Don't Let School Get in the Way of Your Education: The Value of a Gap Year

Taking a "gap year", or year off, is standard in much of the world. The idea of a year off is just starting to catch on in Canada, and there are thousands of ways to to get out and go...

On the veranda of a hostel in San Diego, Jenny Mathieson, a tanned young British woman, is stirring her coffee and explaining to me that she is on her second "gap year," or year off. When I ask her why she decided to take a gap year, she immediately begins to recite the lines she has told sceptical parents and employers in the past. She sits up straight. "I think it's boosting my confidence, I think it's made me able to cope in loads of different situations," she nods. But then she pauses and leans across the table as a small grin begins to form on the corners of her mouth. "To be honest, I think a lot of people in England just do it for the 'crack,' you know, for fun."

As many British students approach the end of school, foreign travel is a highly anticipated event—a kind of rite of passage. British universities (and parents) not only accept that students take a gap year, it's practically expected—even Prince William went to do volunteer work in Chile before continuing his studies.

Taking a "gap year" is far more common in the UK than it is in North America, where students may "take a year off." The two phrases mean the same thing, but the North American version is often given a negative tone, emphasizing the school or work that a person is missing.