University Gap Years
Many American universities are lukewarm at best when it comes to the gap year idea, which is the extra time that some students take between high school and university. But when it comes to Harvard, the attitude is downright enthusiastic. In fact, back in 2000 the school’s Dean of Admissions, William Fitzsimmons, wrote an article that suggested students may need that year to deal with burn out. And Harvard’s own letters of acceptance to applicants have been explicitly encouraging them for almost 35 years to take the sabbatical year before coming to the school.
Harvard isn’t the only institution to approve of a gap year either. Both Princeton and Yale are content with students taking the break before starting their studies. Yale has always allowed its students to defer entrance for a year, although, unlike either Harvard or Princeton, it hasn’t actively encouraged the practice. The philosophy at Yale is that students can decide for themselves what they want, and the school doesn’t get involved. Princeton, on the other hand, has set up its own program for sending students on service trips. But all three of these ivory towers of learning are onside when it comes to the gap year.
Those who feel that a gap year might lead a student not to return to school at all may be surprised by the result of Harvard’s approach. As of 2000, statistics show that of all students, about 20% had taken a year’s break, either before their program courses began, or while it was in progress. Yet 97% of Harvard’s students graduated from the university. Yale’s numbers weren’t quite as high, but that might be because that school doesn’t actively encourage students to take the gap year.
If Harvard, Princeton and Yale are anything to go by (and when are they not?), then it seems that other schools and the parents of prospective university students can probably relax about the gap year. The Harvard belief that students need time to repair from burn out before launching into post-secondary studies seems to be supported by its own statistics. If students really need a mental break after high school, a chance to spread their wings and replenish themselves, then it is unlikely to harm their academic future as some people wrongly believe.
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