The Complete Guide to the Gap Year: The Best Things to

Product Review

This is the go-to book for anyone considering a year to re-charge, to follow a passion, to become immersed in another culture, or to find their love of learning again. It includes everything a student, parent, or guidance counselor would want to know about the gap year; including what a gap year is, what it is not, and why it can have a positive impact on a young life.

* Readers can find out what college admissions deans think of the gap year, and how it is becoming an important part of the educational process at top tier universities.

*Economically, the gap year can make a lot of sense in a recession, and this useful guide gives information on free programs, financial aid, and tax savings.

*The book has a comprehensive guide to 200 of the world's best gap year programs.

*Students will find self-quizzes and helpful criteria to help them decide whether to take a gap year, and if so what kind of program. This guide helps them evaluate their interests and plan and fund their gap year; whether it means spending a year on a sailing vessel, coaching sports and teaching in an impoverished area, or following a passion in the arts or academics.

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review

(6 customer reviews)

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

Must-Have Gap Year Guide, September 18, 2009

Emily Glickman "Abacus Guide Educational Cons... (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Guide to the Gap Year: The Best Things to Do Between High School and College (Paperback)

As an educational consultant who advises Manhattan high school students, I am very glad to have read Kristin White's The Complete Guide to the Gap Year. While taking a gap year is common in Great Britain, many Americans are not familiar with this option. White explains what everyone considering a gap year needs to know: how the gap year factors into college admissions, how to pay for it, where to go and what to do. This is a very useful guide.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

A Good Introduction to Gap Year Programs, May 11, 2010

Kristine I. Hintz "Position U 4 College, LLC" (Basking Ridge, NJ) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: The Complete Guide to the Gap Year: The Best Things to Do Between High School and College (Paperback)

Kristin White's book is a good introduction to gap year programs. It offers great discussion of why and how to do a program, how to pay for it, and a full directory of different categories of programs.

This book is a user-friendly start to the process of identifying the menu of gap programs out there. Many students interested in gap programs simply go on the internet, which provides no complete directory or third-party discussion. This book is a great guidebook to help "jumpstart" the gap year program search.

I gave this program a 4 instead of a 5 because it could have gone a step further beyond simply identifying programs under different headings. There could have been more of an objective review process, explaining why each program might be appropriate for a certain kind of young person with a certain set of goals. There could have been comparisons between programs that on the surface appear almost identical. There could have been some due dilligence, pros and...Read more

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Enriching and Fun Possibilities for the Gap Year, September 29, 2010

Lara C. Fierz "Feel Good Universe" (Illinois) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: The Complete Guide to the Gap Year: The Best Things to Do Between High School and College (Paperback)

What I love about White's book on the gap year concept is that White guides students toward making the decisions about their immediate future from a more informed position while showing them how to get more out of life and how to have more fun in the process. This book gives students useful information that can enable them to navigate the often confusing waters of post-high school life. It also helps parents and teachers understand the value of taking time off between high school and college so that they can get behind their student's plan and provide them with the support they need while respecting their need to make their own decisions. One of the greatest gifts that today's teens could ever receive is a guide to having more autonomy within a responsible framework and a solid structure. The Complete Guide to the Gap Year helps teens and those who love them achieve this goal, showing them the many exciting and life-enriching possibilities that are open to them at this transitional...Read more