Everyone is talking about taking a "break." So why aren't more people doing it?
It's hard to get off the hamster wheel when things are moving so quickly. Go ask the high schoolers applying to college right now. Many are applying to college because that's what they're supposed to be doing, right? They just need to answer some simple questions and then everything else will be alright.
What is their passion and purpose in life?
What career have they chosen for themselves for the next few decades?
Which university is ideally suited for their next multi-year chapter of lifelong learning?
Those are some big questions.
I'm impressed when my teen knows what to put on the shopping list for dinner this week. Why? Because most teenagers haven't had the life experiences yet to have it all figured out. How could they? If they had it all figured out, then they might not need college after all.
So what does it take to set a young adult on a path towards success?
Parents are talking about this question more and more. Whether it's in the context of their son or daughter's college admissions process or due to genuine concern about whether their kids need a break. As a parent, it's getting harder to not have a conversation about this topic as the benefits are clearly there. It's more of a question about whether we choose to see the signs that are right in front of our faces. Specifically, on our teens' faces.
While mainstream media likes to debate the existential crisis that higher education is navigating, they are also calling out the benefits of creating meaningful gap semester or gap year experiences.
Forbes recently published an overview of many options that young adults may consider when creating their gap experience. It's a worthwhile read as it clearly outlines the pros and cons of taking a gap year in this practical "how to" guide.
Getting through high school can seem like a frantic race to the finish line, jumping through ever-higher hoops each step of the way. A gap year allows you to pause and regroup before diving into college life, all while building the self-reliance, confidence and maturity to succeed in your academic pursuits.
Forbes, January 1, 2024
In addition to its helpful advertorial-funded content noted above, Forbes also published its own POV with a fascinating article at the end of 2023 that cited a number of thought-provoking reasons why a "gap year can transcend being just a break and transform into a critical period of learning, growth and preparation for the future."
...a critical period of learning, growth and preparation for the future.
Forbes, December 28, 2023
How can one argue with the Forbes premise that a gap year is "an investment in yourself at a time when you’re most open to growth and change?" Sign me up!
If that POV was not compelling enough, this op-ed published last week in The New York Times took it a step further.
Nicholas Kristof could not be any clearer with his recommendation to "young people" as it relates to what he thinks they should do immediately.
Go west! Go east! Go north! And above all, go to the global south!
The New York Times, February 10, 2024
Kristof goes on to say that "universities should likewise push students harder to study abroad for at least a semester (or to take a gap year before college to work or study in another country)."
More high school students and their families need to take notice of the trends that are commonplace in so many other countries around the world. It's conventional wisdom in many countries that their impressionable young adults need to gain some meaningful life experiences beyond their comfort zones to build character and mature their perspective on life around them.
If we want to get America's youth off the proverbial hamster wheel, then now is the time to do it.
That wheel won't stop itself.
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