We were at 19,000 feet, it was freezing and my head was pounding.  Traversing the final spur of ridgeline leading to Kilimanjaro’s Uhuru Peak, snow crunching under foot as the rays of the early morning sunrise crept their way through the cloudbank far below, I wondered to myself, “How did I get here?”

Three years before, following along the well-trodden path, I had merrily (and naively) skipped off to college. I was a good student in high school, involved in student government, band, theater and sports.  But none of that truly prepared me for college.  For the first time in my life I was living away from home, responsible for making all my own decisions and taking classes that I felt somewhat ambivalent about.  Freshman and sophomore years passed in a blur of general education classes, Ultimate Frisbee practices and a subtle but escalating sense of unease about what I was supposed to be doing while at university.  A serious shoulder injury, a traumatic statistics class and a break-up with my girlfriend toppled this fragile house of cards my Junior year.  I came home for spring break disoriented and ungrounded.  My grades were slipping, I felt lost and I confessed to my parents that I needed to take some time away from school. They reluctantly agreed but expressed their concern that I might not return to school at all.  I assured them that I would, but in my heart I didn’t know if this was true.

Now, here I was attempting to summit Africa’s highest peak, pushing myself beyond any boundaries I had experienced before. I had told myself that if I could make it to the top of this peak, ‘it’ (meaning pretty much everything in my world at that point) was going to be okay.  The steep mountain had become a metaphor for the challenges that I was experiencing in my life, and my effort to climb it through extreme discomfort represented my burning desire to know that I had the will to overcome them.  Tears of joy, relief and accomplishment all spilled together as I took my final steps onto the summit plateau.  I had reached Uhuru (‘freedom’ in Swahili) Peak and had found a small but important piece of myself along the way.

BENEFITS OF GAP TIME

  • Avoiding Burnout  – Like so many of the students that I work with in my role as a Gap Year Counselor, I graduated from high school feeling burnt out and unclear about why I was going to college. Taking some focused and structured time before college can do wonders to: rejuvenate dormant interests, find real life application for classroom studies and build an independence that can all lead to a highly gratifying, more successful and positive college experience.
  • Academic Success – My parents had nothing to worry about when it came to my returning to college. After becoming conversant in Swahili, living with a homestay family and studying the tool culture of modern-day hunter gatherers during my semester in East Africa I was genuinely excited to return to school. That one semester had solidified my major in Anthropology, re-strengthened my interest in learning and bolstered my confidence as a student; and my story is just one of thousands. Students taking time away from school often return to find themselves feeling more invested in their classes, having stronger study habits and as a result receiving higher grades.
  • Shaping the Course of One’s Life – In fact, if examined closely, those nine months, fifteen years ago were the catalyst for everything that has followed in my life as a student, traveler, adventurer, educator, professional, husband and father!  What is your Kilimanjaro? Is it pursuing your interest in music and art? Is it developing your classroom French, Spanish, Chinese or German into conversational skills? Is it exploring the world and other cultures? Is it volunteering, or participating in a wilderness program? Be they personal, academic or other, pursuing our interests outside the four walls of a classroom can have profound and life long benefits. What better time to discover and nurture who we are, what we are made of, and what makes us happy?

WHERE TO BEGIN

  • If you are a Junior or Senior in high school who is considering taking Gap time, now is the time to begin doing your research.  Talk to friends or family members who have taken gap time. Ask your guidance counselor for advice. Do a search on the Internet. Engage a gap year counselor. If you have an interest, more likely than not there is a gap program out there for it!
  • Attend a Gap Year Fair and speak with representatives from different organizations.  Ask for references of recent students and follow-up with them.
  • Finally, if you think that you may want to go to college, be sure to keep acting like it! Keep working hard to get the best grades that you can and make your applications during the fall of your Senior year.  It is generally preferable to be accepted to college and defer for a year than to make your applications while on your Gap Time (though plenty of students do so with great success too).

Jason has dedicated his career to being an inspiring role model for his students and staff. As a committed educator, he is devoted to supporting individuals in clarifying their interests and taking continued steps towards self-discovery, the essence of his work as a gap-year counselor with The Center for Interim Programs.