The Impact of a Gap Year
Why does someone choose to take a gap year? What do they really learn about themselves and about the world? Hear three of our alumni, Kelsey, Sharif, and Lance, speak about their gap journeys.
Personal Growth and Awareness
Key Insight: A gap year program can significantly enhance personal awareness and growth.
“I think that gap overall has made me a more aware person. I came on this trip having traveled before and having met a ton of different people but never really being involved in the cultures and meeting people that were super hard to leave behind. I think that this gap experience has really taught me that no matter what you’re faced with it’s always what you make of it and always what you put and you get out of it.” – Kelsey
Motivations for Choosing a Gap Year
Key Insight: Community influence and academic pressure are common factors influencing the decision to take a gap year.
“I chose to take a gap semester because I had friends and people that I looked up to in my community who had done the same and really loved the experience and really suggested taking some time off of school. I have always been very academically focused and I think that’s a great thing but I also think that it was good for me to take some time off of school and I felt that I needed to do that before college.” – Kelsey
Overcoming Hesitations and Challenges
Key Insight: Deciding to take a gap year can be challenging, especially in academically intense environments.
“Taking a gap year was a very tough decision for me because I come from a prep school environment, you know, first-generation immigrant, my mother didn’t go to college so my entire life essentially been around the idea of going to college. That’s what my mother and I have worked for and, you know, at the end of my senior year saying that, you know, having sort of hesitations about going to school right away, it was definitely not, you know, something that’s very easy to talk about. But overall, I think I just knew that I needed outside of the classroom learning experience.” – Sharif
The Academic and Personal Benefits
Key Insight: A gap year can enrich academic experiences and personal development.
“When I took my gap year I knew I was going to go to Harvard the following year which is where I’m at now and I love it here and I knew I would love it here at Harvard. But I knew that I would also be restless and I knew I would also have kind of been maintaining this deep-seated wanderlust that I had, you know, patted me from my whole life and I wanted to act on it and I did and I think it changed my experience here only in the most amazing way. Just that now I can kind of think and reflect it back on these experiences I had and find how they translate in different miraculous ways.” – Lance
Coping with Adversity and Stress
Key Insight: Gap year programs equip participants with better skills to handle adversity and stress.
“Having a year more new experiences is never going to be a detriment to someone and I think that in school now the way that I’m able to deal with any sort of adversity I face is definitely a lot more organized and collected than the process was a year ago. My gap year has definitely allowed me to just feel more comfortable with this. I cannot stress out as much.” – Sharif
Building Meaningful Relationships
Key Insight: The relationships formed during a gap year are impactful and enriching.
“The people that I have met on this trip are absolutely incredible and the things that they have taught me, whether that’s through words and actions or if that’s through just sort of silent mentoring, have been super important to me and I really think have opened my eyes to a lot of issues and a lot of good things about this world.” – Kelsey
Rediscovering Passion for Learning
Key Insight: A gap year can reignite a passion for learning and personal interests.
“I’m really, really excited to learn again. I think that I had lost that passion at the end of high school and in all honesty, I’ve definitely gained it back. And that’s because of the people that I’ve been surrounded by, because of the experiences that I’ve had, the deep discussions that we’ve been involved in within our tiny group.” – Kelsey
Contributing to Positive Change
Key Insight: Gap year experiences can inspire participants to contribute to global change.
“This experience has really opened my eyes to the incredible ways that you can change the world.” – Lance