Why Harvard“Encourages”Students to Take a Gap Year

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What exactly do students do while on a gap year? What do colleges think of them?

[2]The answers are: There are myriad options for students who have the resources to take a gap year—though they do not have to be expensive.And some colleges actually encourage admitted students to take a gap year—including Harvard.

[3]What exactly is a gap year? Laura R.Hosid, an expert on gap years at the Vinik Educational Placement Services in Bethesda, told me in an interview that a“gap year typically describes a year off between high school and college.”They have long been popular in Britain and other countries, she said, but have been gaining popularity in this country, too,in recent years.They offer students with means“an opportunity to travel, explore different interests, and gain experience and maturity before beginning college.”

[4]There are no solid statistics on how many students take gap years in the United States, according to the American Gap Association, but anecdotal evidence shows that students benef i t significantly from taking time off.A study by the dean of admissions at Middlebury College found that the average GPA for Middlebury students who had taken a gap year was consistently higher than those who had not.

[5]In 2012, Harvard’s website noted that 50 to 70 students take gap years before entering as freshman.The website today 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—provided they do not enroll in a degree-granting program at another college.Deferrals for two-year obligatory military service are also granted.Each year, between 80 and 110 students defer their matriculation to the College.

[6]Also on the website is an article titled,“Time Out or Burn Out for the Next Generation,”describes how pressured K-121= kindergarten to 12 grades幼儿园到12年级。schooling has become, noting that“training for college scholarships—or professional contracts—begins early,even in grammar school2文法学校，承袭传统精英教育，主要培养学习成绩优秀、富于学术发展潜力的学生，学校课程内容突出学术性，对学生要求高、管理严。.”It says:

Faced with the fast pace of growingup today, some students are clearly distressed, engaging in binge drinking and other self-destructive behaviors.Counseling services of secondary schools3中学，11至16岁或18岁的学校教育。and colleges have expanded in response to greatly increased demand.It is common to encounter even the most successful students, who have won all the“prizes,”stepping back and wondering if it was all worth it.Professionals in their thirties and forties—physicians, lawyers, academics,business people and others—sometimes give the impression that they are dazed4dazed（由于震惊或打击）神志不清的，茫然的。survivors of some bewildering5bewildering令人困惑的，使人糊涂的。life-long boot-camp6boot-camp新兵训练营。.Some say they ended up in their profession because of someone else’s expectations, or that they simply drifted into it without pausing to think whether they really loved their work.Often they say they missed their youth entirely, never living in the present, always pursuing some ill-defined future goal.

学生们到底在空档年做些什么？大学如何看待他们的行为？

[2]答案：对于有条件选择空档年的学生，可做的事情数不胜数——而且费用并不一定很高。事实上，包括哈佛在内的一些大学鼓励已录取的学生选择空档年。

[3]空档年到底是什么？贝塞斯达维尼科教育安置服务处空档年专家劳拉·R.霍西德在接受我采访时说，“空档年一般指学生高中毕业后进入大学前选择空出的一年”。空档年在英国及其他国家早已大受欢迎，但近几年才在美国日渐流行。空档年以不同的方式在学生“入学前为其提供出门旅行、探索兴趣、积累阅历及获得成长的机会”。

[4]美国空档年组织称，并无确切数据显示美国有多少学生选择空档年，但有证据表明，空出一段时间后入学会让学生大受裨益。米德尔伯里大学招生处主任研究发现，该校有空档年经历的学生的平均绩点一直高于没有此经历的学生。

[5]2012年，哈佛大学网站显示，有50至70名新生入学前选择空档年。如今该网站称：

哈佛大学鼓励已录取学生推迟一年入学，去旅行、参与特殊项目或活动、打工，或以其他有意义的方式度过空档年，前提是没有参与其他院校的学位授予项目。学校也准许学生为履行兵役义务而推迟两年入学。每年，有80至110名学生推迟入学。

[6]该网站上还有一篇题为“下一代该小憩还是燃讫”的文章，讲述了从幼儿园到12年级的K-12教育体制带来的巨大压力，指出“为获得大学奖学金或职业合同而进行的培训早早就开始了，甚至文法学校也是如此”。文章写道：

如今，成长节奏快，一些学生对此明显焦虑不已，有酗酒及其他自毁行为。中学及大学已扩大咨询服务，以应对急剧增长的需求。咨询者中学业优异的学生大有人在，他们赢得了各项“大奖”，却退而思考这一切是否值得。三四十岁的专业人士——医生、律师、学者、商人等——有时让人觉得他们像是终生待在某个令人迷失方向的新兵训练营里，茫然无措。有人说他们之所以从事现在的职业是由于别人的期待，或只是一路顺其自然而从未停步想过自己是不是真正喜爱这份工作。他们常说自己错过了整个青春，从未活在当下，总在追求未来某个并不明确的目标。

Some early remedies

What can we do to help? Fortunately this young fast-track generation itself offers ideas that can reduce stress and prevent burnout.In college application essays and interviews, in conversations and counseling sessions with current college students, and in discussions with alumni/ae, many current students perceive the value of taking time out.Such a“time out”can take many forms.It can be verybrief or last for a year or more.It can be structured or unstructured, and directed toward career, academic or purely personal pursuits.Most fundamentally, it is a time to step back and reflect, to gain perspective on personal values and goals, or to gain needed life experience in a setting separate from and independent of one’s accustomed pressures and expectations.

