Gap Year Momentum Grows as Studies Show Higher Performance After Delaying College Admission

College admission officers say the gap year is gaining momentum. And now, some of the nation's most competitive colleges — Harvard, Middlebury and Princeton, among others — have adopted formal policies to allow students to defer their admission. Higher education experts say that giving students an opportunity to explore the real world for a year after graduating from high school and before starting college helps them mature and become more independent and self-reliant. And early research reveals that once they restart their academic studies, they actually perform better than those who go straight from high school to college. Julia Rogers, director of Vermont-based EnRoute Consulting, explains, "We live in an increasingly digital world and are existing more virtually than before… The gap year forces them into a real experience — learning a language on the ground, meeting people, engaging in situations." The gap year is also an attractive option financially, costing an average of $10,000 to $25,000 compared to college tuitions, which are now upwards of $55,000 a year, according to Rogers.

ABC News, 5/14/2012