The "Gap Year"

I might say this because a student just e-mailed me about one this morning, but "gap years"--taking a year off between high school and college to do service or other related activities--
seem to be growing in popularity. Some students are finding they are not ready for college immediately after high school, and a number of these students choose to productively spend there time elsewhere, usually in some sort of international immersion program.

This New York Times article recounts the experiences of a student who completed a gap year which influenced her degree--and her life's direction.