segments, almost like college semesters. There is almost never just one “project” during this time (examples of a long, single activity would be something such as City Year or a year long language immersion program). We work with our students to structure a Gap Year plan that includes a number of experiences based on their interests and goals. These include internships, jobs, service and volunteer opportunities, travel, adventure, leadership and many others.

  1. Are there gap year scholarships or financial aid available?

Many programs offer financial assistance and scholarships to help with affordability, and there are also other grants available specifically to support Gap Year experiences. We suggest enrolling in structured Gap Year programs as early in the process as possible, since funds do run out. Parents can utilize funds from 529 accounts if there will be college credits earned during the program. Also some colleges are now offering stipends to support admitted students who are deferring enrollment to pursue a Gap Year. UNC has done this for several years, and Duke will be awarding up to $15,000 to support their Gap Year.  In addition, many of our students work during their Gap Year and will often use their earnings to help pay for a Gap Year program. Lack of financial resources should NEVER be a reason not to consider a Gap Year!

  1. Do Colleges like Gap Years? Will my application to College be accepted after I take a Gap Year?

Colleges love Gap Years! We recently surveyed U.S. colleges and universities about their attitudes towards Gap Years, and with few exceptions, schools embrace the benefits that Gap Years bring to students. A few comments we received during our research:

  • Boston College: “We fully support the decision to take a gap year”
  • Reed College: “We support the passions of admitted students and how they achieve their educational goals, which we understand may involve a gap year”
  • NC State: “We see them as beneficial to a student’s intellectual growth and maturity”
  • Clark University: “We love students who participate in experiential and alternative learning experiences”

 

This post originally appeared on United Planet on May 13, 2019 as “Six Questions Most Students Ask Before Taking A Gap Year? Gap Year Consultant, Katherine Stievater, Shares Expertise With United Planet.”

 

 

12 Indispensable Items for Your Travels

by Gap Year Solutions

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Photo Credits: Gap Year Solutions

1. Notebook/Journal. According to the Gap Year Association, a journal can be incredibly useful while you’re on your gap year, and can be a helpful place for processing, documenting, and occasionally venting too. We agree and highly recommend all gappers make this a habit during their year.

2. Hiking Boots. Regardless of your terrain (city, farm, mountain, jungle), it is essential to have a pair of strong, comfortable, waterproof shoes. Gappers tend to do tons of walking, hiking, and generally moving around while on trips. Depending on the type of travel, durable trail running shoes can suffice. But there’s really no substitute for hiking boots – and remember to get them sooner than later – break them in BEFORE you travel!

3. Copy of Your Passport. Not exactly the most fun or exotic item to take while traveling, but it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that gappers make copies of their passport. Bring several to stash in carry on bags and your backpack, and leave a couple copies with family back home too. It’s also not a bad idea to bring copies of your driver’s license as another form of ID.

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Photo Credits: vagaband.com

4. Vagaband Wristband. Vagaband wristbands easily and safely store personal medical information such as allergies, vaccinations and blood type. We love this old school approach to giving doctors, first responders and other travelers essential patient data in an emergency: “no dead batteries, no cracked screens, no lost signal- this is technology that never fails!”

5. Mini-BlueTooth Speaker. Many of our gappers tell us that while they enjoy being outdoors and away from the culture and influences of “home,” they still enjoy listening to their own music while traveling. The portable speakers found everywhere allow music to be a community activity, and enable gappers to quickly learn new singers, songs, and trends. These speakers can be super small and still pack amazing sound!1252649

Photo Credits: Tabasco

6. Food. It may seem obvious, but food outside your hometown (even inside the U.S.) won’t be what you are used to eating everyday. We receive many suggestions from gappers about how to “smuggle” food along the way. Power Bars and Clif Bars are excellent for replenishing in a pinch. “Flavor drops” (Mio) and powder packets (Gatorade, Arnold Palmer) are easy to pack. Our personal favorite is mini tabasco bottles- sometimes the food just needs that little something extra!

