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Prempeh Osei
Mr. Cosmin
English 102
18 March 2015
Gap year
Education is a vital component for a successful future. Though education may
be vigorous, students who receive minimal academic education are taught the basics
to any career path they would choose. After the completion of this lower education,
many choose to go straight into their course studies, while others choose to defer a
year before going into their academic endeavors. Deferring a year before college or
university is commonly known as taking a gap year. The notion of the gap year has
become more popular among students in the western culture. Students in various
countries such as England and Australia already partake in the gap year. As a result,
research has provided beneficial results from students who participate in gap year
from various countries. Spending a year abroad during the gap year has helped people
decide or affirm what they want to become. Students among religious circles like this
idea of a gap year, due to the fact that they can do the work of God throughout the
year to better understand what God wants them to do for their lives. It is shown
throughout scripture that taking time off is beneficial. There are countless stories told
of people in the Bible who gained a tremendous amount of blessings because they
spent time seeking the Lord and doing his work. The gap year is advantageous in

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many ways to students, but especially to the enhancement of their relationship with
Jesus Christ.
The British originated the gap year in the 1960s. The gap year was created to
fill the gap between high school and university (APA). People who sought a richer
spiritual life commonly used the gap year. Traveling by bus was economically
favorable than commuting by plane (sherifi). Although it wasnt efficient traveling by
plane, people who participated in the gap year still found a way to reach out to other
countries. As years advanced, the gap year increased in fame in the UK around the
80s and 90s (Sherifi). Soon enough there were dozens of students who wanted to
experience the gap year. The plane tickets dropped and the gap year had become a
favored option in the UK for the students who sought higher learning (Sherifi). A
website was created so that people could share their gap year stories online (cite).
Moreover, the gap year continues to be a favored option among many students. Many
students arent sure of what they want to become, they are drawn to consider a year
overseas doing mission work, studying, teaching English or even just working. The
gap year is beneficial not just to the students decision, but it also draws the attention
of employers who seek to hire employees for their various businesses (Sherifi). In the
web article, The History of the Gap Year, it says that, In a survey for gapyear.com in
2011, 63% of UK HR professionals said that a constructive gap year spent
volunteering or gaining work experience overseas made a job application stand out
(Sherifi). The gap year is very profitable, in that it creates opportunities for students

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to achieve their highest goals and aspirations. Moreover, it causes people to grow and
challenges them in ways that they have not been challenged, but most importantly it
allows people to have a closer relationship with Jesus Christ.
The Gap year can be used in many ways, it gives students the opportunity to
take a break from school and to do something practical and or educational. The web
article,

The history of the Gap Year says,

A gap year can be anywhere, for any length of time, doing anything
you want. Though almost all gappers are looking for an enriching
experience, there are lots of different ways to achieve it. You can build
an orphanage in Colombia; teach English as a foreign language in
Japan; trek through the Himalayas in Nepal or travel around the 'banana
pancake trail' in South East Asia (Sherifi).
A good portion of students love to travel, many go to countries like Spain and Italy to
study abroad. They are drawn by the uniqueness of these foreign countries. The gap
year offers students experiences that will last them a lifetime. It provides unique
experiences, so that students may teach English to children in different countries, or
to build orphanages, or schools. These gap years change the lives of those in the
countries that are less fortunate than the more advanced first world countries such as
the U.S.A and England. The gap year allows students to better understand the field in

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which they would like to partake in, by giving them hands on training. Students also
gain the joy of traveling to these incredibly beautiful countries. Skills learned during
the gap year can give students money to pay off university or even to go straight into
work. The gap year allows students an experience of a lifetime while helping them to
potentially be eligible for scholarships that can make their career dreams more
realistic.
The gap year gives students an opportunity to get into universities of higher
caliber. The Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Harvard University wrote an
article along with two other staff. The web article is entitled Time Out or Burn Out
for the Next Generation, in the beginning of this article it says, Harvard College
encourages admitted students to defer enrollment for one year to travel, pursue a
special project or activity, work, or spend time in another meaningful
way(Fitzsimmons, McGrath, Ducey). Harvard University encourages their students
to partake in a gap year to spend a year doing something meaningful. The gap year
can be used to reduce the stress of having to choose a university or college right away
(Fitzsimons, McGrath, Ducey). Students can use the year to find themselves and their
values; so they can find what field they desire to be in for the rest of their lives. There
are many students who are not helped in being transitioned to the university standard
of learning (Fitzsimons, McGrath, Ducey). They are not prepared for the next level of
education, causing stress to the student and perhaps pushing them to make hasty

