As spring semester Zoom courses come to a close, this normally celebratory time is marred by the circumstances created by Coronavirus. For most high-school seniors and college students, uncertainty looms as colleges and universities grapple with the challenges of reopening in the fall. Dr. Anthony Fauci recently described a return to campuses as “a bridge too far” and schools are considering different scenarios for the fall, many of which include continuing virtual classes.
The Impact of Remote Learning
Many current college students have expressed dissatisfaction with remote learning. Even the best online classes cannot make up for face-to-face engagement and the dearth of a “college experience”. While tuition fees remain largely unchanged, students no longer have access to the clubs, sports, social scenes, and day-to-day residential experience that define college life. This gap in the college experience inevitably hinders the development of invaluable soft skills such as community living and time management that college generally provides.
Rethinking Fall Semester
High-school seniors, current college students and their families are now faced with an unprecedented decision – they must not just decide which school to attend, but what learning formats are worth investing in, and whether starting or continuing their college careers in the fall of 2020 makes sense. College upperclassmen may want to consider whether it makes sense to take a semester or year off, if only to delay graduating into an uncertain economy marked by canceled internships and a lack of employment opportunities.
Without knowing if schools will resume in-person in the fall, high-school seniors are faced with the possibility of their freshman year being spent taking classes online while still living at home. Given this potential reality, many students are considering deferring their enrollment or not even accepting a spot at any school. Every school has its own process and deadline for deferral approval and this decision might have to be made prior to having a clear picture on the school’s fall course instruction format.
If schools do reopen their doors, current high-school seniors may not be equipped for the independent experience college life provides . While generally the second half of senior year and summer before college are times for high-school seniors to explore and develop their independence and other soft skills, the Class of 2020 will instead be entering college having spent many consecutive months at home with their parents. Even in normal circumstances, the transition from high-school to college is a challenging one, as each year, many students underperform academically when transitioning to college, and it stands to reason that this may be exacerbated by a more dramatic transition.
The Gap: Augmenting Your College Experience
Even in a “normal” world, there are many benefits to taking time off before or during college. While some parents may worry a gap might disrupt a student’s academic career, research indicates that 90% of students who take a gap year return to college, and there is data suggesting students who take a gap year academically over perform in college relative to their peers. Most importantly, an intentional and well-planned gap year can be a personally transformative and developmental experience for a student. Gap years provide students an opportunity to explore their passions and interests, build hard and soft skills, and experience life outside their comfort zone – and this allows students enter or re-enter college with greater focus and engagement, and a more developed sense of self.
Gap In the Current Climate
While the Coronavirus crisis has created tremendous uncertainty in the college landscape, there is an opportunity presented for students to take a break from formal education and design a meaningful learning experience for themselves. It’s a chance to identify and pursue their strengths, interests and passions. It’s an opportunity to learn without the pressure of grades, and possibly without the rigidity of the classroom. It’s a time to recharge and be better prepared for college and beyond.
A gap year can be composed of a variety of experiences – students can pursue virtual opportunities like online classes or internships, and can use the opportunity to explore interests outside their major or develop hard skills they’ll need to launch their career. Depending on the landscape this might be in-person, on-line or a combination of the two.
By not attending school in the fall, students and families are able to reevaluate their (re)enrollment for the spring. A gap allows students and families to be more flexible and fluid, and to respond to the landscape as it evolves.
When working with Everything Summer gap clients, we are considering all options and creating contingencies in order to help students get the most out of a gap experience no matter what the coming months have in store. A gap year can be a vital part of a student’s educational journey, and that is more true than ever with the uncertainty currently surrounding higher education. Rather than waiting on pins and needles to see what colleges decide (and what the global landscape permits), students can take back the power and make the most of this disruption – it’s time to consider a gap year.