High school is finally over! Should your student take a gap year before venturing off to college? Let’s break down the pros and cons.
High school can be challenging
If your student has just recently graduated high school, there’s a good chance they’ve already been applying to colleges for the last several months. It’s around the time of year when many students will be receiving long-anticipated acceptance letters from choice universities. For some students, this will come as a feeling of relief! For others, anxiety will begin to set in.
Is your child really prepared to venture off to college? Much of this depends on their feelings towards high school (regardless of their achievement levels). Keep in mind that, upon graduating high school, students have gone through 13 years of formal education. To put it mildly, this isn’t an easy task. And, as many parents know, high school can be a difficult time – with studies indicating that academic anxiety gradually increases throughout the school year.
It’s important to point out that we see many students who are incredibly high achievers and have already been accepted into top universities but are still hesitant about the road ahead. It’s hard to blame them – if you took 5 AP classes throughout high school and walked away with a 4.3 GPA, you might be feeling burnt out, too! When it comes down to it, some students are simply exhausted and need a well-deserved “breather” before jumping into the next phase of education.
Pros and cons
Let’s break it down. Here are the pros and cons of either attending college immediately after high school or choosing to take a gap year before starting higher education.
Reasons to start college right away:
- Students will be able to take full advantage of their most recent high school achievements – including AP test scores, SAT/ACT results, and age-based scholarship opportunities.
- Students will get a head start on their career, potentially graduating with a four year university degree as early as 21 years old.
- Students can continue on their already academically inclined trajectory from high school without skipping a beat!
Reasons to take a gap year before college:
- Students will have time to think about their future after a grueling 13 year grade school education
- Students will have the opportunity to attend community colleges and explore majors without worrying about the financial burdens of top-tier universities
- Students will be able to spend more time planning for the monetary hurdles of higher education
That last one is very, very important. As much as we’d like it to be, higher education is unfortunately not free of charge (at least here in the states). Luckily, community colleges are an excellent alternative and offer direct transfer pathways to some of the most prestigious universities in the country.
The reality is that going to college can be extremely expensive – which likely comes as no surprise to anyone reading this blog article. Three years ago – in 2021 – we posted a blog article documenting how the well-respected (and highly prestigious) USC would cost a student $82,000 each year to live on campus. Now, in 2024 (at time of writing) – it’s $95,225 per year, which means that a student can find themselves owing just shy of half a million dollars by the time they graduate with a four-year bachelor’s degree. We really cannot stress this enough – the college experience can get expensive.
And to be clear, we’re certainly not trying to discourage students from attending college right out of high school! If your student has both the academic motivation and financial means to make their college experience a success, then by all means – go for it! However, we also want to drive home the point that students who are not able to attend college right away (or choose not to) should not feel discouraged, either. Taking time to explore is a good thing, and in fact it is extremely common for students to switch majors multiple times throughout their college careers.
Should your child consider taking a gap year?
When it really comes down to it, the “right” answer depends completely on them. Here are some more tips to help guide you along the way!
- How to Choose a College That’s Right For You: 5 Things to Consider
- A Complete Guide to the College Admission Process
- Time-Saving Tips for High School Students Applying to College This Fall
