Gap Year Strategies: Turning Time Off Into a Standout Application Asset

The common belief is that four years of high school and four years of college equal a solid, stable job and successful career. Any changes to this can result in either failing your career goals or taking a longer time to do so.

This thinking is why many students are reluctant to take time off from school. They think doing so will make it more difficult to get into their school or find a good job.

Let us tell you that the opposite can actually be true.

Taking a gap year can actually be a compelling asset to your college or job applications. The key is to plan your year off well, and that’s what we’re here to do. And make sure to check out online essay writing services to free your time for writing your application!

A gap year is a break from school. You take time off, usually after graduating from high school and going to college. It’s also often around 6 months to a year.

People back in the day frowned upon the idea of taking a gap year. It’s not that unusual anymore these days, though. Some students take a year off to rest, recharge, and think about what they want to do in life.

Some of them take it to travel and explore the world, work, and sometimes do volunteering. You can use your time off leisurely. But for most people, it’s time to dip into professional pursuits like getting into an internship or building skills.

You don’t have to do the same, but they’re a great way to make your college or job application stand out, so we advise that you think about it. 

A break from school is actually one of the smartest choices you can make if you want to get real-world experience.

The question is “How can you turn your time off from school into a standout application asset?

First, don’t spend the year aimlessly. Make sure you have a plan. You can start by doing a self-assessment.

With this, you should be able to learn more about your personal interests and goals. And what areas do you think you need improvement in. Gaining a deeper understanding of yourself should help you make sure you’re spending your gap year right.

After assessing yourself, use the info you found to create your objectives for the gap year. You can have any goal in mind, which can be to:

1. Explore your passions
2. Improve your skills
3. Gain experience

Or even all of them.

Upon identifying your goals, you can go ahead and pick activities aligned with them.

What activities can you do to fill your time but will also boost your application? There are plenty, and here we have a list for you:

Volunteering ranks high as one of the top activities for gap year takers. Whether it’s locally or abroad, you have many options for volunteering and in different areas, too.

Want to volunteer at a nonprofit supporting education? Solve Education and Audiopedia Foundation are two great options. For healthcare? The Red Cross is there. There’s also TreePeople and Heal the Bay if you support the environment.

For more local places, you can go to the animal shelter or community center near you.

Most organizations provide food and lodging. Others actually pay a stipend. But since they don’t usually include pay, volunteering is best if you have some savings that can support you.

Want an effective method of making your application stand out? Try joining an internship. Know that you can learn important job skills when you work as an intern.

Do you want a higher-impact internship opportunity? Try applying for an internship abroad. The best part? There are all kinds of internships to try. We’re confident you can find one aligned to your interests.

Here’s something to keep in mind: an internship is usually not paid and a lot of work. So, you really need to think about it.

Just like interning abroad, working abroad also enhances your application. Working while traveling is also a great idea. You get to work and still have a great time.

What kind of work should you try? Depends. Do you like traveling? Then you might want to try applying at a hotel abroad.

How about your English skills? Are they decent? If they are, try teaching English. It’s actually a very popular job in Asian countries.

One problem is that this might not be ideal for you if you’re fresh out of high school. This is usually more suited to slightly more senior people with more job skills, who have a work visa, and some savings.

For young, fresh out of high school kids, a part-time job is more suited. And there are plenty of options, from your local coffee shop to being a dog sitter. 

Just like Annie Lambert, a professional writer from EssayPro’s essay writing service, says, “Part-time jobs help you gain valuable job experience. At the same time, you’ll have some money for your living expenses and also save some for college.”

Use this time wisely to develop your skills or do some personal development. While you’re not burdened by schoolwork most of the time, go ahead and attend some of these programs on budgeting, cooking, time management, etc.

Others you can attend include leadership or management training.  Your gap year is the perfect time to try your hand at any hobby you have. Go write some stories or make some music in your free time!

One way to make your application stand out is by learning a second language. 

You will look more appealing to future employers if you can speak not just English. So, enroll at a language school now to get a better chance at getting hired!

“What’s the quickest way to learn a new language?” Easy. Just practice with native speakers.

Do you want to learn Korean? Go make Korean friends! Want to practice Spanish? Your Latino friends can help out! Practice every day, and you will master the language right away.

It’s wise to use your gap year to gain some experience in your chosen career. But if not that, you can use this time to do some thinking on whether you made the right choice or not.

We suggest trying out different things. It can be related to your chosen field or not. Whichever the case, they can help you discover if you really want to stay in your current career path. Or, think you’re better suited somewhere else.

Doing activities that can help your application is great. But that doesn’t mean you can’t travel. All you need to do is travel with a plan. Remember, we mentioned traveling while working? That’s one example of this.

You can also enjoy traveling while doing cultural studies, language learning, or volunteer service. Doing both can maximize the benefits you can get from taking time off from school.

As we said before, it’s not mandatory to spend your time off doing all these activities to boost your resume. If you’re burned out and your mental health is not in a great place,  don’t hesitate to use this year to rest and recharge until you feel like yourself again.

In order not to waste your effort in trying to make the most of your gap year, we suggest documenting it and doing some reflection. How? There are a few ways to do that, including writing a journal. Here are some tips you can try:

Document your experiences. Keep a journal or a blog while working, volunteering, or traveling. You can consult it for your application essays or interviews.

Take pictures of your work throughout your gap year to make a portfolio. Use this to let future employers see your potential. A portfolio will also make you stand out more than just a resume.

Keep track of your accomplishments, like the skills you’ve gained or hours you volunteered. Take note of them as they will help build your application. When it's time to present your experience, having these details organized will make it much easier to create a resume online and showcase the value of your gap year to colleges or employers.

When you’re starting to prepare for your college or job applications, there are various ways you can use your experiences to make them stand out. You can incorporate your story in:

Think about specific stories in your gap year that can help your college application stand out. It could be the lessons you learned. Your difficulties while working. Key takeaways. Just make sure that they don’t sound cliché.

If you emphasize your gap year as intentional, for the sake of personal and professional development, you can boost your resume. You just need to tailor it so your gap year activities look relevant.

Planning your gap year well is how you effectively enhance your application. This makes it crucial not to spend your break aimlessly.

Get a list of goals, pick which activities will help boost your resume, and commit to them. Stay focused and enjoy - all at the same time!