Exploring the world of gap years

More and more, students are taking a year off between high school and college to explore careers, to travel, to work or to just to be

By Molly McKim ’23

Gap years offer various advantages for today’s students, and there are few rules to approaching what has been a popular European practice for many years. For some, the time is used to take a break to rest and recharge after a stressful final semester and graduation. It could also be a time to work and save money for future studies, spend time with family or build a professional portfolio.

A self-discovery journey

Economics major Jessica Chan ’26 says she needed to pause between high school and college to figure out what she wanted to do with her life.

“During my gap year, I got a grasp on adulthood,” she said. “I didn’t travel much. Instead, I worked two part-time jobs and did a few personal projects. My favorite part of my gap year was that I got a feel of what life was going to be like after college. I met a lot of different people at my jobs, and it allowed me to see how different everyone’s life is, and allowed me to ask myself how I imagine my life to be afterward.”

In learning more about oneself during a gap year, a student can recharge and refocus.

Politics and international relations major Cody Ford ’23 spent his gap year at the Camp Cho-Yeh Compass Gap Year program in Livingston, Texas. The nine-month adventure experience offers hiking, skiing, time at the beach and an international mission trip.

“I believe taking a gap year program is what drove me to pursue many of the leadership positions I held during my time at Messiah, and provided me with personal, spiritual, academic and professional development that benefited me tremendously as I started my academic journey at Messiah,” said Ford.

Making Messiah your destination

According to John Chopka, vice president of enrollment management, students who choose to take a gap year before coming to Messiah do so in a couple different ways.

“In most cases, a student will take a gap year prior to starting at Messiah,” said Chopka. “Sometimes, they let us know during their senior year of high school that they will take a gap year. In other cases, we will hear from them while they are participating in a gap year experience as they inquire about enrolling at Messiah upon completion of a program.”

To encourage students to pursue a degree after their gap year, in 2022 Messiah began partnering with OneLife Institute, a ninemonth Christian gap year program. The program allows OneLife alums to receive a $2,500 yearly scholarship and up to 30 credits to contribute to their college careers. Soon after, the University began a similar partnership with Cho-Yeh, which offers a $2,500 annual scholarship and the transfer of 12 credits.

“Many of the students participating in gapyear programs do, indeed, wish to eventually pursue a college degree,” said Chopka. “Messiah is making this investment with hopes of attracting more OneLife and Cho-Yeh participants as degree-seeking students.”

This type of gap year spoke to Abi Entwistle ’26, sociology and anthology major. She participated in a OneLife program based in Morris, Pennsylvania, during the 202122 academic year and is now a sophomore at Messiah.

“Ultimately, I decided to take a gap year because I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, and I felt a calling to take the time to learn and grow,” she said.

Entwistle lived and served on a horse farm in addition to her traveling and studying in the southwest U.S., Israel and Palestine.

“OneLife is a forming and stretching opportunity I would recommend to people, but I would also recommend they research and pray on their own to see if it is something they may want to pursue,” she said. “I would recommend gap years to students who have not yet gone to college and are unsure if they would like to. I think it gives students valuable time to learn who they are and get some job experience.”

Potential black holes

While the benefits can outweigh the negatives of taking a gap year, some drawbacks may leave students falling into black holes of their own making. After taking a gap year, students may find it harder to return to academic habits, feeling left out by watching their peers in college or losing excitement for pursuing a career. Also, gap years are not in everyone’s budget, especially if it involves travel or specialized programming. One of the biggest concerns regarding gap years is the possibility of seeing students abandoning their college careers altogether.

“It is possible to take time off and then return to the pursuit of attaining an undergraduate degree…but for a variety of reasons, it can be challenging to return to college/ university once a student leaves,” said Matt Reitnour, director of enrollment partnerships. ”If a student is considering this option, my recommendation would be for the student to have conversations with their academic advisor, parents/guardians and other persons of significance … to discern the reason behind stepping out. Then, come up with a plan for both what the time off will entail and the process/timeline for returning to college.”

Creating the roadmap

Planning the gap year is an essential component of taking one. Creating a roadmap for a gap year makes it exponentially easier to carry out and transition from one way of life to another.

For Chan, a gap year was always a part of her life plan to give her a smoother transition between academics. “I ultimately decided on pursuing a gap year not because of financial struggle, not knowing my major or not knowing where to go, but because I personally didn’t want to rush the transition. I knew going from high school to college would be a large jump, and I didn’t want to make an irrational jump,” she said.

Once a student has determined to take the gap year, how does one fill it? A whole year previously occupied with a courseload, extracurriculars, social obligations and part-time work can seem daunting. To plan, students and parents must consider programs and budgets, stay focused and remain flexible. Many organizations like GO Overseas, Global Citizen Year and Youth With a Mission specialize in planning gap years. Some programs are volunteer-based, academic in nature, centered on travel--or a combination of all three. However, taking a gap year was a last-minute decision that worked out for Ford. “I ultimately decided to take the gap year because I had no idea what I wanted to study in college or what career I wanted to pursue after college. I had already been accepted, paid my deposit and found a roommate for another Christian university in Texas before deciding to pull out two months before freshman orientation to enroll instead in Compass,” he said. Without the gap year, he might have never found Messiah.

Taking the leap

Despite his unconventional approach, Ford recommends taking gap years if the student thinks the benefits will extend past their time in the program. “It allows you to really hone in on what you want to do with your future, and go into college confident in your decision with your major, and thus give you the time to dive into other amazing parts of university life, from club involvement to student leadership,” he said.

Chan suggests that a break from academia after high school can, ultimately, make one a better college student. “We have been in school for the past 10+ years and our bodies are on a routine schedule, but when you’re outside of school, that schedule is completely different,” she said. “It allows students to realize they need to be responsible for their time and teaches them how to balance their personal and work life. My gap year allowed me to understand the importance of time management, family and balance.”

No matter how they do a gap year, students have reaped the benefits of taking a year off from academics and exploring the world at their own pace.

Illustrations by Elia Barbieri