From France to Beijing, students take gap year

While peers contended with exams and early-morning lectures in college, Ned Rosenman '06 was teaching skiing in France's back country the year after he graduated from high school.

"I spent a lot of time in train stations," said Rosenman, 21, a native of Jackson, Wyo.

Rosenman said he was afraid that without any real-world experience his freshman year of college would be "like grade 13."

Rosenman was not alone in his decision to take a year off.

In response to everything from academic burnout to unique internship opportunities, many students at Princeton have chosen to take a "gap year" before continuing their education.

And many colleges look favorably on this choice for admitted students.

Takingoff.net — a website which provides information for students considering taking a gap year — quotes former Princeton Dean of Admission Fred Hargadon as saying, "I've been recommending that students think about [taking a gap year] for many years now."

Harvard even recommends in its admission letter that students think about deferring.

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Lennox Caleb '07, who spent three years teaching physics and chemistry at a high school in Guyana before coming to Princeton, agreed that the gap year was a positive experience.

During that time, he also became heavily involved in environmental and economic advocacy.

"It's almost paradoxical," he said. "You develop specificity of interests and at the same time broaden your horizons."

Sara Chen '08, 20, said the two gap years she spent in New York working with a record producer helped her overcome high school shyness.

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"I've become a New Yorker now," said the Maryland resident, who is also currently working on a CD.

Though she admitted it was "harder to pick back up with school" after taking time off, Chen, a prospective economics major, she added that her firsthand knowledge of the music industry has been helpful in class.

While students who took a gap year may be older than their classmates, most believe the age difference has not resulted in problems.

"I've always felt the same age as my peers," Will MacNamara '05 said.

MacNamara spent a year studying intensive Mandarin and working for NPR in China before coming to the University.

"If anything, I think it's best to be older, because when you're 20-something and in college you naturally develop a sharper sense of what you want to do," he said.

The 23-year-old Dallas native said his gap year helped him realize that he wants a career based in Asia.

"I could see myself living [in China] for a good period of my life," MacNamara said.

While some students knew they wanted to take a gap year when still in high school, others said it was a somewhat spontaneous decision.

Tobin Hack '06 said she hadn't even considered taking time off until she was admitted and her dad suggested deferring.

"I actually couldn't believe it [when he suggested that]," Hack said.

Hack said she does not regret her year off, during which she studied ballet in France and had an internship in New York.

"I wish more American students did [gap years]," she said. "It makes your experience more rich to try something totally new and different before school."

Several students also said some classmates envied their experiences.

"A lot of people tell me they regret not having done it," Hack said. "I always just say, 'It's never too late.'"