National Outdoor Leadership School - Index

National Outdoor Leadership School - brochure - Index

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BY RILEY HOPEMAN,
NOLS MARKETING REPRESENTATIVE
Daunting does not even begin to describe the decisions
an individual must face following his or her
high school graduation. With the plethora of options
available and educational expectations on the rise, it
seldom seems you find someone advocating for a
“pause” in the formal educational process. However,
for those seeking something out of the norm, a gap
year program could be a perfect fit.
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“MANY YOUNG PEOPLE ARE
NOT EMOTIONALLY READY
TO ENTER A COLLEGE SETTING
IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING
THEIR HIGH SCHOOL CAREER. THE
GAP YEAR PROVIDES THE
OPPORTUNITY FOR AN INDIVIDUAL
TO GAIN PERSPECTIVE AND
FIND THEIR PASSION.”
According to Paul Mahon, founder of PLANET
GapYear.com, a gap year is a period of time when students
take a break from formal education to travel, volunteer,
study, intern, or work. This experience can last
for several weeks, a semester, or up to a year or more.
Typically, this takes place between high school gradua-
tion and the beginning of college. Originating predominately
in the United Kingdom, the gap year concept is
becoming increasingly popular for U.S. students.
“Many young people are not emotionally ready
to enter a college setting immediately following their
high school career,” said Paul. “The gap year provides
the opportunity for an individual to gain perspective
and find their passion.”
FILLING
the
GAP
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WHY A GROWING NUMBER
OF STUDENTS ARE
POSTPONING COLLEGE
& FINDING FOCUS
THROUGH A GAP
YEAR AT NOLS
Individuals like Erik Burns, for example, who is
now in the midst of his first year at the University of
Colorado and featured on Paul’s website, choose to
take a NOLS course as part of their gap year in order
to reevaluate themselves and their future goals.
“NOLS really took it to the next level,” said Erik.
“My course allowed me to explore my strengths and
regain my focus.” In addition to his NOLS Semester in
Patagonia, Erik also successfully completed a program
with Coral Cay Conservation in the Philippines and a
language school in Italy as part of his gap year strategy.
Erik is by no means the first individual to use a
NOLS course as part of a gap year plan. In fact, the
majority of our students on semester courses come to
experience a semester away from the traditional college
campus. In the past few years, NOLS has seen a
15 percent increase in the number of students who enroll
on a course as part or all of a gap year. Nearly 20
percent of our semester students are taking time off
between high school and college.
All NOLS semesters are broken into a series of
expeditions called sections. These sections run from
two weeks to a month in length and cover a wide variety
of outdoor skill areas. This variety means that
students leave their NOLS gap year semester with a
series of valuable outdoor skills and experience in a
number of different environments.
“My gap year was a period of fundamental
growth,” said NOLS graduate Cha Caruthers. “It al-
SPRING 2008
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A SEMESTER AWAY FROM THE
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THE MAJORITY OF OUR STUDENTS
…COME TO NOLS TO EXPERIENCE
TRADITIONAL COLLEGE CAMPUS.
lowed me the time to explore and figure out who I was.”
During her gap year, Cha embarked upon a Semester
in Baja, as well as traveling to Costa Rica to take
advantage of the WWOOFing (World Wide Opportunities
on Organic Farms) network. It was through
these programs that Cha felt she was truly maturing.
Joy Shure is in the midst of her gap year experience,
having decided early on that she didn’t want to transition
directly into college. Instead, she graduated, enrolled herself
on a spring Semester in Patagonia and has worked
this past fall in order to pay for her course. In fact, Joy will
be in the field when this issue of The Leader is printed.
“My gap year is helping me to regain my focus
and clear my head,” said Joy. “I am looking forward to
starting college but truly feel I made the best choice [to
wait a year].”
Individuals like Paul, Erik, Cha, and Joy cannot
praise the gap year enough. It is through their testimonials
that a new generation of “gappers” will rise to
take part in the experiences we all dream about daily.
www.PLANETGapYear.com serves as a free, informational
resource for American students between the ages
of 18 and 24 and features inspiring stories written by
students who have completed a gap year program.
Other consultants for gap year options can be
reached through www.interimprograms.com, www.edu
cationalconsulting.org, and http://whereyouheaded.com.
NOLS grad Colin Hall also includes stories of successful
gap year students in his book Taking Time Off, which can
be found through Amazon.
Rainbow Weinstock