Gap Year Fair uncaps possibilities

USA Gap Year Fairs presenters talk to students and parents about gap year possibilities such as travel and studies abroad. The Gap Year Fair was an eye-opening experience for those considering unconventional post-high school options.

For most, transitioning to college straight out of high school seems like the only option. However, the recent gap year fair on Saturday, February 27 challenged students to think again.

A gap year is traditionally defined as the period of time between high school and college taken off to explore a world beyond academic study and to reflect upon personal values and goals.

Students should seriously consider taking a gap year after graduating high school because it’s an ideal time for exploration and to gain a year of maturity before attending college.

The gap year fair acknowledged this successfully, opened students’ minds and exposed them to exciting and unconventional post-high school options, ones which more students would definitely do well to consider.

Although the fair was broad, it provided helpful information to those unfamiliar with the concept. It displayed a wide variety of different programs, ranging from community service projects in South Africa to individual internships in Latin America to studying abroad in Oxford.

The presentation thus gave hope to students feeling completely burned out from high school and in desperate need of a change of pace.

It gave students options such as community service, volunteering, professional internships and cultural immersion trips. The idea of a gap year may come as a relief to students who don’t feel comfortable jumping right into college yet.

“I’ve spent the last 12 years of my life in a classroom,” senior Tommaso Carli said. “An opportunity like this would be a good transition to something I’d want to do later in life.”

The fair also encouraged students to experience diversity, culture and life outside of their own social bubbles.

“Even if I knew most of the [information] or assumed it, I was still amazed by all the programs they had to offer,” Tommaso said.

Furthermore, the fair also presented many different ideas involving learning a new language, immersing in different cultures and challenging personal values abroad. The seemingly endless opportunities offered at the fair were successful in exposing students to what extraordinary experiences they could have post-high school if they would just expand their options.

“A different experience, one that’s not strictly academic, is really appealing to me,” junior Megan Davis said. “I’d really want to go to one of the more developing countries because I think we hear all about it but don’t really know [that lifestyle] until we experience it. I want to give something back and feel like I’m making a difference.”

Overall, the fair proved to be enlightening for those looking for a rewarding experience prior to attending higher levels of education, and shed a new light on opportunities which might have initially been overlooked.