7. Favorite Book. Gappers should consider bringing a couple paperbacks on their travels- whether on a city bus commute, long distance drive to a new destination, train, plane, or simply down time. Digging into a great book is a terrific way to pass time, relax and learn. Groups often share favorite books, and they can be left behind with host families.

8. Phone Accessories. While some structured group trips ask students to put phones aside, others do not, and like it or not, our phones are also our cameras now – they are how we record our lives. Airplane mode and other tricks help to prolong battery life, but no matter how hard we try, phone batteries just don’t seem to last the day. Consider bringing a portable battery charger. Yes they add a little weight, but so worth it! Also suggested – extra charging cords (super easy to lose) and a Lifeproof case. And don’t forget to back up those photos whenever you get a wifi connection!

9. High-Quality Rain Jacket. According to our gappers, it is worth splurging on a couple items for your travels. One of these is a high quality, dependable rain jacket. Between multiple-day treks, sleeping outdoors, and hiking in any conditions, it is essential that your rain gear hold up no matter what. It is also smart to invest in a waterproof pack cover for trips that have you living out of your backpack!

10. Sharpie, Duct Tape and Rubber Bands. One of the truisms of travel is that “packing light” wins every time. However, anyone who has had to make hard decisions before stuffing that pack, duffel or rolling bag knows it can be incredibly hard to decide what to bring and what to leave behind. Fortunately, gappers have discovered many ingenious hacks passed along by programs and peers. One of our favorites is the sharpie wrapped with duct tape. A stash of rubber bands helps too. You’ll thank us later!

11. Pepto Bismol. It is inevitable that food or sickness will cause some gastric distress while traveling, and it is so nice to already have some Pepto Bismol on hand! Since it can be incredibly difficult to find this in a pinch, it is a great idea to bring some with you. Also, consider bringing your razor blades, deodorant, and other items that can be hard to find outside the U.S.

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Photo Credit: @simonmigaj

12. Sturdy-Frame Backpack. As with the splurge on the rain jacket, our gappers say to invest in a high quality backpack for outdoor adventures. Sometimes gap year trips will include city activities, and only have some portion of the trip set aside for trekking and camping. Avoid the temptation to skimp on the backpack. Expect to spend $250-300+ for a quality pack and accessories such as a waterproof cover.

 

 

 

FOMO

by Gap Year Solutions

By Anna Nickerson

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Photo: Anna kayaking in Maharashtra, India on her gap year program

I took a gap year with a structured 9-month program last year. To say that it was the best decision of my life would be an understatement. As a result of my gap year, I grew in ways I didn’t know existed. My perspective of the world shifted, I began to learn what it truly means to practice “self-care” and most importantly, I learned more about myself than I ever imagined. Because of my highly positive experience on my gap year program, I’ve become a huge advocate of gap years in general. I truly believe that everyone should take a gap year, whether they travel the world like I did, get a full-time job, or even volunteer at a local charity. Taking a year off between high school and college is the ultimate way to challenge yourself, get out of your comfort zone, and to become more introspective. I’ve noticed, however, that when prospective gap students message me on Instagram or send me an E-Mail, one of their first questions is, “Did you feel like you were missing out on college during your gap year?” In other words, “did you experience FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)?”

No, I didn’t feel that way at all. I felt just the opposite. In fact, I often felt badly for the people from my high school and even my closest friends who decided not to take a gap year, which is unfortunately the majority of high school students. While I was getting my SCUBA certification, my friends were pulling all-nighters at the library. And when I was staying with my host family in Costa Rica and practicing my Spanish with them, many of my friends were feeling depressed and homesick in college.

This isn’t to say that everything will go perfectly on a gap year, or that college is always miserable! There’s a balance to find in both experiences, but I know that my gap year has allowed me to become a better student in college now as I’ve improved my time management, self care, and other necessary life skills. So many students are afraid of going off the “traditional path,” or not going directly from high school to a 4-year university and then finding a job. My response to all of them is this: at what point in your life after college will you be able to find the time to take an entire year off from school and either travel the world, explore a passion, or even start a business? Whatever it is that you want to do on your gap year, now is the time!

