Best Gap Year Programs?
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Anonymous
| DD is seriously considering doing one and we support it as long as she's doing a real program and not just hanging out. Recommendations please? And thank you in advance for your ideas! |
Anonymous
You haven't given much details. |What would she like to do? Has she talked to a guidance counselor? Google any programs? |
Anonymous
| Working with Harvey Weinstein like Malia Obama |
Anonymous
| Rotary Exchange Student |
Anonymous
| Getting a real job, one that pays, requires 40 hours a week. Not an internship with a family friend. |
Anonymous
+1. I think packaged gap year programs are idiotic.....just get a real job. |
Anonymous
| Unless your kid has some really good reason (world-class sports training, charity/political goals, like the gun-control kids from Fla) a gap year is probably a bad idea for most. |
Anonymous
or travel by yourself, having to work out transportation, connections, meals, accommodation and budgeting. |
Anonymous
| What does "support" mean to you? FInancial? Year in Europe? |
Anonymous
| Can you write a sentence describing why DD thinks she needs a gap year? |
Anonymous
| AFS exchange student program |
Anonymous
|
OP here. Jeez. Thanks to the two people who actually gave ideas and not unwanted advice! Not that it's really anyone's business, but my daughter is recovering from a major illness which caused her to lose almost a year of school. She's young for her grade and just wants a year to explore life before committing to college. Now can I have suggestions in response to my question? Or are folks just going to post any and everything but an answer to my original question: Do you know of good gap year programs???
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Anonymous
NP: Why do you say this? Formal gap year programs (e.g. foreign exchange, service learning) give valuable experiences. Working can make you more motivated and ready for college. I think the gap year has potential to flip kids out of the high school mode into taking more initiative. Some kids need an extra year to grow up or some time away from school to appreciate it or just a little broader life experience. The only thing I would do is to apply now and get accepted to a college so she doesn't drift away from going altogether. Also, select a gap year program that has some reading/writing requirements and/or if she stays home and works have her enroll in a few community college courses to keep academic skills sharp. |
Anonymous
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https://www.interimprograms.com/
This is a consulting service that helps your dd put together a gap year program that makes sense for her. It doesn't have to be all one thing -- I went to a talk the owner gave and she said that people often do several different things over the course of a year (think of it like a school year). I think a gap year can make a lot of sense and help kids grow and mature before they start college. My DH, who is a successful Ivy-trained engineer, was not at all ready to start school and struggled for quite a while in school before the school invited him to leave for a semester to get his head on straight. He went and worked for a semester, came back, finished, and launched his career. Looking back on it, he wishes he'd done a gap year of whatever kind before starting to gain that extra maturity and focus. Not everyone has that at 18 or 19 starting college. I want my oldest to look into gap year options as well. He's at the young end of his class and won't turn 18 until the August his freshman year starts if he goes straight through. It's not a race -- he doesn't need to keep up with the Class of 2020 in marching lockstep through college, grad school, life, whatever. It's not like the Game of Life. OP, good luck to your daughter. |
Anonymous
| Americorps has some amazing programs |