GAP Year --- "It can be structured or unstructured, and directed toward career, academic or purely personal pursuits. Most fundamentally, it is a time to step back and reflect, to gain perspective on personal values and goals, or to gain needed life experience in a setting separate from and independent of one’s accustomed pressures and expectations."
Time out or Burn out for the Next Generation
By William Fitzsimmons-Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid - Harvard
Cultural Immersion Programs - The Guide
Remember that taking a Gap Year isn’t for everyone. If you already know exactly what you want to
major in, and you think that you are mature enough for the intense work that comes along with college, then you probably want to continue on to college right after high school.
Weigh out your options and pick the best decision for you.
If you do decide to take a year off, it is best to apply to college during your senior year of high school. After you receive an acceptance to the college, you can request to have the acceptance deferred for one year. Some colleges will allow you to defer; others will request that you reapply.
Be sure to make a plan and set goals for your gap year. Decide on an activity that will be beneficial for you in the long run, such as volunteering in a foreign country, exploring different career paths, or improving your study skills.
Whatever you decide to do, one thing is for certain: you will enroll in college a changed person.
Here are just a few programs
American Field Service www.afs.org
AmeriCorps (Corporation for National Service) www.cns.gov/americorps
Amigos de Las Americas www.amigoslink.org
Audubon Expedition Institute www.aei-audubon.org
Au Sable Institute for Environnemental Studies www.ausable.org
British American Education Foundation www.baef.org
Bridges: Study Abroad www.bridgesstudyabroad.com
Broad Reach www.gobroadreach.com
Center for Interim Programs www.interimprograms.com
City-Year www.city-year.com
Dynamy www.dynamy.org
Earth Corp www.earthcorp.org
Earth Watch www.earthwatch.org
Full Sail Center for Recording Arts www.fullsail.com
Foundation for Foreign Study www.effoundation.org
Habitat for Humanity www.habitat.org
High Mountain Institute www.hminet.org
ICA Journeys www.icajourneys.org
GlobalQuest www.gquest.org
Global Routes www.globalroutes.org
Ithaka www.ithakasemester.org
Interlocken/Windsor Mountain www.windsormountain.org
LEAPNow www.leapnow.org
Leysin American School-Switzerland www.las.ch
National Outdoor Leadership School www.nols.edu
NACEL Open Door www.nacelopendoor.org
Outward Bound www.outwardbound.org
Oxford Advanced Studies Program www.oasp.as.uk
Pacific Village www.pacificvillage.org
Peace Corp www.peacecorps.gov
Rotary International Exchange www.rotary.org
Sea Mester www.seamester.org
Student Conservation Association www.sca-inc.org
Studio Art Centers International Florence www.saci-florence.org
Up With People www.upwithpeople.org
The School for Field Studies www.fieldstudies.org
TASIS Schools www.tasis.com
Where There Be Dragons www.wheretherebedragons.com
Youth For Understanding www.youthforunderstanding.org