In the words of Lloyd Humphreys, “To be comfortable is the stupidest thing you could be at your age.” Gap years allow and encourage you to grow through making mistakes, getting completely out of your comfort zone and learning outside of the classroom. The decision is up to you, are you going to have FOMO if you don’t take a gap year?

How My Gap Year Made Me A Better College Student (And Better Person)

by Gap Year Solutions

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After 13 years of rigorous academics in a very competitive school system, I felt burnout and lacked the motivation to continue on with my studies.  I performed well in the classes I enjoyed, but not so well in others that bored me.   Learning in the classroom was no longer something I enjoyed, it was something I loathed.  After I got out of school and back from my sports practices, I liked to hang out with my friends.  I never did my homework.  I just didn’t see the point.  When would I ever use geometry or physics in the “real world”?  I used to be the first person to tell you that grades didn’t matter, and make up some excuse as to why that was.  Unfortunately, college admissions officers didn’t love my way of thinking, and my top choice college closed its doors on me. I ended up getting an early-action acceptance offer from Fairfield University, but I just wasn’t that excited about going to college. I knew it was time to go to Plan B.

The Miracle Cure: A Gap Year?

My mom suggested I consider a gap year during my sophomore year of high school, but I didn’t give it any thought at the time. But by late senior year I was at a point where I no longer desired to learn and I felt much more excited to gain real-world knowledge through experiential learning. And with the cost of college rising every year, my parents wanted to make sure their investment in my education would be sound. I decided on my own to take a gap year. (No one should be forced to take a gap year, it has to come from within.  If my parents had forced me to take a gap year, I would have experienced intense FOMO and longed to be with my friends experiencing college life.)

Originally, I had planned on spending a semester in the South Pacific. However, that changed once I discovered a “once in a lifetime trip” to Cuba which opened up shortly after Obama visited the country in 2015.  Due to the large expense of the trip in the spring, my parents and I formulated a carrot and stick approach.  I would work in the fall and winter and this money would help pay for a trip abroad in the spring. That divided my gap year up into three distinct semesters, or as I like to say “chunks.”

Chunk One: Real World Experiences

In September 2016 I worked as a “jack-of-all-trades” at a resort in southern Maine. I had many different jobs, from serving food on the cabana to working the register at a store in the facility.  Working in the hospitality industry taught me valuable life lessons, and I could write many blog posts on everything I learned just from that field.  During my time in Maine I was fortunate to be able to live near the hotel in a house that has been in my family for many years.  However, it was anything but easy.  It was the first time I had truly lived alone, and I had adult responsibilities for the first time. My parents had bestowed a tremendous amount of responsibility on me, and I had to prove to them I could succeed.  I got up every day and biked the mile or so to work, rain or shine in order to fulfill my end of the deal.  If I was lazy and decided to not cook dinner, I would have no food to eat.  If I missed work because I was tired from staying up too late, I would get fired.  I was put in a situation where failure was not possible.  This was the first valuable lesson I learned early on during the year: You’re on your own as an adult, and if you don’t do it no one else will. It was almost like getting a shock treatment in independence.  Slowly, I developed a daily routine and started thriving at both home and my job at the resort.

This brings me to another way I grew during the gap year: I developed a solid work ethic.  Even though I have had summer jobs since I was 14, this was the first time where I was working towards a goal other than making spending money.  I had a goal of making money to travel abroad and pursued it with both passion and determination.  In the future when life gets tough, I can always look back and reminisce on my experiences in Maine that taught me the importance of a work ethic and enabled me to mature and develop my independence.

Chunk Two: Helping Others to Help Myself

My second chunk was in my hometown of Belmont, MA where I worked at an upscale Italian restaurant and volunteered at a food pantry in Boston.  The grit, determination, and work ethic I developed at the resort carried back to my new job where I was regularly working 40 hours a week.  At the restaurant, I became friends with a group of three brothers my age who were immigrants from Colombia.  When our conversations would drift from work to life, I came to realize that college was most likely out of their reach.  I thought about how much I had resented schooling and realized that I never fully appreciated my access to high quality education.

