What if you just aren't ready to commit to four years of academics...what do you do?

What about a Gap Year?

Middlebury College and UNC, Chapel Hill both conducted studies on the benefits of a gap year and found that students who took a year off to work or travel or volunteer were not only more likely to graduate but also graduated in less time than students who went directly into college from high school. They have official Gap Year programs. Bottom line:  it's OK to take a Gap Year!  There are benefits of taking a year, or even just a few months off, to explore social, academic, creative, or even simply recreational activities.  Well, maybe 'recreational activities' aren't exactly smiled upon by admissions officers but, taking time before college to figure out what you want in life, not just want you want to DO in life, is a good thing.

How, exactly, do you do a Gap Year? The recommended/traditional way is to go through the normal college admissions process and timeline. Once admitted, the student then can ask to defer enrollment. Each college has its own 'enrollment management procedure'. Some provide for one semester deferrals, others for an entire year. The student will generally submit a deposit to hold the spot. A side note: as more students are taking Gap Years and participating in Study Abroad programs, colleges increasingly are offering Spring enrollments to their Freshman applicants. Again, this is part of the college's 'enrollment management process'. All of those dorm rooms and classroom seats need to be filled!

What about attending a 2-year college or certificate program?

There are many reasons students choose to forgo the 4-year college adventure and, instead,  attend a community college. In fact, the vast majority of college-bound students enroll in community college. In 2015, President Obama initiated a program to offer free tuition for two years at community colleges. Unfortunately, so far, only Oregon and Minnesota have begun implementing this tuition-free approach.

A recent article in the NY Times said this: "...as many as 25 million of all new job openings in the next decade will be for middle-skills jobs." Community colleges offer numerous pathways for entry into 'middle-skills' jobs (which are jobs requiring either some college preparation, a postsecondary certificate, or an Associate degree). 

What is your pathway?

Fully 1/3 of all future jobs will require a bachelor's degree. Another 1/3 will require some sort of post-secondary education (from community colleges or 3rd-party certificating process) and training. There is a lot of information online...just do it!

Contact the A+ team for more information!