The Guide to Advising Your Student on a Gap Year

As a parent or educator, hearing a student say they want to take a "year off" can initially spark concern about lost momentum or delayed futures. However, in 2025, a gap year is increasingly viewed as a strategic leap forward rather than a step back.

At Free to Roam Adventures, we’ve seen firsthand how a well-advised student transforms into a focused, independent adult. Here is how you can effectively guide them through this pivotal decision.

1. Shift the Narrative from "Gap" to "Growth"

The term "gap" can imply something is missing. Instead, help your student frame this time as a discovery year. Research shows that students who take an intentional break return to college with:

• Higher GPAs: Gappers often outperform their peers who went straight to university.

• Renewed Motivation: A break from the "academic treadmill" combats burnout and reignites a passion for learning.

• Faster Graduation: Gap year students are statistically more likely to graduate in four years because they enter with a clearer sense of their major and goals.

2. Encourage Them to Lead the Planning

For a gap year to be successful, the student must be the "primary curator" of their experience. Advise them to:

• Identify Core Goals: Are they seeking cultural immersion, professional internships, or personal resilience?

• Research Logistics: Have them manage their own passport renewal, visa applications, and budget spreadsheets.

• Scaffold the Experience: We often recommend starting with a highly structured program (like a guided group trek) and transitioning toward independent travel or work as their confidence grows.

3. Tackle the Momentum and Social Fears

Students often worry about "falling behind" friends. Remind them that:

• College Deferral is Standard: Many universities—including Harvard and Princeton—actively encourage deferrals for intentional gap years.

• The "Age Gap" is a Myth: Being 19 or 20 as a freshman actually provides a maturity advantage that many professors and peers appreciate.

• Friendships Evolve: Genuine high school friendships survive the distance, and the new global network they build will be invaluable for their future career.

4. Address Budget and Safety Early

A gap year doesn't have to be a financial burden. Guide them toward cost-effective options:

• Work Exchanges: Programs like WWOOF or AmeriCorps allow students to travel with no or minimal housing or food expenses.

• Strategic Budgeting: Advise them to work during the first half of their gap year to fund the second half.

• Safety First: Discuss essential travel safety, such as purchasing comprehensive insurance and researching local customs before arrival.

5. Know When to Call in an Expert

Planning 12 months of life-changing travel is a massive undertaking. If the process feels overwhelming for your family, a gap year consultant can:

• Vet Programs: We know which programs deliver high-quality experiences and which are just shiny websites.

• Provide a Safety Net: At Free to Roam Adventures, we remain available while the student is abroad to handle logistics or cultural hurdles.

• Find the "Ideal Fit": We use in-depth conversations to match a student's personality with an experience that will truly challenge and help them to grow.

Ready to start the conversation?
Empower your student to take ownership of their future. Contact Free to Roam Adventures for a consultation, and let’s turn their "year off" into their greatest year yet.

Should I take a gap year?

Should I take a gap year? — I’ve been getting this question a lot lately. I'm not keen on "selling" students on the gap year because that kind of goes against what I think a good gap year is: allowing space for individuals to seek answers to their own questions; get comfortable with uncertainty; build confidence in knowing they can make their own choices; and learn to make mistakes and recover from them. Those are some huge life lessons that I believe help one to be successful and (more importantly) live a happy life. I am, however, an advocate of the gap year because of the powerful impact it had on my life, and the lives of hundreds of students I’ve worked with.

Deciding whether or not to take a gap year is a tough and somewhat scary decision. Graduating from high school is the first time in our lives when next steps aren't already laid out for us. It's OK to feel uncertain, and it's OK to not know exactly what you want to do with your life right now.

Uncertainty or anxiety about choosing a major or career is one reason to consider a gap year. College is expensive. Is it worth it? Absolutely! (I loved college so much that I went back for a master’s.) However, is it worth wasting a year or two (and all of that tuition $) trying to figure out why you are there, and possibly taking more than 4 years to complete a bachelor’s because you started before you were ready?

College will still be there in a year. A gap year won’t be the answer to all of life’s questions. But, if you make it a meaningful gap year, you will likely gain perspective and may find you feel alright with not knowing all the answers. An intentional gap year that allows you to gain real-world experience, get comfortable with uncertainty, and become more confident about your future could be worthwhile.

