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Taking A Gap Year Can Improve Student Achievement

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An increasing number of high school graduates are opting to take a year off before they head to college. (Flickr/Inkyhack)
An increasing number of high school graduates are opting to take a year off before they head to college. (Flickr/Inkyhack)

This is the time of year when high school seniors across the state — and the country — are anxiously waiting to hear back from colleges and universities.

After years of work and all those applications, they'll find out where they're heading next fall. But a growing number of college advisers and career counselors are advocating for what some call a "gap year."

Taking a year off inbetween high school and college to work, travel or live abroad and take a break from the academic conveyor belt is not a new idea but it is becoming increasingly popular and more accepted across the U.S. There is growing evidence that suggests students who take a gap year actually do better in college than students who don't.

Guests:

  • Robert Clagett, former dean of admissions, Middlebury College; former senior admissions officers, Harvard College
  • Holly Bull, president, Center for Interim Programs

Additional Gap Year Resources:

This segment aired on March 8, 2012.

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