I don’t remember the exact moment, day, or even year that I heard about what a gap year was, but what I do remember is, I was shocked. I thought they were lying. You’re telling me, you can just take a year off between high school and college with no issues? Sign me up! What they didn’t emphasize, though, is what the potential drawbacks could also be.
I’ve always loved to travel. I was lucky enough to grow up getting to get to travel all over the world with family and friends. So, when I heard about the option of a gap year, the first place my mind went was spending the year going all over the world. I would spend hours (when I probably should have been doing my homework or applying to college) doing exhaustive research on programs, countries, and the endless other options the internet has to offer.
But, it was as I was getting accepted to schools and going back to look at them that I started getting excited about the idea of going to college too. When I came back to Kenyon, walked down middle path, and met all the amazing people at accepted students weekend, I realized I couldn’t wait an entire year to come to Kenyon. I had been waiting my entire life to get to live in a college dorm on my own and away from my parents, and I couldn’t wait any longer.
It dawned on me that maybe I didn’t need a gap year. Some of my friends who went off to college the year before talked endlessly about how they wish they had taken one. They told me that they wished they had been able to take the year off and just get to go on care-free explorations while maturing before going off to school. What was especially interesting to me, was that the two people who had most regretted not taking a gap year were my two friends I had traveled with for the past couple summers, and they seemed to be some of the most mature and independent people I knew. But, even if they felt that way, I could feel from the bottom of my heart that I was ready for college, and didn’t need that year to go off and explore who I was. Of course, I think it would have been an incredibly eye opening, life changing experience, but I could wait to go off and travel until after school, when I had more of a vision of what I wanted to do.
On top of all this, however ready I was for college, it’s still been a huge change. I knew that with that change, I wanted to be going through it right along side my friends from home. They have been the biggest support for me when I’m going through something here that maybe my friends here at Kenyon couldn’t help with. Going home for Thanksgiving wouldn’t have the same energy and excitement if I was the only one going through it for the first time.
So, if you have the opportunity and want to take a gap year, absolutely do it! I personally wasn’t patient enough to wait to go to college, but I’m sure it would have also been an amazing experience. What’s more important to know is this year won’t be the only time in your life you can travel care-free. I’m looking at a lot of different travel opportunities for this summer, which I think is a more reasonable amount of time for me to go off and explore. Happy travels everyone!