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decisions that could hurt them later on. A gap year can ease the stress and allow the
student to do something beneficial for somebody else.
Schools like Harvard recommend that students take a year off before attending
university. The web article, Time Out or Burn Out for the Next Generation says,
Harvards daily student newspaper, The Crimson, reported (5/19/2000) that students
who had taken a year off found the experience so valuable that they would advise all
Harvard students to consider it(Fitzsimons, McGrath, Ducey). Taking a year off has
proven to be beneficial for Harvard, due to the fact that their graduation rate is 98%
(Fitzsimons, McGrath, Ducey). This ridiculous graduation rate is partly because many
students at Harvard defer a year to go out and do work for others (Fitzsimons,
McGrath, Ducey). The article Time Out or Burn Out for the Next Generation states,
Many speak of their year away as a life-altering experience or a
turning point, and most feel that its full value can never be measured
and will pay dividends the rest of their lives. Many come to college
with new visions of their academic plans, their extracurricular pursuits,
the intangibles they hoped to gain in college, and the career
possibilities they observed in their year away (Fitzsimmons, McGrath,
Ducey).
Students enjoy the gap year and tell of the experiences they had. They state that it has
caused them to see in a different light what they want to become. During the time off
many do mission work; students build schools, orphanages, etc. The gap year changes

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the lives of the students, it gives them a glimpse of what their future careers can do to
benefit people. Many fear to fall behind while taking this gap year, but it is quite the
opposite, students after the gap year usually have a better idea of what they want to be
(Fitzsimmons, McGrath, Ducey). Taking a gap year adds more to a students
application, making it easier to go into that school. The service done by students
during the gap year helps them with their spirituality and their relationship with Jesus.
Due to the rapid popularity growth of the gap year, colleges and universities
are starting to make gap year programs. In that, they offer gap year activities to recent
high school graduates. In this article, Time Out: The Gap Year Abroad it says, I
believe that students who participate in successful gap year programs are much better
prepared for higher education: theyre more prepared to think critically, to see the
world through another lens, to gain some intercultural perspective and just be better
citizens(Hulstrand). Institutions of higher learning have seen the benefits of the gap
year. The stories of students taking time off, teaching and building in different
countries catch their attention. They also realize that gap year students return within
six months and are more focused on their education (Hulstrand). In the article it says
that, Theyre less likely to be drinking like crazy, theyre not floundering around,
they just have a better sense of their core and their compass(Hulstrand). Gap year
students are more focused on achieving their goals. Many students in college and
university like to party and misuse their time; gap year students are more appealing
because research has proven them to be more studious. The gap year grows students

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and causes them to be more mature than those who go straight into college or
university. Many students switch majors or schools within the year, therefore
increasing the time a student graduates to more than six years. A short web article,
Top Benefits of a Gap year says, From Haigler and Nelsons statistics, 60% of
students assert that their gap year helped them either determine or affirm a choice of
major or course of study(Bull). Research has stated that Gap year students dont
spend time switching majors because they come into university knowing what career
path they want to take. Moreover, taking a gap year is an intelligent option; it
prepares students for life, and service in their own communities.
There are countless stories of students within their gap year. Many students go
into the gap year and strengthen their walk with Christ. A student by the name of
James C. DeSpelder wrote a story about his life during the gap year. At first, He did
not want anything to with a gap year. Taking a year off seemed impractical to him;
his parents had always told him to consider this option, but he never listened. Money
and position had clouded his mind; he sought to graduate as soon as possible, so he
could make his dream a reality. In 2014, there was a winter retreat that he attended.
He expected to be closer to God but he didnt feel anything. He still did not want to
take a year off because of the job he had. A man by the name of Martin taught stories
from the bible. He [James] then realized what Martin was saying and decided to take
a gap year. In a little web article written by James, he says,

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I have been in Glasgow since September 2014 and have experienced a

return on investment beyond anything I could have imagined. Ive
made lifelong friends in an incredibly hospitable and exciting
community. I cannot wait for my personal prayer time every morning, I
experience a measureless joy and wonder working with local children,
and Ive been given a wealth of wisdom from the poor (DeSpelder 1).
He has gained an experience that will not be forgotten. He has not regretted the
decision he made to go out and do the work of Christ. During his gap year he received
the blessings of Christ and he grew closer in his relationship to him. He worked with
the children and the people there. He gleaned knowledge from the people and was
given a new perspective to life. His love for God grew and he himself gained a closer
relationship with his Savior.
Stories of mission during a gap year show the impact that students can have on
others. Students are able to interact with people and show them the love that many
dont receive in their life. There is a story of two girls by the names Kara ODonnell
and Kelsey Reese. Kara during her last year of high school was not sure of what she
wanted to do with the rest of her life. She prayed about going to college, but she felt a
little uneasy about it. She then started to pray about taking a year off; it seemed like
everything came together. Kara was excited about taking a year off to go and reach
out to people in need. Kara then booked a flight to the Philippines. During that whole
process with Kara, Kelsey had already been on a trip prior to El Salvador, in which,

