Have you been thinking about alternate paths to university or maybe taking some time to think about the next steps? A gap year gives students the opportunity to take a break from their studies to focus on personal growth, new experiences, work, and travel. There are often particular reasons for taking a break, which we list below. We’ve also highlighted two very different gap year experiences in our Students in the Spotlight section.
Taking a sabbatical
After you have been accepted to your dream university or at least one you are excited to be attending, you decide to defer your acceptance to take a sabbatical before the start of university life. The demands placed on teenagers to achieve high academic goals alongside arduous and meaningful experiences for their university application profile, compounded with the application journey, can take a considerable toll on their well-being. Regardless of whether you are enrolled in the IBDP program, A-levels, French Baccalaureate, or AP system,
senior year can be exhausting. And you have to do this while writing multiple essays, elevating the description of your extracurriculars, and curating a perfect application that tells your story in an engaging and compelling way. No easy task!!! Hence, a sabbatical year to re-energize after senior year could be a welcome (and much needed) break.
Reassessing and reapplying
After you have been accepted to university, you are not thrilled with your options. In this case, you may want to take a year to re-apply while seeking out activities that will further develop your profile, especially if your external exam scores (IBDP, A-level) are higher than your predicted scores. Armed with better grades and interesting experiences to enhance your application, your personal story will be stronger and more pointy, and could lead you to re-apply to your dream schools.
Planned gap year
You always knew you wanted to take time off to travel, volunteer abroad, or for military service. Therefore, though you still apply to universities during your senior year, you knew from the start that you would take a gap year as you have a dream you want to accomplish.
Time to reflect and apply
At the start of your senior year, you decide to take a gap year because you want to dedicate more time and effort to your college applications without the weight of school work.
Regardless of your situation from the cases mentioned above, the key to a successful gap year is to PLAN AHEAD and use the time wisely so that when you have to explain your time out in your applications or an interview, it is considered to be a worthwhile accomplishment. A gap year is a golden opportunity to do something “big” and aim high: volunteering to save the whales in South Africa or learning sign language while creating a dance portfolio. Speak to your Ivy Options counselor about your ideas.