Maybe you know what you want to major in and have already pinpointed a career path, but just aren’t sure you’re ready for the independence college requires. Some gappers choose to take a gap year because they are young for their grade or haven’t spent much time away from home. A gap year is a good opportunity to learn important life skills, such as, cooking, budgeting, communication, building community (making friends), and learning resilience.

Some students choose a gap year because they recognize this transition period is one of the few times in our lives where it is relatively easy to hit pause and enjoy a year filled with adventure and learning new things through hands on experiences. Gap years later in life are possible, but often more logistically complicated. A gap year because you can — why not?

No matter your reason for considering a gap year, ask yourself:

What could I do next year to help prepare me for college?

Do I need to learn some basic life skills such as, doing my own laundry, getting myself up in the morning and out the door on time, or communicating effectively?

Could I use a gap year to gain some experience in fields that I’m interested in through an internship or shadowing someone whose profession interests me?

Make a list of things you could do during your gap year that makes you feel excited. Remember, a gap year is both a time to learn new skills and explore your interests and passions.

Some students and parents worry that a gap year will impact college plans. Research by the Gap Year Association shows that 90% of students who take a gap year return to college within one year. Not only that, students who took gap years earned higher GPAs than their non-gap year peers. 75% of gap year alum surveyed reported that their gap year helped them to get a job, and 84% said their gap year helped them to learn skills that allowed them to succeed in their career. Each year more and more colleges embrace the gap year as a positive experience for students. Harvard encourages all admitted students to consider taking a gap year.

Are there reasons NOT to take a gap year? Yes! While many offers of admission can be deferred, not all scholarships can be deferred for a gap year. Talk to your admissions officer to see if any scholarships or financial aid you have been awarded could be deferred for a gap year. Some students plan to use a gap year to reapply to schools that did not admit them previously. This is not a good reason to choose a gap year. There is no guarantee one will be admitted because of a gap year, and one risks losing their deferred spot if the school they committed to attending after the gap year finds out that they are using their gap year to apply to other schools.

If you'd like to chat more about gap year possibilities. I’d love to speak with you. Schedule a free introductory call with me here.

How to Write a Deferral Letter

I typically recommend students apply to college during their Senior year while they have the support of their college counselors and while peers are also applying to colleges. After accepting an offer of admission in the spring, students can request a deferral for a gap year. Some colleges have specific deferral policies for gap years and some schools evaluate deferral requests on a case by case basis. Students should contact their college or university’s office of admissions for specific instructions on the deferral request process and deferral deadlines. The Gap Year Association has a list of some schools that have official gap year deferral policies.

Most schools will ask that students submit a deferral letter outlining why they wish to defer their admission and what they intend to do during that time. When writing your deferral letter, there are a few things you should consider:

Share your Gap Year Goals

More colleges are warming to the idea of the gap year as they see the benefits of gap time embodied by former gap students. However, a successful gap year does not happen without some intentional planning and support. Students should come up with some achievable goals (at least 2-3) for their gap year and ensure their gap year plan reflects those goals. Highlight how those goals will help you to grow, as well as, allow you to contribute more to your campus community once you arrive on campus the following year.

Demonstrate you have a Solid Plan for your Gap Year

A gap year should be an intentional year of personal growth, exploration and experiential learning, not a wasted year of aimless wandering. Be sure to lay out a clear plan for your gap time and provide specific programs or experiences you intend to participate in during your gap year. These experiences might range from: organized gap year programs, service year experiences, volunteering, internships, skills based courses, non-credit academic courses, etc. Your plan may change slightly, and most colleges understand that. Your deferral letter should outline a feasible plan that closely resembles how you intend to spend your gap.

Why a Gap Year

Convey why gap time is important to achieving your goals. Are you burnt out academically and need a break from the classroom with some experiential learning opportunities? Did four years of high school Spanish classes not get your conversational abilities to the level you’d like them to be? Are you hoping to gain some real-world experience through an internship that will help you narrow down your choice of major? Show that you’ve spent time seriously thinking about how a gap year fits into your educational plan.

Here is an example of a gap year deferral letter —

Dear Office of Undergraduate Admissions:

I was elated to receive my offer of admission, as attending the University has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. As I got further into my Senior year though, I began to feel I might benefit from exploring other experiences outside of a classroom during this natural pause and transition phase of my life. I would like to request to defer my admission for one year so that I might pursue a gap year starting this fall.

