According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 68.3 percent of 2011 high school graduates were enrolled in college following graduation, their heads filled with dreams of ditching parents, chores and curfews in favor of an independent lifestyle. Sam Zoole, senior, will not be a part of that statistic.
Instead, Zoole will put college on hold and engage in a gap year. Already common in Europe, a gap year is essentially a hiatus from the classroom, typically used for personal exploration or internships. Zoole and his mother, Pegi Price, plan to take the concept to new heights by undertaking an extensive travel schedule which lands them on all seven continents.
Zoole and Price will begin with a transatlantic cruise to the Canary Islands and Morocco, followed by Spain and Portugal. In July, they will tackle the Arctic Circle then spend the remainder of the summer in Europe. The pair also plans to rent beach houses in Spain, Malaysia, New Zealand, Argentina and South Africa for three to four weeks at a time.
“The trip to Antarctica will be for my birthday,” Zoole said.
While she is eager to see years of planning come to fruition, Price has greatly enjoyed the planning process itself.
“It’s been a lot of fun doing the research and figuring out the logistics,” she said, noting climate, travel advisories and visa requirements can complicate specifics. “The hard part has been narrowing down the countries we can visit and how long we want to spend in each one.”
Price felt pressure to take advantage of what little time she had left with her son, and began budgeting for the gap year after a trip to South Africa when Zoole was in sixth grade.
“[We knew] if we didn’t do it before he went off to college, we’d never have another block of time to do it,” Price said. “We enjoy traveling so much and wanted to learn about other cultures and see the world.”
In a 2011 article for the New York Times, Rebecca R. Ruiz described a gap year as a way to avoid “the four Cs – a limited cycle [of] ‘cradle to college to cubicle to cemetery.’”
Ruiz also spoke with Robert Clagett, former admissions officer at Harvard and current dean of admissions at Middlebury College. Clagett compiled data from institutions across the country and noted that those students who had chosen to defer college admission were overwhelmingly more satisfied with their post-college careers than those who had not.
“I think for the right people it’s terrific,” Michael Gavin, senior principal, said. “It can help you figure out who you are before someone else just tells you.” However, Gavin recognizes the potential danger in losing momentum at a critical point in the education cycle.
“Your horizons can be limited if you’re just drinking beer and working at a fast food restaurant,” Gavin said. “Then you’re not taking the time to figure out what’s important to you, you’re taking the time to party.”
Zoole and his mother are less than concerned about falling into a post-gap rut, however. Following their travels, they plan to transition to the Los Angeles area so Sam can gain education and first-hand experience in the arena of his choice.
“I think the gap year experiences will equip Sam phenomenally for whatever he wants to do,” Price said. “We will each probably write at least a couple of books from all this.”
As independent studies continue to expose the many benefits of the gap year, Zoole hopes the concept will catch on among his American peers.
“People shouldn’t be worried, rushing to get into college,” Zoole said. “You can wait a bit, and while you’re at it you may as well get in some travel experience.”
