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By Michael Bradshaw & Blake Leonard
As the May 1st college decision deadline approached, many students were stressing over their final decision, while others were showing off which school would be their home for the next four years.
Yet, there was a small group that didn’t have to answer the annual “Where are you going next fall?” question.
A gap year is defined as a one-year hiatus from academic studies to allow for non-academic activities. There are many options to fill this “one-year hiatus.” One of those options is a service-based year.
Senior Owen Telesco, who has a long past of helping communities including trips to Memphis, Tennessee, and Belize, is participating in the Americorps service program.
“In early October I’ll leave for Denver, Colorado,” Telesco said. “I’ll spend about a month and a half at my campus getting trained in fire management, construction, first aid, disaster relief, and child care.”
Telesco made the decision to join Americorps despite already being accepted to Michigan State University, one of his top choices for college.
“Halfway through my senior year I realized how I’d been swept with all the things the school requires you to do,” Telesco said. “So, I asked myself what is it that I wanted to do when I felt I actually had the choice. So, I applied to Americorps and accepted as soon as I got it.”
Telesco still plans to attend MSU in the fall of 2017 and study business communications. It’s not just students in Dexter taking advantage of this opportunity; it’s popularity is increasing all over the country.
“The popularity of a gap year is increasing in the U.S.,” Guidance Counselor Geraldine Holmes said. “In my view, it is a viable, life-changing and often overlooked option. Through my counseling experience, I’ve found that a gap year will generally increase my students’ focus, maturity, and motivation, which ultimately helps them as they enter college.”
Although this group is small, on average there are only four or five students in Dexter that participate in gap years, there are significant benefits that a traditional four-year university experience cannot provide.
“I am a huge proponent of my students taking a ‘gap year,’ as a purposeful period of time between completing high school and beginning college when they can step outside their traditional classroom experience,” Holmes said. “This can be a time for them to explore the world, reflect on their personal values and goals, and prepare to take the next purposeful step in life.”
Senior Megan Paddock took these benefits into consideration when deciding to take a gap year. Paddock will be living in Australia for the next year and will be working in order to gain skills. She also hopes to draw inspiration from her experiences in Australia to decide where she wants to go in the future.
“I think taking a gap year will rewarding because I’ll be getting work experience and having fun all while still earning money and learning to live completely differently than I am now,” she said. “I’ll be thrown into situations when I’ll feel uncomfortable and it’ll be tough but I’ll be forced to push through it.”
While there are plenty of benefits, it is a big decision to not enter college immediately. Consequently, there are some negatives to consider.
“You’ll be a year behind your high school friends in college experiences such as moving in, attending orientation, making new connections, picking a major, graduating and starting your career,” Holmes said. “Typically, I think for the student who is burned out from high school or who just isn’t sure about what they want to get out of a college experience – the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.”
Both Paddock and Telesco decided that in the end the benefits of a gap year outweighed the other potential options. Both will come out with experience and memories that you can’t find in a classroom.
“I hope to gain confidence, and friendships that I’ll never forget,” Paddock said, “Also gaining a sense of independence and learning more about the world and how others live.”
