Many students in recent years have decided to take off a year or two after graduating from high school, even if they’ve already been accepted into university or college and have plans for their future career. It’s not that they’re being lazy or irresponsible. Rather, a lot of these young people are working abroad to give themselves a chance to see the world, get some experience, and gain some maturity before heading back to school.

Some might choose simply to buy a plane ticket, head to Europe, Japan or Australia, and see how well they do at working abroad by picking up odd jobs as they travel. Others, though, might consider such a plan to be pushing the concept of adventure just a bit too far, and devise a plan with a few more details worked out in advance. Sites like www.gapwork.com or www.gapyearabroad.ca help young people plan their gap year work by posting jobs that have often been made available explicitly for such students. These and other sites like them frequently offer travel and health advice too, and even tips on finding good insurance.

The types of available jobs are surprisingly varied. Many, not unexpectedly, involve teaching English as a second language. But in Australia, for example, the Oyster organization offers a full year of work in fields like hospitality or farming in the Outback. Global Choices has young people working abroad in things like marketing and communications, hospitality jobs in Greece, and farm work, childcare, and even archeological work in the UK. The Transitions Abroad organization helps American students find international jobs, and the Student Work Abroad Program (SWAP) arranges gap year work for Canadians.

Working abroad might turn out to be more valuable to the young people, in the long run, than almost any sort of job they’d have found at home. Gap year jobs in foreign countries allow them not just to see something of the world in their travels, but gives them valuable work experience that will stand them in good stead when it comes to future employment. They’ll come home wiser and more mature, and will undoubtedly become better global citizens.

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Do American universities support the idea of the gap year, which is when some students take time off after high school? Many can’t respond with a definitive yes or no. But at certain institutions of higher learning, the answer appears to be a resounding yes. Harvard University has, for about 35 years, been recommending to its accepted applicants that they take a year off before starting their programs of study. In 2000, the Dean of Admissions at the time, William Fitzsimmons, wrote an article suggesting that these students could benefit from taking a year to repair “burn out” after finishing public 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.

Judging by the attitudes of Harvard, Princeton and Yale, neither parents nor other schools should worry much about students taking a gap year. Indeed, if the Harvard attitude is correct, then students might benefit from this break, repairing the burn out so many feel by the time they’ve finished public school. If they can take a year off, make their own decisions, and spread their wings a bit, then they’re much more likely to come back refreshed and mentally ready at last to start university.

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If you want to take a gap year, but also want to keep your mind alert for your eventual return to school, then what sort of study might you do during your time off? There are many things you can do to keep your mind active even while you’re giving it a break. You may not need to take courses, or those you do take don’t necessarily have to give you credit toward your degree. This is your year, so you can allow yourself the freedom to engage in studies that will focus on your own interests and desires, regardless of whether or not they relate to some future educational master plan.

There are multitudes of possibilities, some of them involving volunteer programs in which to participate. For example, if you’re interested in working with animals, then you could spend a few months at a koala sanctuary in Brisbane, Australia. Then you might fly over to Thailand to help with an aid organization. Or perhaps you’d prefer to enroll in a short art and design program in Ghana, or further your art studies in Italy. Many of the gap year websites like www.gapyear.com have links to programs like these. Some also include discussion forums where people post information about these opportunities while others share tips and information from experiences they’ve already gained from their own gap year travel and work.

Once you decide on the direction you want to take, whether it’s explicit courses of study or volunteering, you’ll need to investigate the programs you find in your research. First of all, you might need a few extra qualifications. For example, some animal work requires certain types of training, while some is more “grunt work” and the learning is all on the job. You’ll also need to check the track record of the organizations themselves that offer these gap work jobs. This is when communication with previous high school graduates who have opted for these programs is invaluable.

Whether you volunteer in Africa, take art courses in Italy, or study the Korean language in Seoul, your gap year doesn’t have to mean that you’re letting your brain atrophy. You can take courses or do educational work that feeds your soul directly, but keeps your mind active. In this way, you won’t need to worry that you might lose your intellectual edge when you return to your regular studies. You can give yourself a broader education in the world, then go back to university and be ready to buckle down.

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