Thousands of students across the Maritimes recently celebrated their high school graduations. With that milestone marked, many are preparing to head off to college or university. While others are choosing to take a year off to travel, work, or make decisions about the future before enrolling in post-secondary education.
Savannah Rabishaw and Katlyn Brewer just graduated high school last week and have already made a big decision about their future. They have chosen to make the next year of their lives a gap year.
“You want to figure out what to do before you go to university and pay all the money,” says Brewer. “So that's what I felt like doing, to explore different things.”
“Ever since I was young I told myself I had to decide right what I wanted to do as soon as I got out of high school and I have to do it right after that, but I've come to the decision that you really don't have to choose right away,” says Rabishaw. “It's better to wait and choose something that will actually make you happy in the long term.”
Scott Duguay is the vice-president for enrollment management at St. Thomas University. He says it is not fair to expect students to know what they want to do with the rest of their lives by mid-grade 12, when university applications need to be in.
Duguay says a gap year may be the right choice for some students and that parents should have an open mind about it as well.
“If the student is really not ready, if going into post-secondary education becomes a wasted year…then it's no better for the student or the parent in those situations. So it really depends on the individual student, for some it's something to consider,” says Duguay.
When it comes to scholarships, Duguay says many post-secondary institutions are flexible for those taking a gap year.
“Most schools will recognize your grade 12 marks and the scholarships you received if you applied in grade 12 a year later,” says Duguay. “I would check with the university or college you plan studying at.”
A recent report recommended the Nova Scotia provincial government establish a gap year program that could provide opportunities for college or university credit in the future.
Duguay says the biggest mistake a person taking a gap year could make is to treat the gap year as if it were a vacation.
“If you're' going to take a gap year, make it count,” says Duguay. “Do some volunteering, start working to get a sense of what you like and don't like about the work environment, do some travelling.”
Rabishaw and Brewer say that’s exactly what they plan to do.
“I plan on working, probably take some time to travel to different places,” says Brewer.
“I'm going to work and save up money and hopefully go to Australia,” says Rabishaw.
Duguay does caution that some could find it difficult to get back into an academic timetable after a gap year, but it is still something worth considering.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Nick Moore