After much consideration and research I have come up with a plan for how I hope to spend my gap year. During the fall semester I plan to participate in a language immersion program in Seville, Spain with SYE. I will live with a host family, take Spanish classes at a local language institute, and immerse myself in Spanish culture alongside a group of gap year peers. Becoming fluent in Spanish is an important goal of mine, and while I learned a great deal during my four years studying Spanish in high school, I know I could benefit immensely from an immersion experience. I plan to return home for the winter holidays and work a seasonal retail job before heading off for part two of my gap year. For the spring semester, I plan to participate in a three month internship with Tierra Viva, a sustainable development NGO in Northern Peru. At Tierra Viva I will be helping develop sanitation initiatives such as dry toilets and wastewater treatment projects. I am excited about this internship since I hope to join the school of engineering at the University, with a focus on sustainable systems. This internship will provide me with excellent real-world experience related to my intended major. Maybe it will even lay some groundwork for my future thesis project! After my internship I plan to utilize my Spanish language skills and independence gained during my gap year to backpack around South America for a few weeks to see some of the amazing historical and cultural sights the region offers. I plan to return home at the beginning of summer to work for a few months before moving to campus in August 2021.

I feel confident my gap year will equip me with valuable life skills and real-world experience that will not only help me to succeed at the University, but to be a more engaged scholar with a broader perspective so I can contribute more to my classes and the campus community. I hope that you will accept my deferral request and allow me to join the class of 2025.

Sincerely,

In the era of coronavirus, you might consider outlining a Plan B option as well. For the example above, Plan B for the fall might be:

In the event I am unable to travel to Spain this fall, I intend to take online Spanish classes offered through a local language institute, Clic, while volunteering with Conexión Américas, a local non-profit that serves Latino communities in my city.

You might have a cautiously optimistic approach to being able to travel overseas for the spring, but also mention a back up plan in the event you aren’t able to travel outside of the U.S. in 2021 by offering a domestic volunteer or internship opportunity. Show the admissions office that you are being responsible, realistic and nimble in your gap year planning!

It is not recommended that you mention online classes as a reason for wanting to defer your offer of admission. While the uncertainty surrounding this fall may drive more students to elect to consider a gap year, students and parents should explore gap year opportunities and arrive at the choice to take a gap year based on the many benefits and unique experiences a gap year can offer.

Looking for more free advice on the gap year?

Gap Year Planning Amid COVID-19

Students who a few months ago thought they would be going away to college in the fall, are now dealing with uncertainty, with some considering the gap year option for the first time as they find themselves having to choose a college without being able to visit in person. Know that you are not alone. This experience is a powerful reminder of how interconnected and interdependent the world is. We are all experiencing the vulnerability and collective strength that comes from that interdependence.

There is no specific formula for what a gap year looks like. While a gap year this fall might look a little different than some did pre-COVID-19, there’s no reason to expect the potential benefits will change.

Moving Forward with Gap Year Planning

1) Focus on Your Gap Year Goals  

Ask yourself: Why do I want to take a gap year & What do I hope to get out of my gap year? With those goals in mind, I am working with clients to come up with at least 3 different options for each of their gap year phases (fall & spring). If one of your gap year goals is improving a foreign language, you might consider different options for language learning including different destinations for immersion experiences, as well as online learning options. This allows you to have some flexibility and adjust your plans based on what the situation is in the month or weeks before you are scheduled to launch that phase of your gap year.

2) Consider Dividing Your Gap Year Into Shorter Blocks 

By breaking your gap year into different blocks of experiences and locations, you allow yourself flexibility with your plans and don't risk having your entire gap year upended if one part of your gap year needs to be rescheduled. This also allows you some extra time to shuffle plans around, postpone, or make changes as necessary.

An example for the fall semester might look something like this:

Mid-September - Mid-October  4-week Outdoor Education Program in the U.S.  +  Mid-October - November  Online Teaching English as Foreign Language Certification Course  +  November - Mid-December  4-6 weeks of Volunteering as a Teaching Assistant in Central America.

OR

September 4-week Filmmaking Workshop + October Return home to apply to colleges & volunteer locally + November U.S. Road Trip with a friend while working on creative project to build your portfolio. December - January Work at home to save money for spring travels (ie. filmmaking internship abroad)

3) Consider Domestic Options (at least for the fall)

Maybe you were hoping to do some volunteering abroad to help people in need during your gap year. Coronavirus has highlighted the inequity that exists in our own society, as low-income families face food insecurity and children without internet access miss out on remote learning opportunities. There are likely families in your own community who could benefit from your unique skill set. You might consider tutoring younger students at your local elementary or middle school. You could volunteer at a local food bank or as a driver for meals on wheels. Check with local volunteer organizations or look on idealist.org to see if there are volunteer opportunities listed near you.

