Ask the Experts: What a Gap Year Really Is
Author: Kimberly Tierney, Director of Academic Coaching
Read time: 7 minutes
"Gap year" tends to conjure one specific image: a student backpacking through Europe for twelve months before college. The reality is a lot broader, and a lot more intentional, than that.
To get a richer picture, we asked two accredited gap year consultants to share their expertise: Julia Rogers, founder ofEnRoute Consulting, and Jane Sarouhan, co-founder ofJ2Guides. Both are accredited by the Gap Year Association, and between them, they've guided decades' worth of students through the process of building a gap year with purpose. Here's what they had to say.
How do you define a gap year?
Julia Rogers, EnRoute Consulting:
"I define a gap year as an intentional period of personal growth supported by activities of enrichment. That is a pretty broad definition because a gap year can become whatever an individual needs it to be.
It's typically taken by a student or young adult between the ages of 17 and 25, but increasingly, we're seeing people take mid-career and even post-career gap time. The most important quality of a gap year, or gap time, because it doesn't necessarily need to be a full year, is that it is intentional. It's this moment where a person steps aside from their normal track, pauses, and really examines what they need from their next phase of life.
A gap year is about filling a period of time with activities of purpose and meaning that will help a person flourish in their next chapter, whenever that may be. In the context of young adults, we’re usually talking about gap time taken before, during, or after their formal education experiences."
Jane Sarouhan, J2Guides:
"Most importantly, The Gap Year Association (GYA), which holds the Standards Development Organization (SDO) title for gap year education in the U.S., defines a gap year as 'an intentional period of time devoted to personal growth and exploration through experiential learning opportunities.' I can't think of a better definition. A gap year, or really gap time, is for all people, of all ages, with varied skills, timelines and budgets. Most often taken between high school and college (but not exclusively), a gap year is an intentional pause on one's academic or career path to address personal, social, mental, physical, academic and career goals, typically in an experiential, hands-on setting. At J2Guides we believe that a gap year is in fact best defined by each student and their unique criteria!"
What are the biggest benefits students can gain from taking a gap year?
Julia:
"There are so many benefits to taking a gap year that I think it’s best understood as coming down to the individual. Everybody takes gap time for different reasons, and therefore the benefits are going to be highly personalized to their situation.
For example, a student who is a super high-achieving, high-performing student may feel extremely burned out toward the end of their high school experience. They may take a gap year specifically to recharge, to understand their identity outside of their school achievements, and to pursue opportunities of passion without worrying about how it looks on their transcript. The main benefit for them will be to feel refreshed and reinspired to begin college.
Another student may take a gap year because they don’t understand why they’re going on to post-secondary education, and they want to gain clarity on their purpose for working toward a degree or another post-secondary option. Then there are students who have mental health challenges or other areas they want to work on, and they’re taking a gap year to specifically address those challenges. Still others are hoping to travel, see the world, and experience different cultures, and they understand the inherent value of doing that young in life because it broadens their horizons and gives them more context for their adult life. The "why" of the gap year will speak directly to the benefits they receive.
More broadly speaking, the benefits of a gap year are personal, professional, and related to life skills that are highly translatable back into the real world.
On a personal level, students gain more autonomy, more confidence, better communication skills, and they tend to feel more settled. They feel more positive and optimistic about their future, and they often feel more connected to a broader community. That’s to say nothing of the actual skills, opportunities, and people they meet along the way that just give their life a lot more color.
On the professional side, so many students will spend part or all of their gap year exploring their professional path or career interests in a way that allows them to explore without the pressure of needing to decide. They’re not selecting a major or making a decision that feels high-pressure, so they’re free to test things out. A lot of times, through that testing, they come away with information that helps them land on their course of study or even what type of college is a best fit for them.
And then on the life-skills side, students are able to really live in the real world, understand how they operate in the real world, and gain the skills that help them function as adults.
All of these different benefits put together really produce young adults who are better prepared to thrive in the modern world. They’re more AI-proof, they’re more able to return to or start their studies with greater clarity, and they are usually happier as well."
Jane:
"Taking a purposeful gap year offers profound personal, academic, and practical advantages. Mentally and emotionally, stepping away from intense academic pressure prevents burnout, builds resilience, fosters emotional maturity, and increases self-awareness. These personal developments directly translate into significant career benefits; gap year alumni frequently achieve higher college GPAs, gain major clarity through internships, and boost their future employability and university applications. Furthermore, this period builds critical life skills like independence and financial literacy while expanding your global perspective and professional network."
How can a gap year help students who struggle with executive functioning, motivation, confidence, or direction?
Julia:
"A gap year is the perfect laboratory for students to figure out what lights them up inside. If you figure out what you’re good at and what gives you a sense of purpose, you are much more able to be internally motivated to work toward that goal.
In a 2026 Gallup study, 51% of young adults ages 19 to 25 reported lacking meaning, purpose, or both. A gap year really addresses that by giving them an opportunity to experiment and discover an authentic purpose.
