Original article published on the Black Global Counselors Collective (BGCC) October 2026 newsletter.
As counselors, we have encountered students we hope will take our advice and take a gap year and others who saunter into our offices and, to our surprise, pitch the idea themselves. The easy part is advising a student on a gap year. The hard part is convincing the parents, especially in regions where a gap year is viewed with disdain, as a sign of laziness and an embarrassment to the family.
I worked in Europe for three years. In our first graduating class, about 10% of students took a gap year. Parents would either tell me first, matter-of-factly, as a rite of passage, or the student would tell me. My response was, "Have you discussed this with your parents?" and the answer was always, "Yes, they are okay with it." They were telling the truth. The only gap year students I had in Asia were involuntary ones, students who didn't pass their final exams. Parents there worried a great deal about a gap year, fearing their child would never go back to school.
Below I give advice on two scenarios: how to talk to parents who are apprehensive about their child taking a gap year and how to advise parents who are comfortable with a gap year on what makes one useful for the student's future academic plans. The second scenario is the natural next step after the first.
The Concerned Parent
Parental concerns are valid, especially in regions where a gap year isn't the norm. There is a vision of recent high school graduates partying like Animal House, taking a menial job, and then bouncing from one menial job to another because they don't have a college degree. There is also a fear of complacency.
The strategy that has worked for me in easing these fears is to focus on the aspects of a gap year that universities view favorably, such as maturity and life experience. Then I talk about structured options, whether educational, professional, or community service. I also explain how applying to university after, rather than during, the pressure of school exams, grades, and high school gossip can benefit the well-being of a stressed student.
A personal statement that includes a year of internship, volunteer experience, or even cultural immersion, with lessons learned and personal growth highlighted, can strengthen an application when coupled with strong grades. In the end, not all parents will get on board, but I do notice that they have a better appreciation for the value of a gap year for the right student.
The Receptive Parent
Even parents who suggest a gap year to their child, or who accept their child's wish for one, may still worry. They may have flashes of their child in a messy studio apartment, sleeping until noon and playing video games all day before heading to the pub for a night of shenanigans. If the goal is university after the gap year, it is imperative that students do something productive and can articulate their growth in the personal statement.
When I talk to parents, I emphasize making a plan for the gap year and reflecting on what transferable skills will be gained. Universities do not want to see a personal statement that looks recycled from the applicant's senior year. They will see that the applicant graduated the year before, and they will expect reflection on what was accomplished during the gap year. Depending on the student's academic and professional goals, I suggest virtual or in-person classes, internships, community service, a job, or even cultural immersion through travel. A few years ago, I had a student who got a job as a waiter. He said he really enjoyed it and learned a lot about dealing with people, time management, and working with people of different backgrounds. He went on to attend a selective university in the U.S.
I also worked with a student who completed two years of military service before enrolling at an Ivy Plus university. On paper, he was stellar, with excellent grades and test scores. His essays, however, reflected on his social interactions and the maturity he gained in dealing with his colleagues and superiors. Universities, especially given the recent social unrest on U.S. campuses, are keen to assess a student's ability to work out differences, build bridges, and work with people they may disagree with. A gap year experience that develops these skills can set an applicant apart, even one with a perfect academic record.
A common misconception is that students must do a gap year related to the course they plan to apply to. For the U.S., this is not true. For the rest of the world, it depends. Universities outside the U.S. review applications based on suitability for the course, especially public universities. However, students who already have many internships or school activities related to the course can branch out and do other things during the gap year. When they write about these experiences in the personal statement, they should still relate the skills learned back to their course. For example, a student applying for medicine who spends a gap year doing community service in an immigrant community can discuss the conversational language skills and cultural competency they gained with populations they may serve as a doctor.
Deferral and Timing
Because our students apply all over the world, it is important to explain how timing differs by country. Students applying to universities in the U.S. can apply for a deferral after being admitted to the university. This means they can apply during senior year, be admitted, and then take the gap year before enrolling. Universities outside the U.S. usually do not allow deferrals, so students who want a gap year should wait and apply during the admission cycle in which they plan to enroll.
Final Thoughts
Some gap year programs cost $100,000, and some internships cost thousands of dollars. I'm old school, and I don't believe that one should pay to work. That's backwards, especially if the student is 18 and of legal working age. A job working the front desk at a hotel or cleaning rooms gives students skills just as valuable as a $100,000 gap year at sea. This matters especially for low-income students, for whom a job during the gap year builds many transferable skills, as in the hotel and waiter examples above.
Many of us work at private international schools, but some of our readers may also work with students on scholarship. Those students should contact the financial aid office and confirm that their financial aid remains valid if they defer.
Every student thinking about a gap year should reflect on their future academic, personal, and career goals and choose an experience that can help them accomplish those goals.