Why Malia Obama’s Gap Year Matters — and Why More Students Should Follow Suit
It was the Decision Day heard ‘round the Internet: Malia Obama is going to Harvard — but far more double-take worthy, she opted to take a gap year prior to starting her freshman year. While the media stood with mouths agape over the unconventional academic decision, the reality is, more high school seniors are going for a gap year than ever: The number of gap year students has doubled since 2011, and even more should follow suit. Gap years aren’t for students who don’t qualify for college, nor are they just for those who aren’t motivated to tackle collegiate work. They are years on — on life, on learning, and on the path to completely changing the experience of higher education. As they stand to improve employability, academic performance, and personal enrichment, how can we not consider the gap year as a legitimate learning experience, one that should undoubtedly be part of anything considered “higher learning?”
As the gap year gains a major boost in visibility thanks to Malia’s Decision Day, we have to realize it can change higher education for the better. A study conducted by the University of Sydney found that gap years “helped students gain skills, better grades and did not slow down their academic momentum.” This is echoed by a recent study showing students who take a gap year not only outperform peers academically but are 75% more likely to be happy with their careers post-graduation. In an academic universe where 60% of students graduate within four years (rather than the traditional four), student debt tops one trillion dollars, and a measly 11% of employers believe graduates are ready for the workforce, real-world learning makes for students who are more creative, committed, and aware of what life and learning entail — rendering them far more prepared for both college and life, in general.
Contrary to the stereotype of time off aligning itself with slacking, students do better in school when they have taken a gap year. They prevent students from racking up thousands in debt for a degree they have no tangible experience in, allowing them instead to gain hands-on skills and face the reality of a field before committing to it. Especially when structured by travel, jobs or internships, or programs such as UnCollege (where you have the opportunity to do both!), gap years demand that your experiences shape your learning, and that in addition to following your passion, you’re developing life skills that count for more than an A+.
Malia’s gap year matters for the same reason all gap years matter: They show us there is a different, worthwhile way — a different outlet to the higher level of learning that is such a staple in society. Though some cannot imagine delaying the “college experience,” it turns out, your time in college could be vastly better if you do. The thing we have to understand — and keep talking about — in terms of gap years is that they don’t subtract from the college experience, they add to it. They aren’t a rejection of education, but another form of it. Of course Malia will decide to attend Harvard following her gap year. In a way, that’s the point: She’s not exchanging one form of education for another, but instead, blending the two to create a meaningful, valuable, creative learning experience. Isn’t that what a higher level of learning should be about?
In today’s society, we have dozens of options on everything, usually at our fingertips with the tap of a smartphone. Malia’s gap year shows, on a major public scale, that there are options in higher education, too, and they aren’t nearly as risky as you think. And the payoff can be huge. With universities like Harvard and Princeton encouraging the gap year experience, it is unquestionably one of the most worthwhile education opportunities we have.
Many students in this country, from high school to college, are questioning the validity of the higher education system. We are reasonably wondering why college has to cost this much, and whether that cost is worth it in a world where experience counts for more than grades. More than ever, we want to see our learning take root in the real world, and the gap year can get us there. The gap year experience makes you an active participant in your learning, rather than a passive recipient…and mostly, they make learning matter. Life doesn’t unfold in the confines of a textbook. Neither should all of our education.
This post was written by UnCollege.
