Why doing a Gap Year after High School could enhance your Scholarship Chances

A gap year can be used by students to maximize their scholarship application.

The traditional way to college is going directly to college from high school, but most of the time, young adults are reconsidering. Some high school graduates take a gap year prior to attending college.

Can actually taking time off put young adults ahead at applying for scholarships, let alone giving them more time to search for best sources to fund tuition and living costs?

• -Public high schools indicated that 2.6% of 2023 graduates spent a gap year.
• A gap year can provide young adults with the time to take care of their health and be better equipped to withstand the demands of college academic life.
• -A gap year can be utilized to develop new skills and experience that will make for strong scholarship applications.
• -Some scholarship applications are time-sensitive and are not accessible after a gap year.
• -Placing initiative behind arranging a gap year and searching for scholarships will obtain maximum use of it and increase your opportunity for obtaining financial assistance.

Gap year refers to the amount of time that high school graduates spend before they go to college. The name has also been applied to other breaks, either in college or in your professional life.

Prior to the COVID pandemic, the Gap Year Association approximated 1.8% of college-bound students who had deferred to take a gap year. In the first year of the pandemic, gap year deferrals were 4.9%.

This percentage has decreased from the peak of the pandemic, and 2.6% of 2023 high school graduates were deferred for a gap year. Although deferrals are probably less common than they were in the early months of COVID, gap year application patterns are on the rise.

Gap year students justify taking a gap year by saying they wish to grow up as an individual, trying a foreign holiday, having a break from studying, studying possibilities, volunteering, and career investigation.

How a Gap Year Could Make Your Scholarship Application Better

While gap years provide young adults with time out of school, they can also prepare themselves better for college along the way. You can gain experiences that will make your scholarship applications stronger.

During a gap year, you may:

• Volunteer with a non-profit organization
• Learn a foreign language
• Job shadowing
• Gain an internship experience
• Work on an independent project
• When a Gap Year Might Hurt Your Choices
• While a gap year will prepare students for college and give them time to write an effective scholarship application, there are possible drawbacks. 

As the academic paradigm of high school, a gap year frees young adults with more autonomy. Unless you're strategic with how you use that time, there's a high likelihood you won't do things that make you more likely to win a scholarship.

Gap years have lots of wonderful potential. You can take time off from school stress, concentrate on gaining more experience, and develop your scholarship application. Even so, you should do something with your school break. Without deciding how you will be spending your time and considering your options for scholarships, you may find yourself in a worse situation.