Besides working at the restaurant, I also volunteered once a week at a food pantry.  In order to get there, I had to navigate Boston’s public transportation.   It didn’t take me too long to get the “T” down to a science.  It was all very new and exciting, and it felt like a big adventure.  Working at the food pantry also made me appreciate the blessings in my life.  I was helping prepare food for people who were too sick to cook for themselves, and it felt good knowing I was doing some good.

My experiences of working full-time and volunteering developed into the third way I grew as an individual:  I realized that things that I had once taken for granted were privileges.  One of the biggest shifts in my thinking was realizing in United States college education was a privilege, not a right afforded to all.  Ninety-six percent of my high school class attended a four-year university. I had no idea that this number was not the norm in most parts of the country. This realization contributed to my increased desire to perform to the best of my abilities by not throwing away my blessings.  The gap year taught me to be aware of my privileges, and showed me that even though this world is far from perfect there are certainly ways to make a positive impact on the lives of others.

Chunk Three: Expanding My Knowledge Abroad

The final chunk of my year was the most exciting part, and what attracts many young people to take gap years: international travel.  I would be spending a semester with a group of 12 people in Cuba.  Besides doing service work and exploring the country, I was also going to be taking classes and receiving 12 college credits. The scale of what I was doing didn’t even sink in until I was already on the plane to Miami.  There would be no turning back now, I was in this for the long haul!  Before I traveled to this “forbidden island”, a friend who had recently studied abroad in Ireland shared a fantastic piece of advice with me.  She suggested that I go abroad without any expectations, not good, and especially not bad.  I carried this advice with me on my trip, and I still use it to this day when approaching new adventures in my life.

I encountered many Cubans and enjoyed having conversations with them.  The Cuban people who I met were incredibly warm and friendly, even though they were living in poverty.  I envied the close bonds all Cubans seemed to share and the general zest for life so many of them had.  This became the fourth unexpected way I grew during my gap year: In my life, the goal was going to be happiness, not monetary “success”.  The Cubans who apparently had “nothing” in terms of material goods, obviously had something much more important.  What I discovered they possessed was happiness.  I would rather be happy than have material goods.  The gap year allowed me to explore my passions to discover what I really enjoyed doing.  After spending three months traveling back in time through Cuba I came to realize that the world was so much more complex and diverse than I ever could have imagined.

Flash Forward

Flash forward to my freshman year at Fairfield University, and my G.P.A is light years ahead of where it was in high school.  After my gap year, I was determined not to let my grades slip like they had in high school.  I realized that the consequences of me slacking off would be affecting my job prospects in the “real world”.  Besides the tremendous effect it has had on my academic performance, the gap year has made me a marketable hire in the business world.  It has helped set me apart, and businesses are interested to hear what I spent my year doing while my peers were busy studying for exams and writing papers.

Another great benefit of the gap year was a general sense of global awareness.  It was really interesting to hear how people viewed the United States from the outside and learning the ins and outs of a different culture.  When trying to explain the gap year to people, I like to say for me, it was a year without societal expectations.  I was not in college, nor had I completely entered the workforce.  The year was a blank canvas, and I was able to fill it with whatever activities or passions that I desired.  Reflect for a moment and think, “When was a time you had the freedom to completely control your life?”.  Ask anyone who took a gap year and they will probably tell you that this was the overarching theme during their year of growth.

Advice for Gap Years

In explaining the growth someone undergoes during a gap year experience, I like to use a simple metaphor.  When an athlete is trying to build muscle or “bulk-up”, they have to lift heavy weights.  If they chose to take the easy way out and lift lighter weights, they will not get the same results.  The same basic theory applies for gap years.  Someone who leaves their comfort zone is going to grow many times more than someone who chooses to stay where it doesn’t “hurt”.  The gap year that involves taking risks and getting out of a comfort zone is going to be much more rewarding in the long term.  The fifth way I grew during my gap year came by realizing that until I could be comfortable being uncomfortable, I would never truly be happy.  Life is full of experiences that downright suck, and being able to have perspective has helped me.  Boston traffic isn’t fun, but neither was having no access to water for 6km of a 12km hike through the jungle!  I am also a firm believer that the journey is much more memorable than just focusing on the end result.  I remember my whole gap year as an unbelievable time of personal growth and understanding.  I don’t just look back to my travels in Cuba and say “yeah, that was the defining moment of this year”.  I value all the parts involved, because I would not have arrived in Cuba so prepared had it not been for the prior months.

