One of the most commonly upheld principles regarding American higher education is that it is linear. A student finishes high school, goes to college, and from there receives a degree that decides their future and subsequently their fate. College before other endeavors, even when its details remain uncertain, is seen as an inevitable reality for the American student.
Nevertheless, high school seniors Casey Bivens and Ryan Valle had another idea. With an uncertain future and grand ambitions, the two recognized that a college education was a pursuit worth taking. However instead of following the typical path that so many seniors trod down, Bivens and Valle chose another route: taking a gap year. For each, this gap year would present a multitude of challenges, be hindered by obstacles, and further the uncertainty of their educational enterprises. Yet through this decision, the two were able to find out more about themselves, making them not only stronger students but better individuals.
For Casey Bivens, her senior year of high school was marked by the desire to take more classes than her schedule allowed. Many extracurricular courses are only offered to seniors, but with an already tight schedule no senior could take all the classes that may interest them. This predicament prompted a crazy idea in Bivens; wanting to take all the classes only offered to senior students, she thought to herself, "why not repeat my final year of high school?"
Upon hearing this, one of her teachers had another idea, planting the seed that would guide Bivens' postsecondary education. A gap year would give Casey the opportunity to immerse herself in the educational environment that extracurricular classes taught about, while also providing real world experience, opportunities for travel, and many other benefits that could not be granted in a classroom.
Following high school, the journey of Bivens' gap year did not begin with the allure that many hope for. She wanted to spend her year away from school travelling to Europe, but this required that she have the money to pay for it. Taking part time, entry-level positions, she filled her schedule with tiresome minimum wage jobs. While the work was less than desirable, Bivens recounts these experiences as some of the most valuable throughout her gap year. Bivens learned two important lessons through this period: The cost and worth of college. Measuring the price in hours worked, demonstrated that education was an expensive commodity, and that it should not be taken lightly. Moreover, she was also reminded of the worth of her future college degree, an asset that would alleviate her from future entry-level, low-wage jobs.
Within months, she was ready to begin her travel. Casey's gap year brought her all across the European continent, milking cows for free rent on a farm in France, travelling completely alone in Amsterdam, visiting family in Russia. One of her most vivid memories is having her backpack stolen in Barcelona, and chasing down the thief to retrieve her stolen belongings. Her only fear from the situation was that her passport had been taken; without a passport, she would have been forced to return home.
Though starkly different, the gap year of Ryan Valle largely echoes the sentiments of Bivens'. Ryan describes himself as someone who was less than a perfect student, only working towards classes that interested him. After being accepted into a university, he was caught by the allure of a Christian ministry program that would allow him to take a year abroad. While not a particularly religious person, this period would give Valle the opportunity to learn outside of a conventional educational environment. Without a clear conception of his educational goals, he deferred his acceptance, and began the journey of his gap year.
His first destination was the island of Fiji. Arriving to the island was a grand memory for Valle; it was the first time he was completely on his own. After going through customs, he was forced to venture into the capitol in a country where few speak English, his native tongue. Navigating his way through the streets, Valle was reminded of his capabilities, finding his destination amidst the difficulties of the circumstances.
In Fiji, Valle remembers his schedule as being fluid, a concept that largely defies the rigid structure of American education systems. Time was a loose concept; when a native said to "meet at five PM", they simply meant at some point later that evening, with the grand possibility that they would not show up for hours past their stated arrival time. Valle was forced to adapt to cultural differences across the countries he visited. In many ways, his decision to take a gap year was a deviation from the American cultural practice of attending college directly after high school. As it seems, breaking from these American cultural concepts was one of the few traceable patterns throughout Valle's gap year.
While both Bivens' and Valle speak highly of their periods away from the classroom, as Bivens notes, "Gap years are perfect for some people, but not for everyone". In both cases, the experiences that encompassed their gap years shaped their futures by giving them a newfound sense of direction. Valle returned from his gap year after three years, as opposed to the one he had planned, with intentions of becoming a teacher. This interest largely stemmed from his time instructing as part of the Christian ministry program he joined. For Bivens, her gap year prompted her to major in international studies with a minor in French, two interests she developed abroad.
For those looking for an escape, a break from traditional education, or a way to discover themselves and their interests, a gap year may just be the perfect option. "At no other time in your life will you have the ability to take a year off and experience life in its truest form", recounts Bivens. Gap years give students the opportunity to take a break from school, while extending their education through learning experiences in a nontraditional environment.
What both Valle and Bivens stressed is that there is merit to the constructed linear path of American education system; most students know what they want to do, and should pursue college directly after high school. However for those who don't, it is important to acknowledge the other option. As J.R.R. Tolkien famously stated, "Not all those who wander are lost". Some may just be taking a gap year.