When it comes to executive functioning skills, all of the activities that you can do on a gap year allow a student to practice these skills in the real world. For example, if a student does an internship on their gap year, they will literally be practicing getting up in the morning and getting out the door on time without a parent over their shoulder reminding them that they have to leave. They will have superiors to report to and colleagues depending on them. They will come out the other side having built the EF muscles that will service them well in whatever comes next.
If a student is backpacking in Southeast Asia, that may sound very far removed from an applicable skill, but what they’re really gaining are problem-solving skills, budgeting skills, and the ability to navigate unfamiliar terrain. Travel helps. you become more flexible and resilient. Those skills are directly transferable into college life and adult life.
It’s really incredible to see students, especially students who are neurodiverse, begin to see themselves operating in the real world in a different way. The real world is a lot different than the classroom environment, and students are often better able to find their passion points and actively seek them out. It lights them up. It gives them that internal sense of motivation, which in turn allows them to gain a better understanding of why they are pursuing higher education and can help them find more success in that journey.”
Jane:
"An intentional gap year offers students with diverse strengths and learning profiles a safe space to build self-advocacy away from the pressure of grades. By focusing on personal growth over academic output, students can experiment with real-world responsibilities in a low-stakes environment. Many highly structured programs, including those tailored specifically for neurodivergent individuals, provide dedicated mentorship and peer communities. These supportive frameworks help students identify their executive functioning gaps, rebuild their academic confidence, and co-create practical strategies to achieve their personal and professional goals."
What do you say to parents who worry their student will "never go back" to school?
Julia:
"I think that parents who worry about this often have students who may be at risk of not fully succeeding in higher education in their current state. In other words, those students may need more time to build the skills and sense of purpose they need in order to truly flourish in higher education. To be afraid that they won’t go back is, in some ways, to recognize that they could really use a gap year.
As long as a gap year is spent meaningfully for that student, they can have a powerful and formative experience. The only bad gap year is one where nothing changes for a student and they are not challenged to push their comfort zone. If a student is at risk of not activating on their own during a gap year, then they really need to be considering highly structured programs that offer a lot of mentorship, support, and people who are there to help them grow.
On the flip side, we see statistically that 90% of students who intend to go back to school after their gap year end up doing so. And I have to believe that some of the students who don’t return to higher education may simply discover that type of education isn’t the right path for them. They may end up pursuing other forms of education, like vocational school, apprenticeships, or other routes that better suit their learning style and their goals. So I think that as long as a gap year is pursued intentionally, it will help them along their path to a more meaningful life."
Jane:
"GYA's research shows that 90% of students who take a structured gap year return to college within 12 months, often graduating sooner and with higher GPAs than their peers. A purposeful gap year isn't an exit ramp from education; it is an on-ramp that prepares students to handle the demands of higher education successfully. And of course, working with a gap year consultant can make all the difference in creating an intentional roadmap with vetted programs curated to a gapper's specific interests, goals and needs."
Can you share a story about a student whose path changed because of a gap year?
Julia:
"I can tell you that every single student I work with has had their life change for the better because of their gap year. It’s something that happens organically when a gap year is used well.
I’ll tell you a story about a student named Sam, who took a gap year a few years ago, straight after high school. He is very bright, but he never really thrived in the traditional classroom, and he was taking a gap year in part to test out his interest in automotive work.
He ended up doing a year-long internship program with Dynamy, which is located in Worcester, Massachusetts. Throughout the academic year, he was able to do three different internships. He worked at an automotive garage, where he was able to work directly on cars and really see what that work was all about. He also worked at an IT business.
During that time, he was living in an apartment with other peers in the program who were also completing their own internships. Through those experiences, he gained incredible life skills, confidence, maturity, and independence. But he also discovered something really important: he actually did not want to be a mechanic.
That experience helped him develop the drive and desire to pursue a four-year degree, which is what he’s currently doing. So I think he’s a great example of a student who went into his gap year thinking he might not be bound for a four-year education and discovered that, actually, that was what he wanted. That internal motivation switched on, and now he’s able to do the work that’s required in school because he has an end goal in mind. His story is just one of many students I’ve worked with who have developed that sense of motivation and clarity around what they want as a result of their gap year."
Jane:
"With over 30 years in this field, I have seen thousands of students transformed by a gap year, but one young woman in particular comes to mind. She came to me burnt-out, unsure about what she wanted to study, and eager to work 'in service to others.' Instead of pushing her into college, we structured a gap year that started with a 3-month internship in rural Tanzania. Connecting deeply with her host community and impacted by the health conditions in her village, she went to college clear she wanted to pursue a career in medicine. Fast forward to almost 20 years later, she is now a DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) and has built a beautiful family and purposeful career working all over the world."
A huge thank you to Julia and Jane for sharing their time and expertise.
If you're a student or family considering gap time, both are excellent resources to reach out to directly:
Julia Rogers, EnRoute Consulting, enroutegapyear.com
Jane Sarouhan, J2Guides, j2guides.com
