A ‘Gap’ Year, Obama-Style

It’s touted as a time to recharge after the stresses of high school, a time to give back to others, a time to travel to faraway places one would never have the chance to see, and a time to grow up — or a combination of all of these.

But 17-year-old Malia Obama’s decision to take a gap year after she graduates from high school this June and hold off attending Harvard University, where she was admitted, has been turning heads.

Most high school graduates across this country do not have the opportunity to pause for a year, essentially, before pursuing their next path in life, whether it’s college, work, or military service.

“Gap years are usually taken by the wealthy, and are frequently taken by male students who need to mature before heading off to college,” said Daniel Riseman, who founded Riseman Educational Consulting in Irvington, New York, 16 years ago and counsels students on every aspect of the college admissions process.

Yet this practice of taking a gap year — long a popular move in Europe — has gained traction in the U.S. in recent years.

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“It was right for my daughter,” said a father in Westchester County, New York (and yes, they had the means for her to do it).

His high school graduate traveled and backpacked through a swath of the United States for nearly six months before finally settling down and deciding to attend college. He said she stayed with friends and family, kept her costs low, worked hourly wage jobs during her travels, and planned her entire journey herself. He and his wife, he said, marveled at her get-up-and-gumption and never saw it coming while she was in high school.

“There are no rules when it comes to taking a gap year,” says the Princeton Review on its website. “So the possibilities are truly endless … There are organizations that specialize in helping students organize their adventures. For example, some companies assist with everything from finding a host family, to setting up the volunteer project, to taking care of meals and travel insurance.”

It suggests these areas of focus for students in terms of activities and projects they might pursue during their gap time: animals; archeology; business; conservation; education; health care; human rights; journalism; and sports.

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Izzy Siemon-Carome, who is currently attending Virginia Tech in Blackburg, Virginia, took a gap year after her high school graduation and told The Washington Post about its benefits. “When I got to college, I was calmer and didn’t go through that adjustment period that my classmates did. I was excited to be there,” she told the Post.

She said the year off gave her “a chance to breathe, to reflect on what I really wanted to do.” Among her accomplishments: She started an outdoor education school, “a decision inspired by the 78 days she spent back-country hiking and camping with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in Mexico during her gap year,” the Post wrote. She also traveled through South America. “It took me out of my comfort zone, which is what I was looking for.”

The move is not for everyone, however, whether they come from families of means or not. Ethan Knight, executive director of the American Gap Association based in Portland, Oregon, said a gap year may not be the right move for students who don’t have a definite plan for themselves during that time off. Others may be chomping at the bit to get to college and don’t want to wait.

“If a student really lights up at the prospect of going to college, then he or she is ready,” Knight told Yahoo News.

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As for Malia Obama, here’s what Harvard says on its website about taking gap years: “Harvard College encourages admitted students to defer enrollment for one year to travel, pursue a special project or activity, work, or spend time in another meaningful way. Each year, between 80 and 110 students defer their matriculation to the College.”

The percentage of students who defer admissions to college for an entire year or more remains minuscule overall in this country — generally just one percent or less of an admitted class, says the American Gap Association.

So Malia Obama’s “matriculation” to Harvard is deferred  — which accepted a mere 5.2 percent of its applicants this year, by the way, making it one of the top two most selective colleges in the country (Stanford University is first). But of course, both of Malia’s parents attended Harvard Law School, so she is a legacy admission — not that Harvard wouldn’t want a first daughter, of course.

And now the entire country will wait and watch to see what she does for a year, as her father transitions out of the White House himself this fall after the presidential election and chooses his own next steps in life.