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We know birds fly south for the winter, mostly out of instinct to flock to a warmer place where food is more plentiful. But, not all birds hightail it to Miami the second cold weather hits. Which makes you wonder -- what would happen if a migrating bird chose not to fly south with the rest of his feathered friends?

The same can be said of your senior year in high school. Your classmates are off to college, and most likely you are, too. But did you ever wonder what would happen if you didn't go straight to college and instead contemplated  

taking a year off

 ?

Now that you've got that "yeah, right" out of your system, let's get a few things straight about taking a gap year, or taking a year off.

The Reputation Gap
Though gap years are incredibly popular in Europe (even Prince William did a year's worth of traveling and volunteering before heading to St. Andrews University in Scotland), the concept is often stigmatized in the United States as a holding year for students too immature to head straight to college.

Not so, says Bill Fitzsimmons, dean of admission and financial aid at Harvard College (Cambridge, MA). Concerned with the pressure put on students to attend college, Fitzsimmons co-authored the article "Time Out or Burn Out for the Next Generation." In it, he explores the immense pressure students are under to attend college straight from high school, and applauds the benefits a gap year may provide.

"Particularly because selective colleges are perceived to be part of the problem," he writes, "we want to do everything possible to help students make the most of their opportunities, avoiding the much-reported 'burnout' phenomenon that can keep them from reaching their full potential." Which is why Harvard's acceptance letter encourages students to defer a year before stepping foot on campus. And, Fitzsimmons says, close to 100 percent of the students who take advantage of the deferment return the following year.

"Some people say in that one year, students get a chance to mature three or four years," Fitzsimmons says, noting that most students return refreshed, dive into their school work, and are better prepared for the rigors of college. "Many students are on such a fast track, they often don't get an opportunity to look inside themselves and see what's really important to them," he continues. "I've only met one student who hasn't said [of their gap year], 'This is the greatest thing I've done.'"

Taking Time Out
Eve Young knows the fast track Fitzsimmons speaks of. After graduating from a very competitive private high school in Boston, Eve headed straight to Smith College (Northampton, MA) to study pre-med and neuroscience. She soon discovered the reality of her intended major was not at all what she thought it would be. "I had a lot of pressure on me to have life figured out," she says. "I'd look at other students around campus, and they looked so together. I felt defeated."

Eve left Smith at the end of her freshman year -- and it should be noted -- with strong grades. After speaking with a college counselor, and at the initial dismay of her parents, she decided to take a year off with Dynamy, a nonprofit organization that helps teens transition to adulthood through internships, leadership training, and outdoor challenges.

Since January 2004, Eve has taught yoga to disabled students, as well as classes on world hunger, poverty, and organic farming to people of all ages -- from elementary school students to the elderly. The 20-year-old "gapper" now works as a full-time, paid intern at Dynamy, and has a newfound passion for education and nonprofit work. She's returning to school at Tufts University (Boston, MA) this fall to study sociology.

"[My gap year] makes me feel like there's a purpose to my education, whereas before it felt like something I had to do," says Eve. "I know when I go to Tufts, I'm going to want to be there, and I'm going to relish my classes. There's a certain kind of appreciation for education I didn't have before."

Closing the Career Gap
A common gap year fear (especially for parents) is the possibility of never returning to school. Jay Steiner, a Dynamy student "I didn't want to break from school," he says. "I thought I would lose momentum as far as my organizational skills and homework."

Still, Jay -- who always had an interest in emergency medicine -- knew taking some time to figure out exactly which route he wanted to take would prove beneficial. "I took a year off to experiment because there are so many ways you can do emergency medicine," Jay says, adding his decision was supported by his school counselor and parents. "I've begun to formulate how I feel about where I want to go in life and in school."

Jay received his EMT certification this summer, and will spend his year interning on an ambulance, in a hospital emergency room, and volunteering for the Red Cross. "By 'trying on' careers," he says, "I get to hear from professionals in the field about the schools they went to, and now I know the things I'm looking for in a college." Thanks to the inside info, Jay is considering Springfield College (Springfield, MA) and Northeastern University (Boston, MA) for his start next year.

A Gap in Opinions
Not everyone is enthusiastic about students taking a gap year. Susan Sarisky, director of admissions at Lebanon Valley College (Annville, PA), insists that a gap year is not a red flag, but it does raise questions. "When we see an application from someone who has done it, we ask 'Why?' and 'What did they do?'" she says.

She believes the best progression for students is to go to college straight from high school. "They're already in the swing of things," she says. "Hopefully a student has already gone through a challenging high school career, and can continue to a challenging college career."

And as for the Harvard school of thought that students need a break from scholastic stress? "If one of our strongest academic students is feeling the pressure, I don't know that I'd advise him or her to take a break," she says. "Life doesn't get any easier."

Even though taking a break from academics can sound like fun, it comes with its own set of stresses. Jay admits to catching flack from his friends for not going straight to college, and Eve struggled with validating her gap year against her best friend pursuing pre-med at Harvard.

Bridging the Gap
Taking a gap year is a big decision, but the bigger decision is how you'll spend it, because no one will be impressed with your making the Guinness Book of World Records for watching the most "SpongeBob SquarePants" reruns. The most obvious option is to travel, but not everyone has the opportunity to backpack around Europe for 12 months. Sarisky suggests doing missionary work, or taking some classes part time at a local community college. Fitzsimmons recommends working part time in a field that interests you, or volunteering, preferably with a program that provides a stipend so you can put some money away for your impending education.

"If you don't have the resources [to go abroad], you've got to get creative," says Fitzsimmons. "But you still can learn a great deal."

So, are you going to flock straight to higher ed with the rest of your college-winged pals? Ultimately, that decision is up to you. Just remember that birds of a feather don't always have to stick together.

>> For more info on Dynamy, surf www.dynamy.org.
>>To read Fitzsimmons' article, head to http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/prospective/applying/time_off/timeoff.html


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Jennifer Merritt is a frequent contributor to The CollegeBound Network. Learn more about finding a school that's right for you.

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