In the last decade or two, a phenomenon called the “gap year” has been growing in popularity, particularly in the most developed regions of the world. What this refers to is the practice of taking a year off, usually after high school, to give oneself a mental break before plunging into the world of higher education. But it isn’t just a year of goofing off; rather, this time provides a chance to learn more about the global society and gain either work or volunteer experience.

There are many reasons why a young learner might want to take a year or two off in this way. The first, of course, is simply to have a chance to grow up. The young person is about to enter an educational world where they’ll be expected to stand on their own two feet a lot more than they’ve done before, and now’s the chance to do just that. When traveling they’ll be exposed to other cultures and other ways of doing things, and this might alter the type of studies they engage in after they finish the gap year and get back to school.

So prevalent has this practice become that entire organizations have sprung up to help facilitate choices that will most benefit him or her. Everyone from travel agencies to governments seem to have set up similar opportunities. Some countries have arranged exchange programs, and while these may not always have been designed explicitly for gap year work or travel, many who take this year off take advantage of these programs. Australia has the most extensive arrangements, having created working holiday exchanges with countries like Canada, Denmark, Germany, Japan, Norway, Taiwan, and many others. This year can be a youth travel experience that shapes what the young person does for the rest of their life.

Not every culture encourages students to take gap years, however. Denmark, for example, actively discourages the phenomenon, feeling that their society and economy require students to get into the work force more quickly. So the country pushes them toward continuing with their educational pursuits instead. Nor is the practice very common in the United States, although it is increasing slowly.

But the gap year can be invaluable for both those who participate and even for the colleges and universities they attend when they get back home. Young people with some extra maturity make more responsible students, and often have a better idea of the direction they are taking with their lives. They’ve often spent a year doing something quite good for the world, and their lives in the future can only be the richer for having taken this extra time.

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You may feel torn, as you contemplate what to do after high school. Should you plow straight ahead into university, or should you give yourself a mental break with a gap year? Yet if you do that, will you lose academic momentum and fall behind in your long-term goals? Rather than view the gap year as an either-or, you might consider course work that would allow you to stay in the educational stream, yet let you see some of the world too. You might take the courses, or you could even end up educating others yourself.

The most common types of programs that combine travel and academics are those that involve language study. In some of them, you would teach English as a second language (TESL). This option requires prior preparation, though, where you’d need to get some kind of certification. But if you do acquire such credentials, then there are gap year agencies that make connections with countries like China, where TESL programs are in high demand. Teaching English language courses would offer some credentials that might serve you well in your future educational pursuits.

You could also take language courses, especially if your gap year travel brings you to a country with a different language than your own. For example, the AIL Language School in Madrid, Spain, offers language and cultural courses in a program aimed explicitly toward gap year students. However, the types of course work that you can do is much broader. Some agencies work with universities that grant credits for certain intense courses of a few weeks’ duration, which concentrate on one subject. Students can fit several of these into their gap year, while allowing themselves time for travel and exploration.

Harvard University has shown the way when it comes to gap year students and their academic success rates. It not only encourages applicants to take gap years, but it actually grants admission to some based on their unusual accomplishments during those breaks. These students have a higher rate of success than those at other universities, who plowed straight into further study after high school. This should be encouraging to those who really need a mental break, but don’t want to fall behind academically. You can stay on course with their educational plans, but can see something of the world at the same time.

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If you wonder whether any American university supports the idea of a gap year, which is that year taken by some students between high school and further education, then you need look no further than Harvard. Yes, you heard right. Harvard not only supports young people taking the break, but for about 35 years has actually suggested it when sending out acceptance letters. Back in 2000, the Dean of Admissions, William Fitzsimmons, wrote an article about gap year work. He suggested that students’ lives have been so regimented and geared toward getting into the “right school” that they need time to repair “burn out” before launching into their post-secondary education.

Harvard isn’t the only institution to approve of a gap year either. Both Princeton and Yale are content with students taking the break before starting their studies. Yale has always allowed its students to defer entrance for a year, although, unlike either Harvard or Princeton, it hasn’t actively encouraged the practice. The philosophy at Yale is that students can decide for themselves what they want, and the school doesn’t get involved. Princeton, on the other hand, has set up its own program for sending students on service trips. But all three of these ivory towers of learning are onside when it comes to the gap year.

Those who feel that a gap year might lead a student not to return to school at all may be surprised by the result of Harvard’s approach. As of 2000, statistics show that of all students, about 20% had taken a year’s break, either before their program courses began, or while it was in progress. Yet 97% of Harvard’s students graduated from the university. Yale’s numbers weren’t quite as high, but that might be because that school doesn’t actively encourage students to take the gap year.

Judging by the attitudes of Harvard, Princeton and Yale, neither parents nor other schools should worry much about students taking a gap year. Indeed, if the Harvard attitude is correct, then students might benefit from this break, repairing the burn out so many feel by the time they’ve finished public school. If they can take a year off, make their own decisions, and spread their wings a bit, then they’re much more likely to come back refreshed and mentally ready at last to start university.

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