The Complete Guide To The Gap Year: The Best Things To Do Between High School And College Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
This is the go-to book for anyone considering a year to re-charge, to follow a passion, to become immersed in another culture, or to find their love of learning again. It includes everything a student, parent, or guidance counselor would want to know about the gap year; including what a gap year is, what it is not, and why it can have a positive impact on a young life. * Readers can find out what college admissions deans think of the gap year, and how it is becoming an important part of the educational process at top tier universities. *Economically, the gap year can make a lot of sense in a recession, and this useful guide gives information on free programs, financial aid, and tax savings. *The book has a comprehensive guide to 200 of the world's best gap year programs. *Students will find self-quizzes and helpful criteria to help them decide whether to take a gap year, and if so what kind of program. This guide helps them evaluate their interests and plan and fund their gap year; whether it means spending a year on a sailing vessel, coaching sports and teaching in an impoverished area, or following a passion in the arts or academics.
Paperback: 264 pages
Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (September 22, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0470425261
ISBN-13: 978-0470425268
Product Dimensions: 7 x 0.6 x 9.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #109,668 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #1 in Books > Travel > Specialty Travel > Students #26 in Books > Business & Money > Job Hunting & Careers > Volunteer Work #80 in Books > Education & Teaching > Higher & Continuing Education > College Guides
Kristin White's book is a good introduction to gap year programs. It offers great discussion of why and how to do a program, how to pay for it, and a full directory of different categories of programs.This book is a user-friendly start to the process of identifying the menu of gap programs out there. Many students interested in gap programs simply go on the internet, which provides no complete directory or third-party discussion. This book is a great guidebook to help "jumpstart" the gap year program search.I gave this program a 4 instead of a 5 because it could have gone a step further beyond simply identifying programs under different headings. There could have been more of an objective review process, explaining why each program might be appropriate for a certain kind of young person with a certain set of goals. There could have been comparisons between programs that on the surface appear almost identical. There could have been some due dilligence, pros and cons, what to watch out for, rewards and frustrations that have been experienced by students who enrolled in each program.But as an introduction, especially with the lack of guidebooks available, the book serves a market need. Hopefully Ms. White will come out with a more in-depth guide in the future!
Kristin's guide covers some much-needed advising in this area, such as:-- the growing trend of college admissions offices understanding the gap year as age-appropriate for students, this isn't about being "bad" or "undermotivated" necessarily-- an (incomplete) directory of the kinds of programs out there and how to assess a program-- how gap years can and cannot be written off for tax purposes.However, there are some significant gaps here:-- Kristin glides over issues surrounding the enrollment deposit.... it could be unethical for a student to submit an enrollment deposit to secure their place in the incoming class only to say "No thank you, I'd rather be volunteering in Costa Rica." She also doesn't discuss possible disadvantages to taking a year off, particularly taking a year off and reapplying to colleges.-- She makes volunteering in a foreign country sound like a ski trip in Colorado. There are SERIOUS issues with any kind of international travel, particularly "let's play doctor on poor people" programs that tend to absorb teens and college students. She doesn't have to cover all of these issues, but she should point out they exist and recommend where readers can find resources.-- She doesn't talk about rights students have when they travel. Do students have a right to retain their passport? If they get sick, do they have a right to choose their hospital? Can you sue in another country the way you can sue in the US? If you can't answer these questions in the book, where could I find these answers?
The book is more of a reference, not a complete guide. All of the information in the book can be found easily online. The book really did not tell me anything I did not know before, so it definitely was not worth the money I paid for it.It is mildly useful as a collection of various programs in one book.The book is more useful if someone is looking for volunteer, study abroad, adventure, nature, or arts programs.
As an educational consultant who advises Manhattan high school students, I am very glad to have read Kristin White's The Complete Guide to the Gap Year. While taking a gap year is common in Great Britain, many Americans are not familiar with this option. White explains what everyone considering a gap year needs to know: how the gap year factors into college admissions, how to pay for it, where to go and what to do. This is a very useful guide.
If you or your child is considering a gap year, or "bridge year" as they call it, this is one-stop shopping for domestic and international programs,volunteer opportunities and immersion programs, as well as advice on how best to present this gap year to prospective colleges.
not as complete as I would have liked. It provides some great resources and is worth purchasing if you or your student are considering a gap year but it falls short in two respects: 1) I wish it had had recommendations of programs for students who need some personal growth/matruing/issues to work on. 2) It would be helpful to have had the PG schools listing include the nature and scope of how PG students fit in to the cultures and curricula at those schools.
The Complete Guide to the Gap Year: The Best Things to Do Between High School and College 35 Dumb Things Well-Intended People Say: Surprising Things We Say That Widen the Diversity Gap The Kids' College Almanac: A First Look at College (Kids' College Almanac: First Look at College) The Valedictorian That Lives at Home With Mommy and Daddy: How to Bridge the Gap Between Academic Achievement and Real World Success. Understanding Health Care Reform: Bridging the Gap Between Myth and Reality The Brand Gap: How to Bridge the Distance Between Business Strategy and Design The Sex Myth: The Gap Between Our Fantasies and Reality The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World Quitter: Closing the Gap Between Your Day Job & Your Dream Job Right College, Right Price: The New System for Discovering the Best College Fit at the Best Price Catholic High School Entrance Exams w/CD-ROM 2nd Ed. (Catholic High School Entrance Test Prep) Potential: The High School Comic Chronicles of Ariel Schrag (High School Chronicles of Ariel Schrag) Home Learning Year by Year: How to Design a Homeschool Curriculum from Preschool Through High School Esquire Things a Man Should Know About Work and Sex (and Some Things in Between) Paying for College Without Going Broke, 2017 Edition: How to Pay Less for College (College Admissions Guides) BS/MD Programs-The Complete Guide: Getting into Medical School from High School Your College Experience, Two-Year College Edition: Strategies for Success How to Use Graphic Design to Sell Things, Explain Things, Make Things Look Better, Make People Laugh, Make People Cry, and (Every Once in a While) Change the World S.E.X.: The All-You-Need-To-Know Progressive Sexuality Guide to Get You Through High School and College College Counseling for School Counselors: Delivering Quality, Personalized College Advice to Every Student on Your (Sometimes Huge) Caseload