[7]Other schools encourage gap years, as well.For example, Princeton University offers the Bridge Year Program, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has Global Gap Year Fellowship Program.

[9]For those students who don’t apply to college, hoping that activities undertaken during a gap year will enhance their admissions profile, Hosid said a gap year can’t“compensate for deficiencies in your high school record.”

[10]She also said in the earlier interview:

早期改进措施

我们能做些什么来帮助他们呢？所幸，快速成长的这一代年轻人自己找到了能够减轻压力并防止透支的方法。在入学申请及面试中、在与在校生的交谈及咨询中，以及在与校友的讨论中，很多在校生都认识到空出时间的价值。这样的一段“小憩”可以有多种形式：时间可以非常短，也可以持续一年或更久；计划可有可无，既可针对事业、学业，也可纯粹出于个人兴趣。最重要的是，这段时间可以后退反省，可以认清个人价值与目标，或者，可以远离习以为常的压力与期望，置身独立的环境获得所需的生活经验。

[7]另一些学校也鼓励学生选择空档年，比如普林斯顿大学设立“空档年项目”，北卡罗来纳大学教堂山分校则设有“全球空档年奖学金项目”。

[8]有意愿选择空档年的学生应先申请高校，被录取后向学校提交计划书陈述选择空档年的原因。很多大学都乐于批准。

炉壳采用焊接式钢结构框架，保证焊接的密封性。由于氢气密度小于空气，炉壳进气口设置在上部，排气口设置在下部，在排气口处有长明火咀，工作时将排出的废气点燃，确保设备和工作环境安全。炉口处有水冷套，炉门采用新型结构[2]，保证了炉口的气密性。同时，出于安全考虑，在炉顶部设有防爆装置。

[9]有些学生未申请高校但希望以空档年参加的活动来丰富其申请简历，对于这些学生，霍西德说，空档年“并不能弥补高中成绩的不足”。

[10]在之前采访的答问中，她还说过：

Q)What kinds of things do students do on their gap years?

Many students choose to spend their gap year in structured programs volunteering abroad or in the United States.There are also many opportunities to explore interests in the environment,arts, and other cultures.Taking courses to improve academic skills is another option.Within these broad categories,there are a myriad of options, ranging from studying at the International Culinary7culinary烹饪。Center in New York, to performing musical stage performances in multiple countries while living with host families with Up With People, to building trails8trail小径。in state parks with the Student Conservation Association.

One thing to keep in mind is that gap years need not be expensive or involve international travel.City Year, part of AmeriCorps9美国志愿队，美国全国性志愿者服务项目，由比尔·克林顿创建，鼓励人们将自己的信念和理想化为奉献与行动。, provides a stipend10stipend 生活津贴。and scholarship for 10 months of service in inner-city schools.World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms11世界有机农场机会组织，提供以工作换食宿的体验。offers meals and housing in exchange for farming work.

A gap year also does not need to be one full-year program.Students often piece together12piece together结合。different options to explore a range of interests or can work for a few months to fund a shorter opportunity.Short-term options can range from three weeks at a wildlife sanctuary13sanctuary鸟兽保护区，禁猎区。in South Africa with BroadReach144广达组织，成立于2003年，与全球政府人员、全球发展组织与私立机构一道，为全球人口健康与福祉提出创新的、系统的解决方案。to a month studying French at Concordia Language Villages in Minnesota.

问：学生在空档年都会做些什么？

很多学生选择有组织的项目，如在海外或美国国内做志愿者。还有很多机会探索自己对环境、艺术及其他文化的兴趣。也可以通过上课提升学术技能。在上述众多项目中，学生的选择颇为广泛，如在纽约国际烹饪中心学习，参加“人人至上”国际青年团队在不同国家的寄宿家庭居住并表演音乐舞台剧，或是同学生保护协会一道在国家公园修筑小径。

记住，不必为空档年花很多钱或非要去国外。国内的“城市年”是美国志愿队服务的一部分，会为在贫民区学校服务10个月的学生提供补助与奖学金。世界有机农场机会组织则会为干农活儿的学生提供食宿。

也不必非在空档年参加一个整年的项目。学生常结合不同的选择探索一系列兴趣，或可以工作几个月来为参与一个短期活动筹钱。短期选择可以是在南非野生动物禁猎区同广达组织一道生活三周，也可以是在明尼苏达州康科迪亚语言学习村学习一个月法语。

Q)How do families get help planning one?

There are several good books available, including“The Complete Guide to the Gap Year”by Kristin M.White and“The Gap-Year Advantage”by Karl Haigler and Rae Nelson.Websites such as Teen Life offer listings of gapyear programs by type—many private high schools and colleges also have lists available online.In addition, USA Gap Year Fairs offer over 30 different fairs throughout the country.Finally, there are a small number of educational consultants who focus on gap-year advising and can help students figure out what they want to do and help identify specific programs that would be a good match.■

问：家人如何帮助策划一个空档年？

有几本好书可以参考，包括克里斯汀·M.怀特的《空档年指导大全》、卡尔·海格勒和蕾·纳尔逊合著的《空档年优势》。“青年人生”等网站提供不同种类的空档年项目列表，很多私立高中与大学网站上也有此类列表。此外，美国空档年协会在全国范围内提供30多种不同的项目。最后，可以咨询一些教育顾问，他们专门提供有关空档年的建议，能帮助学生发现自己想做的事，并确定与之相应的具体项目。□