Page 4 - KnightTime News Fall 2018

KNIGHTtime News
GUIDING YOUR COLLEGE PROCESS
By Valerie Ong
As a former undergraduate admissions o cer at Stanford University, I have observed the intense pressures of high school rsthand. All e orts go towards getting into that dream college, sometimes without a clear sense of what you will do once you get there.
As you start thinking about life
after high school, I encourage you to consider whether you might bene t from a year of exploring and learning outside of the classroom. Through a meaningful gap year, students develop purpose, zest, and invaluable life skills. They then arrive at college with a renewed energy and focus to make their college experience a most meaningful and impactful one.
Higher education is the single greatest investment we currently make in a young person’s life. Research shows that students who take a gap year get to college better prepared to make the most of the opportunity. Evidence
of this includes higher grades, greater satisfaction with their undergraduate experience, and more con dence about getting a job.
WHY TAKE
A GAP YEAR?
Thoughts from the Manager of Admissions and Outreach at Global Citizen Year
“MY GLOBAL CITIZEN YEAR WAS MY FIRST TIME OUTSIDE OF THE ACADEMIC ENVIRONMENT, LEARNING THE THINGS YOU DON’T AND CAN’T LEARN IN A CLASSROOM. IT GAVE ME THE CONFIDENCE TO DISCERN WHERE MY PASSIONS LIE, AND THE COURAGE TO PURSUE THOSE PASSIONS.” —JORDAN LEE, GLOBAL CITIZEN YEAR 2013; YALE UNIVERSITY 2017
As a result, an increasing number of Admissions Deans at top colleges are encouraging applicants to seriously consider the bene ts of a gap year.
Global Citizen Year is one gap year experience that selects a talented group of high school graduates each year and supports them through a year of immersion in communities across Asia, Latin America, and Africa. The length and depth of immersion build resilience and adaptability in ways that short-term experiences cannot. Our Fellows stay long enough to learn to speak to locals
in their own language, to walk miles (or kilometers!) in others’ shoes, and to see the world through an entirely new lens. They make the pivotal shift from “they” to “we”—an experience that informs the choices they make for the rest of their lives.
I invite you to consider taking a
gap year that will increase your self-awareness and con dence so you can make the most of your opportunities in college and beyond.
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