Throughout high school, students are faced with the same question: what do they want to do after they walk across the graduation stage? Many students, especially in Wayland, decide to attend college right off the bat. Some others choose to take a gap year. Through the years, gap years have become increasingly popular among students and have helped students more confidently start their independent adult lives.

Gap years allow recent high school graduates to continue pursuing the interests they cultivated throughout their high school career while also allowing more flexibility than one may encounter in college. Students can fill their gap year with travel, work and volunteering, perhaps all over the world. Some choose to take internships while others participate in gap year programs.

“[Gap years] give students a chance to find out who they are, mature a little bit and become more independent,” WHS guidance counselor Sara Bodi said.

When applying to a gap year program, most people are applying to colleges at the same time. Once they are admitted into college, students defer their acceptance for a year to allow them to take their gap year. Gap year programs have opportunities for students that are tailored to their interests, many students discover the programs they are going to do at gap year fairs. They are similar to taking an independent gap year, however, the programs mean someone is conducting parts of your gap year. Bodi recommends going into a gap year program, but WHS graduate Kevin Wang, who took a gap year and now attends Harvard University, advises otherwise.

“There are gap year programs, but I would advise someone to take their own path and not do a gap year program, especially one that takes the whole year,” Wang said. “It is just allowing another organization and person to structure your life during the year you are trying to discover yourself. Taking a more independent gap year is more valuable.”

Wang decided to take a gap year after graduating during the pandemic in 2020 before starting his first year at Harvard College. Wang made his decision after Harvard announced the COVID-19 restrictions that were in place for the 2021 fall semester. Freshmen were only allowed on campus for their first semester. Sophomores and juniors were not allowed on campus for the entire year, and seniors could only attend the second semester. Students were not allowed to have anyone in their dorms, they had to eat alone, they did not get to attend any in person classes nor enter any other buildings on campus except for their own dorms.

“Retrospectively, if COVID-19 did not happen, I would have taken [a gap year] anyways,” Wang said. “It was definitely worth it. The most important thing is you get to learn a lot more about yourself: what you want, what you care about, what kind of person you want to be and what activities you want to do.”

During Wang’s gap year, he worked, traveled and was able to meet new people. Other students that are still in high school, like junior Ryan Desmond, plan on taking a gap year as well. Desmond plans on working, visiting family, playing hockey and possibly taking classes at a community college during his gap year.

“Some of the people I talked to about college said that they wish they took a gap year, or felt they weren’t as prepared during their freshman year of college,” Desmond said.

Although Bodi did not have any of her students take a gap year for the past two years, she noticed that before the pandemic, the amount of students taking gap years was on a steady incline.

“[Gap years] are exciting,” Bodi said. “Oftentimes, we see students come back and are more successful in college because they had that growth and maturity development over the course of that year.”

Wang echoes Bodi’s feelings. He’s thankful for the opportunities he was given during his gap year and the things he was able to learn about himself.

“The most valuable thing I got from a gap year was self discovery,” Wang said. “Taking the time off is the most important thing, not even what you specifically do. Some people from [Wayland] just keep going and chugging, and sometimes they burn out. [Gap years] can help a lot.”

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