The Foreign Service Journal, June 2006

J U N E 2 0 0 6 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 67 S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT after I graduated.” Terrell adds that she didn’t get to spend much time with her family during high school due to her busy schedule; the gap year helped her reconnect to her parents and siblings. Rae Nelson, an education special- ist and co-author of The Gap-Year Advantage , says other types of kids can also benefit from taking time off. These include children who are not yet mature enough to go to college, individuals who aren’t sure what they want to do with their careers, and children who have had disadvantages related to health or personal trage- dies. Nelson says kids who have taken gap years tend to gain independence and confidence. She adds that they tend to be more active learners, and that they are better able to manage practical life skills than other college students. Students who have taken gap years also tend to have a greater respect for the peoples and cultures of the world. In addition, a gap year can increase a person’s passion for future study and work. When I got to Brown after my time in Caracas, I was really excited to be there. Miller also found this to be true. She explains: “I became more motivated to make college a success since it had been my choice rather than doing it because my parents decided for me. If I had planned ahead, I might have been able to avoid the gap year entirely, but I don’t know if I would have tried as hard in college if I had not had that experi- ence.” Terrell agrees that her gap year helped her succeed in a university set- ting. “I came to college much more focused and prepared than I would have otherwise,” she says. Anna Maripuu, a Swede whose father worked for the United Nations, went from high school straight to col- lege and then immediately to gradu- ate school. Maripuu now wishes she had taken a year off. She says that she wishes she had taken time off between college and graduate school in particular. A big part of why she did not was that she wanted to keep There are some possible downsides to taking a gap year. It can be hard to get back to the routine of study after time off.