What comes after high school is overwhelming. Although most students apply and go to college, that is not the only choice. As of 2020-2021, it is estimated that 130,000 students in the U.S. took a gap year between high school and college. The majority of students said their reason for taking a gap year was to travel and experience other cultures and gain life experience. Senior Poppy Ploen plans to take a gap year before entering college hoping to do the same.

“I think that it’s important to know that gap years are an option… [gap years are] a really good way to either do an internship and test something out or kind of explore different options of what you want to do,” Ploen said.

Assistant Director of College Counseling Karna Ivory believes between high school and college is a good time for students to take a gap year.

“A lot of people, after their time here at SPA, maybe need a little break from academics,” Ivory said. “Or, many people don’t know right away when they’re going to college what they want to study.”

Those reasons apply to Ploen.

“I’ve been at SPA since kindergarten. I’ve been in a college prep school for 13 years, and I want to take a break… before going on to another intense education,” Ploen said.

Ploen voiced that her parents were a significant part of her planning process, and they encouraged her the whole way.

“SPA is like a little bit of a bubble. So [my parents] thought it’d be good for me to get out… and learn how to work with different experiences, take care of myself a little bit, and learn about the world,” Ploen said.

Ploen mentioned the expected and mostly accepted path for SPA students: “[Gap years are] not common in SPA because we are a college prep school. And so a lot of what [students] do, or what our parents have us do at school, is high school, college, and then post-college,” Ploen said.

Students who plan to take a gap year go through the same college application process, except they defer their enrollment for a year after the gap year.

“Colleges are open and excited when a student wants to do a gap year because they know they’re someone who will come in with a whole new set of experiences. That’s exciting to the college that they have that maturity and growth and experience that they’re bringing with them,” Ivory said.

Ivory also notes the pros and the possible cons of taking gap years.

“The pros are exposing yourself to new experiences, meeting new people, and learning about different things that you don’t get to learn in high school,” Ivory said. “Those are experiences you’re going to carry with you for the rest of your life.”

A downside of taking a gap year is the price depending on what students choose to do. Like Ploen, many students decide to go abroad to work, volunteer, or trek through nature, including some students Ivory has previously worked with. Experiences like these can be costly and not as accessible to all gap-year students.

Ploen’s plans for the first semester of her gap year are underway. An idea she has is volunteering for Worldpackers, where Ploen could travel within the country or internationally and participate in community service. For example, Worldpackers gives volunteer opportunities such as working in non-profit schools and farms and with non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

For now, Ploen plans to be an au pair in Spain in the spring semester, which means she will live with a host family, provide childcare, and do housework in return for a stipend and housing. Ploen hopes to immerse herself in the culture and country and see the world for herself.