Every September students file into my senior composition class ready for their final high school year. Some faces light up when I ask about college applications, and they talk excitedly about the progress of their applications for their first choice colleges. But, others tense up at the very mention of these applications, their faces revealing a mixture of questions and doubt.

What about you? What does your face show about the clarity of your post high school plan? Are you one of those who feel you have no choice but to get on the same path as your friends who are gushing over the college campuses that they’ve visited?

What if you could step onto a different path — one that begins with a passion, winds through rich educational experiences, and ends with college admission? Or maybe that path takes you in a completely different direction toward a career that you’ve never even considered. Either way, you’ll ease that  doubt and end up with a confidence that you are in the right place at the right time.

That new path takes you through a gap year: Grow, Adventure, Prepare. A gap year is a block of time to help you build that confidence. During a gap year, you can travel to foreign countries, volunteer with organizations that are changing the world, or work in a career area that ignites your passion. Far from being a year to drop out, a gap year is for one to drop in to self-awareness and cultural understanding and to learn valuable career skills.

Sounds amazing, right? But, where do you start? College planning requires a lot of information about where to go, what to do, and how to finance your dream. A successful gap year requires the same amount of planning. The American Gap Association recommends taking the time to fully research your options and plan your experience with “purpose and intent” to gain the most from this once-in-a-lifetime event.

So, watch this space, and we’ll help by providing information for planning the why, where, when, and how of your successful gap year.

Here’s a little germ to get you thinking:

Dream away!