Of the students who are questioning their fall plans, most are looking to take a gap year or enroll in a part-time program.
COVID-19 is changing high school seniors’ outlook on next year’s plans in dramatic ways.
In a recent national survey of high school seniors conducted by the Art and Science Group, 17 percent of seniors said they were either definitely or most likely changing plans to attend a four-year institution as a full-time student.
Of the students who are questioning their fall plans, most are looking to take a gap year or enroll in a part-time program.
This should come as no surprise. The pandemic hit the United States as our high school seniors were completing their last college visits, finalizing their applications, and waiting to hear back on financial aid decisions. This, in addition to assessing the growing economic impact.
For some, a gap year presents a viable solution: a relatively short-term commitment, a less expensive alternative, a college resume-building use of time, and time to see how COVID-19 impacts their first-choice institution.
Let me explain more of what a gap year is.
What Is a Gap Year?
Whether you’ve heard of a gap year or not, let’s clarify. Too many believe a gap year is a vacation, only for direction-less/checked-out student who may be delaying the inevitable. It’s (usually) not. Sure, there are some unhelpful programs out there that contribute to that misconception, but if you find a well-crafted gap year, it’s anything but a waste of time.
Here’s the definition we use to put some parameters on what actually constitutes a gap year:
A gap year is a time of experiential learning, taken after high school, that is used to build professional skills, expand practical experience, and grow personal awareness.
For Christians, a Christ-centered gap year has the added component of ...
from Christianity Today Magazine https://ift.tt/350sbpw
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