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she realized that she was not going to go to college right away, but that she would
instead take a year off. After she heard that Kara was going to the Philippines, Kelsey
booked a flight to join her there. Kelsey was learning how to sacrifice and what it
meant to be there for someone, which is evident when she said, Kelsey explained,
You dont have to build a house or feed 10,000 people to be a missionary. All you
have to do is be there for the one person who needs you at that given
moment(Hansen). Kelsey was learning important life lessons during her gap year
that would stick with her for life. When Kara and Kelsey reached the Philippines, they
first learned the culture then they went out and ministered to those in need. Both
students went around showing the love of Christ during the gap year. Both of these
girls used their gap year effectively, in that they reached people and they grew closer
to their heavenly father.
In the word of God there are stories that speak of the gap year. Not in a sense
that they took time between high school and college, but in a sense that they took time
to find God. They ministered to people and their connection to God grew stronger. In
Exodus 3 it speaks of when Moses was in the wilderness after he killed the Egyptian.
Exodus 3:1 says, Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of
Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain
of God, even to Horeb. Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness taking care of sheep.
Moses had a 40- year gap where he got to know the Lord and learn lessons that would
help him later in life. Although, they did not have the same education levels as now,

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the gap in time was spent learning lessons that would help later in life. In Moses gap
year he learned to lead people to the Promised Land; gap years now teach us to be
leaders or teaches us lessons that refine our characters. Throughout the time of a gap
year, people are drawn closer to God and through that their relationship with Him
[God] strengthens. Another gap story found in the bible is the one of Jesus in the
wilderness. In Matthew 4:1-2 it says, Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the
wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty
nights, he was afterward an hungred. Jesus took time off and went and sought his
father. He was fasting and praying and gaining a better relationship with his father, so
that he could accomplish his mission. Jesus life was a mission in it of itself. His life
was like a gap year, in a sense that he ministered to people, but his whole life was
dedicated to mission. Jesus is the perfect example, but we see that he took time away
from friends, family and sought the God. As we can see, even the bible contains
stories of people who were apart of a gap year. The gap year is a way for a student
to find their career path, but also a way to get closer to God. He [God] is sustenance
of all life; He gives us opportunities to reach people in need. Along the same lines, is
an article written by baker says, The chance to do Christian service is the draw for
BMS World Missions Action Teams program, billed as an opportunity to plunge
yourself into another culture, share the love of Jesus in practical ways, inspire others
and let God work in your life every step of the way. The gap year is a way to share
the love of Christ to others and a time to examine ones walk with Christ. During the

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gap year, it is beneficial for students to find God and themselves doing volunteer
work domestically or overseas.
Taking a gap year is advantageous to those who wish to partake; experiences
that teach lifetime lessons. The blessings gained during the gap year will never leave
and it will help students to do the work of Christ. There is no special talent required to
partake in a gap year. Regardless of race, size and intelligence, all are able to
participate and bless people in their own unique way. Students may see this as a waste
of time, but it may actually decrease their time in college. It is also a great way for
students to find themselves and their purpose in life. A gap year may not be for
everyone because many are prepared for college. However, that doesnt mean that
students cannot volunteer to partake in community service or just acts of kindness.
Taking a gap year has many advantages financially, academically, socially, and
spiritually. Those who decide will be greatly blessed and will be more inclined to live
a life of service to others. Through service and love, lives will be changed; moreover,
the spirituality of the student will be greatly strengthened.

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Works Cited:
AGA. "American Gap Association." What Is a Gap Year? N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2015.
Baker, Celia R. "How Taking a 'gap Year' between High School and College Can Improve
Your Life." How Taking a 'gap Year' between High School and College Can Improve
Your Life. N.p., 4 Nov. 2013. Web. 07 May 2015.
Bull, Holly. "Top Benefits of a Gap Year." (n.d.): 1-2. Www.njsca.org. Web. 7 May 2015.
Fitzsimmons, William, Marlyn E. McGrath, and Charles Ducey. "Should I Take Time Off?"
Should I Take Time Off? N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2015.
Hansen, S. L. "Diocesan News." Teens Take 'gap Year' to Work in Missions. N.p., 9 Jan.
2015. Web. 07 May 2015.
Hulstrand, Janet. "Time Out: The Gap Year Abroad." (n.d.): 50-54. Www.nafsa.org. Web. 7
May 2015.
Jones, Andrew. Review of Gap Year Provision. Annesley, Nottingham: DfES Publications,
2004. Rgs.org. Web. 7 May 2015.
Learning, Canadian Council On. "Gappers: Taking Time off between High School and Postsecondary Studies." Gappers: Taking Time off between High School and Postsecondary Studies (n.d.): 1-7. Http://www.ccl-cca.ca/. Web. 7 May 2015.
Lumsden, Marilyn, and John Stanwick. Who Takes a Gap Year and Why? Adelaide:
National Centre for Vocational Education Research, 2012. Http://files.eric.ed.gov/.
Web. 7 May 2015.

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Melleby, By Derek. "God in the Gap Year." God in the Gap Year: (n.d.): n. pag.
Http://www.collegetransitioninitiative.com/. Web. 7 May 2015.
Sherifi, Macca. "The History of the Gap Year." Gapyear.com. N.p., 30 May 2012. Web. 07
May 2015.
Spelder, James C. "Kairos Europe and the Middle East." Kairos Europe and the Middle East.
N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2015.
The Holy Bible. London: King James, 1611. Print. Authorized King James Version
The Views Expressed In This Report Are The Authors And Do Not Necessari. Gap Year
Takers: Uptake, Trends and Long Term Outcomes (n.d.): n. pag. Www.gov.uk. Web.
7 May 2015.