The gap year that masks a vacation will certainly allow someone to remain comfortable and lead a very pleasurable and potentially glamourous year.  However, the learning and growth that takes place when someone is uncomfortable creates a much deeper, and more meaningful experience.  I was pushed way out of my comfort zone, and I came out a global citizen who had “real world” experiences I will carry with me for the rest of my adult life. The good news is anyone can experience similar growth and knowledge.  The one question to ask yourself is, “do I have the courage to swim against the current?”.

The Best Jobs to Learn Valuable Life Skills

by Gap Year Solutions

 

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One of our Gappers, Hanna, working as a barista at Caffe Nero

While most people associate a “gap year” with traveling and Instagram-perfect pictures, that’s not always the reality, or the best option for many students. Many of our gappers choose to incorporate some kind of paid or unpaid job during their gap years. There are so many valuable life skills that many entry-level jobs can teach you, and most of them pay at least minimum wage! Check it out below:

  • Waiter or Waitress: Waiting tables at a restaurant, coffee shop, or even a bar can be a great option. In these jobs, you will learn to work effectively with people and serve others properly through customer service. Waiters also learn organizational skills as they navigate working with co-workers in such a busy environment. And a bonus: most waiters make a lot of money in tips!

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Some gappers preparing a beautiful meal!

  • Prep Cook/Assistant Cook in a Restaurant: This is a job that doesn’t come to everyone’s mind when they think about life skills, but it offers opportunities to learn and even move up in a company. To my surprise, I learned that prep cooks can acquire entrepreneurial skills. A prep cook is an essential job in any restaurant, and in this position you must be responsible and entrepreneurial- able to think on your feet and be creative in a spontaneous situation.
  • Retail Salesperson: As a salesperson you’ll learn… sales! Not only will you be able to sell someone a jacket or maybe even a laptop, but you’ll begin to hone in on the way in which you connect with other people. If you want to learn interpersonal and negotiation skills, you may want to look into retail. Most CEOs of Fortune 500 companies have held a sales position at one point in their lives.
  • Receptionist: This job can motivate you to move up in an organization. By working as a receptionist in any industry that you’re interested in (accounting firm, tech, retail, etc.), you can also gain networking connections to help you attain your dream job in the future. And lastly, receptionists are some of the best at time management – a necessary skill for college.
  • Camp Counselor: As a camp counselor, especially at a sleepaway camp, you’ll learn many necessary skills for college and beyond. Working with children can teach you patience, which is a great skill to master before all those group projects in college. Camp counselors also learn interpersonal skills with their campers, the campers’ parents, their fellow counselors, and even their older bosses.

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One of our students volunteering at Community Servings in Jamaica Plain

  • Volunteer: Although volunteering is inherently an unpaid position, it is a great opportunity to further your passion for anything. Whether you’re an animal lover, interested in working with underprivileged students, or want to help homeless people, organizations are always looking for new volunteers. You can learn just about any skill, and more importantly connect with a worthy cause or charity.
  • Start-Up: Many start-up ventures are interested in hiring customer service or sales reps, depending on their needs. This can be a great opportunity to learn the inner workings of the startup and venture capital world, and to gain important networking connections. On top of this, many startup CEOs and bosses are young, so can teach you relevant skills like social media management.

At Gap Year Solutions, we want students to feel empowered by their gap years. And in many cases, this doesn’t involve a year full of traveling. Choosing a job, or multiple jobs, throughout your gap year can teach you a variety of skills and provide you with insight on your passions. Contact Katherine to learn more about what your gap year could do for you.