If are looking for a year-long service opportunity you might consider applying to be a fellow with CityYear. City Year is an affiliate of Americorps that recruits qualified volunteers to serve as tutors and mentors in public schools across the U.S.

Those that are passionate about conservation and the environment might seek out opportunities to volunteer with a Conservation Corps in their region. Depending on where in the country you serve, you might be involved in trail building and habitat restoration, disaster response, historic preservation, organic farming, urban forestry, or a range of other activities

If you are interested in politics, you might consider dedicating a portion of your gap year to political organizing. You could volunteer for a local candidate or work on a get out the vote campaign. Visit Election 2020 Gap Year for more ideas on ways to become politically engaged during your gap year.

4) Look for Opportunities to Earn College Credit

The coronavirus pandemic has affected many families’ financial situations, making it even more important that a gap year experience be affordable and offer excellent value. Keep in mind, if you defer your offer of admission for a gap year, most colleges will stipulate that you can not earn college credit elsewhere during your gap year. Earning college credit might only be an option if you decide to re-apply to colleges next year, rather than requesting a deferral.

One option that many students are weighing is whether to take a gap year or enroll at a local community college. Why not both? Students could choose to enroll part time at a local community college while also participating in a regular volunteer activity (tutoring, food bank, conservation work, political organizing, etc.).

Some organized gap year programs also offer the option to earn college credit outside of a classroom. A gap semester program with the option to earn a semester of college credit would allow families to get more value for their money. Imagine traveling with a group of peers, engaging in adventure activities, service, and cultural exploration while earning a semester of college credit. Students would get a semester of experiential learning with a small cohort of peers AND a semester of college credit, (often for less than at a 4 year institution). A gap year program with college credit typically costs around $10-15,000 and is sometimes eligible to be paid with a 529 college savings plan.

If a student were to choose to pursue both of these scenarios, (community college + volunteering locally in the fall & a gap year program with college credit in the spring) they might find themselves having completed a year worth of college credit during their gap year.

5) Ask About Cancellation Policies & Itinerary Changes 

Many gap year organizations have already begun creating contingency plans for the fall. Most providers have extended their refund policies, so that students can cancel without significant financial penalty up until a later date than usual. Inquire directly with any program providers about questions or concerns you might have about contingency plans they might be considering (changing itineraries, shortening trips, etc.) and specific details about cancellation and refund policies. Be sure to ask what would happen if the program is interrupted. Would refunds be issued? How much? Be sure that you fully understand the terms you are agreeing to and are comfortable with them.

Understand what travel insurance does and does not cover. Many insurance providers are not offering cancel for any reason coverage, or coverage for travel plans that are canceled or interrupted due to the pandemic (ie. flights canceled or borders closed because of COVID).

6) Remain Informed

Follow the news coming from public health experts at the Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization. The U.S. State Department provides advice for U.S. travelers, and also allows travelers to enroll in the S.T.E.P program to receive alerts based on your travel itinerary. I recommend that ALL travelers enroll in the S.T.E.P program, whether there is an ongoing pandemic or not. Just because it might be deemed safe for Americans to travel, you want to ensure that you are not a vector for COVID-19 and unknowingly bring it to an unaffected area. Speak with your physician for advice on ways to stay healthy and avoid becoming a vector for COVID-19. You can view a comprehensive list of country specific international travel restrictions and domestic (internal) restrictions on International SOS.

7) Remain Cautiously Optimistic

This will be over, eventually. In the meantime we can all do our part to stop the spread by staying home this spring.

A gap year consultant can help find and coordinate a variety of experiences that align with your goals and budget. We find opportunities that might not be specifically marketing themselves as a “gap year program”, but align with your interests and budget, and could make a great addition to your gap year. The expertise and flexibility that a consultant offers can help families save time and money. Plus, we serve as mentors to students to help them think critically and make meaning from their gap year experience. If you’d like advice or just need assistance deciding if a gap year is right for you, you can schedule a no-obligation brainstorming call here.

I feel hopeful and cautiously optimistic about the future. I am hopeful that when this is over, with lessons of empathy, resilience and interconnectedness, we can all move forward in our lives with greater compassion, grit, and a stronger sense of community.

Susan Staley