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mom61
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| Joined: | Fri Jun 23rd, 2006 |
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Posted: Fri Jun 1st, 2007 12:50 am |
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My son made the decision this week to take a gap year. We are really pleased that he has decided to do this.
He sent in his application today for his fall program and has to write Pacific and tell them his plans. We won't get the deposit back but they will keep it and apply it to fall 08. He also has the option of deferring till the spring semester.
He is doing a semester in the Andes and Amazon with Where there be Dragons. Don't know yet what he will do in the spring.
He is young and I think that this is a wonderful alternative for him.
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hummingbird
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Posted: Fri Jun 1st, 2007 03:08 pm |
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Mom61--
Can you tell us (me) a little more? Why did he decide to take a gap year? What concerns did he or you have about his going to college in the fall? You said he is young. Can you give more information about the program he is doing?
My son is young for his grade and I sometimes wonder if he will be mature enough to go to college 15 months from now.
Thanks!
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mmaah
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| Joined: | Mon Mar 27th, 2006 |
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Posted: Fri Jun 1st, 2007 03:40 pm |
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My son took a gap year and it was a wonderful experience all around. He was not young for his grade, but had the wisdom to see that a year out of the academic routine would be good for him in many ways. I am definitely an advocate for kids making this choice when it makes sense to them. He found that there were several other kids in his LAC who had also deferred and none of them regretted it. And I loved the fact that he had a year to master lots of independent living skills before he had to take on the academic workload of college. I wish this country required a year or two of national service (not military) after high school for everyone; I think we all would benefit.
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CarolynLawrence
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| Joined: | Sun Mar 5th, 2006 |
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Posted: Fri Jun 1st, 2007 07:39 pm |
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| Mom61, Good for your son. I think he has made a terrific decision, and I am sure he'll come back from his adventures feeling ready to tackle college. I'm glad Mmah spoke up here because he is a great example of how a gap year can really add to a student's overall college experience.
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mom61
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Posted: Sat Jun 2nd, 2007 05:07 pm |
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Hummingbird- There was no one deciding factor. I think if it had not been brought up to him by several people he trusts he would be heading off to college in the fall. I have felt for the last year that he was a good candidate for a gap year. Previously to that I felt it would be good but I had concerns whether he would want to ever go back to school after having a year off. Ever since he was in K we wondered if he should repeat a year and he had not enjoyed school. For years he was forced into a school that did not fit his learning style plus ADD and LD. Freshman year he hit his stride with math and science, Jr yr he actually enjoyed a history class. Second semester senior year he found a english teacher that somehow changed his way of looking at the world. He started to read, something he had never done. He found out he loved art and started taking art classes. He has been a late bloomer.
Last summer he went on a NOLS month long trip where they backpacked and saw no other humans for 28 days. He came back more mature and thoughtful. He is a really thoughtful boy but he also has poor impulse control. To get his work done he must really discipline himself and I worried that he was not mature enough to handle living away from home plus keep up on his studying. He has to work harder and longer to get the equivalent of a non-LD student. He also wants to major in a field that requires a heavy unit load to graduate in 4 yrs.
We felt his growth would not come just staying home working and hanging out with friends who are going to the community college. We felt that he had such growth potential that a trip that would push him out of his comfort zone would be invaluable. His Dr who he see's for his ADD meds felt that my son would go off to college stronger if he had a year to grow creatively plus see the world as a traveler not a tourist. Dragons trips are done at a level of the country they are visiting. No western food or accommodations. My son has huge respect for this Dr and felt that if he was in favor of a gap year it was worth serious consideration. (versus Mom and Dad)
Did you ever have that mother instinct that you knew when your child needed to go to the Dr. I could always somehow tell when that earache was an infection and what sore throat was strep. Or what fall required a ortho Dr visit. It was the same feeling I got about him taking the gap year. He would be fine either way but my gut instinct tells me that he is young and the timing is right for some great experimental learning.
What we told him also is that college will always be there. We feel strongly that he will get so much more out of the four years having had this time to grow spiritually and physically.
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mom61
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| Joined: | Fri Jun 23rd, 2006 |
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Posted: Sat Jun 2nd, 2007 05:08 pm |
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Do a google search on Where there be Dragons. The website is great. They are also great people to call and they can give you lots of information.
We also loved NOLS and thought about a semester program with them.
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CarolynLawrence
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Posted: Sat Jun 2nd, 2007 08:06 pm |
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Mom61,
You might enjoy reading this, from the MIT blog:
http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/deferring_enrollment/consider_a_gap_year.shtml
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hummingbird
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Posted: Sat Jun 2nd, 2007 10:34 pm |
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Mom61--
Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. I had not heard of a gap year until a few months ago. The concept is new to me, and my first thought was to wonder if the child (now an adult...) would want to go back to school when the year is finished.
The best of luck to your son. It sounds like you came to this decision with a lot of thought and insight. I will read up on the program he is doing!
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CarolynLawrence
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Posted: Sat Jun 9th, 2007 05:22 am |
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| Mom61, One program you might want to look into for the other half of your son's gap year is Dynamy Year - it's a program that combines internships with independent living, and I have heard very good things about it. Here's the link:Dynamy Year Last edited on Sat Jun 9th, 2007 05:24 am by CarolynLawrence
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mom61
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| Joined: | Fri Jun 23rd, 2006 |
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Posted: Sat Jun 9th, 2007 07:11 pm |
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| Thanks, that looks interesting.
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Canadian
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Posted: Tue Jun 12th, 2007 06:32 am |
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| What amazing info.......I had no idea of all these resources. Step 1 is to get S inot college......and then I think he might want to consider a gap year. I think it is a great idea.
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Canadian
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Posted: Tue Jun 12th, 2007 06:32 am |
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| What amazing info.......I had no idea of all these resources. Step 1 is to get S inot college......and then I think he might want to consider a gap year. I think it is a great idea.
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jrmom
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| Joined: | Sun Jun 3rd, 2007 |
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Posted: Wed Jun 13th, 2007 02:15 am |
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My older D took a gap year, and while overall it was a great experience for her, I never considered the health insurance issue. She became ineligible for our family insurance because of loss of student status, and could either get a plan for $900/month that wasn't that good, or get the bare bones state plan (because she worked and had an income while gapping).
I had a few sleepness nights, I'll tell you, while I tried to figure out how to get her covered without spending D#2's college savings to accomplish this! A word of warning!
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mom61
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Posted: Wed Jun 13th, 2007 04:19 pm |
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| jrmom- thanks for pointing out a concern. Insurance is a concern. We are lucky that he will still be 17 when he begins the gap year. With our policy the full time student clause does apply till the student reaches age 19.
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mathmom
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| Joined: | Fri Apr 14th, 2006 |
| Location: | USA |
| Posts: | 260 |
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Posted: Wed Jun 13th, 2007 04:55 pm |
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I spent a wonderful gap year here: http://www.institut-touraine.asso.fr/index-en.html
Learning a language fluently as well as immersing oneself in a foreign culture is a great thing to do before college.
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