What is a Gap Year?
"Gap year" originated in the 1960s hippie movement, when British hippies traveling to India at that time were the earliest practitioners of the concept of a gap year.
Therefore, when people mention gap year, they often think of the "youth travel style"—namely, young people in Western countries taking an extended trip (usually one year) before starting college or entering the workforce after graduation, allowing students to experience a lifestyle different from their own social environment before stepping into society.
But in fact, the meaning of a gap year is far more than just travel or a lifestyle. As the concept of “gap year” spreads in China, it increasingly refers to a year spent “pausing” unrelated life or work paths to achieve a certain goal through other means.
For example, a college student taking a year off to focus on painting before completing their undergraduate studies and applying for a Master's in Animation in Canada; or a university graduate giving up a matching banking job to volunteer around the world, using rich practical experience to apply for a Master's in Social Work in the United States.
Why Choose a Gap Year?
A gap year gives students the opportunity to truly pursue their dreams and explore their interests before entering college. In society, students can learn many workplace and societal survival skills. That year also provides ample time to think: Is the major you plan to study really what your heart desires?
According to surveys by the American Gap Association, 97% of college students believed they became more mature after experiencing a gap year; 84% felt they gained valuable career experience; and nearly three-quarters thought the gap year helped them prepare better for college life.
Some Downsides of a Gap Year
1. High Costs
For many students, the cost of a gap year cannot be ignored. Living abroad, volunteering or interning can be very expensive. According to The New York Times, a typical gap year program costs over $35,000.
2. The School Admitting You May Not Support Your Gap Year
UC Berkeley, for instance, requires students who do not enroll immediately after high school to reapply. Some schools, like Harvard, actually encourage students to take a gap year.
You will also need to do a lot to explain your gap year to the school. For some institutions, you may need to submit a plan detailing what you will do during the deferred enrollment period. Some schools stipulate that if you do not enroll directly, you may forfeit the scholarship originally awarded to you.
3. Time Investment
Especially if you cannot effectively and specifically enhance your background, or if the enhancement does not yield real results, other uncertain factors might cause you to lose interest in studying abroad during that year, leading you to abandon the application and waste time.
4. Difficulty Readjusting to Original Life Rhythms After Returning
Many people suffer from "post-gap year syndrome." Many set out with the purpose of figuring something out or escaping. The journey is pleasant, but upon return, they find life has returned to square one and, for a long period, cannot refocus on work—life seems even worse than before they left.
Some Upsides of a Gap Year
1. Makes Your Resume More Attractive
By focusing on background enhancement, some students reported that admissions officers, seeing their gap year experiences, extended offers from even better schools.
2. Enriches Your Life Experience
You can make many new friends and collect many stories. Traveling alone teaches you to take care of yourself. Encounter people and things you've never experienced, broaden your horizons, and find a truer version of yourself.
3. Discover Your Desired Direction
Gain a deeper understanding of your major, further clarify your career plans and academic goals.
4. More Time for Applications
You will have more time to research and prepare your applications.
I've Decided on a Gap Year—Now What?
1. Clarify the Purpose of Your Gap Year
A gap year is a great way to broaden your perspective, achieve mental growth, and better understand yourself. A clear purpose will make your time use more efficient. You need to know the outcome you want in order to plan your time better.
2. You Need a Clear Plan for Your Gap Year
After this year, what kind of person do you hope to become? What outcomes do you want to achieve? A gap year is meant to better embrace the life that follows; life will continue after the gap year. Think through your actions during the gap year, including funding, basic necessities, food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and life after the gap year, so you won't feel lost when the gap year ends.
3. Live in a Different Environment Long-Term and Think Actively
Living long-term in a culturally different environment, encountering different people and events, culture shock, different ways of thinking and living, and potential conflicts of interest during projects—all these can greatly stimulate self-reflection. Isn't the meaning of deciding on a gap year to become a better version of ourselves?
What Should I Do During My Gap Year?
1. Improve Standardized Test Scores
Try your best to raise your standardized test scores, especially for applicants with significant weaknesses in this area. If your test scores are already above average but you are clearly lacking in other aspects, you should not make this your primary focus.
2. Accumulate Research Experience
Actively seek research opportunities, increase project experience, and try to publish papers to enhance your professional understanding.
3. Accumulate Internship Experience
For business school applicants and some engineering applicants with strong practical emphasis, professional internships are a key way to demonstrate professional background.
Through a year of accumulating experience, you can not only exercise your hands-on skills and apply theoretical knowledge to practice but also deepen your understanding of industry development. Moreover, daily interaction with colleagues cultivates your teamwork awareness.
4. Accumulate Activity Experience
You can use the year to accumulate volunteer experience and professional competition experience to enrich your background.
Possible Gap Year Options~
1. Volunteering
Volunteering is a very popular gap year choice. The cost can be relatively high because, besides paying for round-trip airfare to the destination, you usually need to pay a fee to the organization (which typically covers room and board). However, through volunteering, you not only help others and contribute your part to the world, but you can also receive an internationally recognized certificate upon completing the program. This certificate can serve as a memento and also add luster to your resume in future job searches.
Currently, popular volunteer programs fall into two categories: environmental/animal protection, and education-related (Chinese teaching, English teaching). If interested, we suggest following relevant public accounts, such as EASIN International Volunteer Travel, to find programs or destinations you like.
2. Work Exchange
Work exchange means staying in a distant city for a period and exchanging light labor for free accommodation at a hostel/inn, experiencing another city's charm by living like a local. For students just out of high school or college, this travel method is not only low-cost but also allows you to deeply understand a city's customs and culture, experiencing local life from a native's perspective.
Currently, reliable ways to engage in work exchange in China include following public accounts like Volunteer International Volunteer Travel or Xiaozhu, where work exchange quotas are posted regularly for sign-up. Another simple, direct method: you can locate a city you want to go to on a travel app, search for B&Bs/hostels (preferably sorted by rating), and directly call them to ask about work exchange possibilities.
