What to Do in Your Gap Year?

It is important to make the most out of your gap year. You should view this period as a time to gain more experiences, not only for university application purposes but also for life learning. This is particularly important as when you finally get to college, you are more assured about what you want and what you are capable of. Listing some interesting activities such as working part-time or taking a French class might also boost your college admission. Various universities in America such as Harvard encourage incoming freshmen to take Gap Year. Malia Obama, who was accepted to Harvard, will spend her gap year learning about the movie business. Why is this period so crucial for your university years? Some students are ready to face college life but most are simply not. College has more challenging academic workloads and requires you to think in a brand-new way than in high school. Consider gap year as a preparation period for you to embrace college life. Here are some things you could do during your gap year: 1. Work Try to apply for a part-time job, something that you like to do. It does not have to be a paid job. Working will give you two benefits. Firstly, it will not only boost your CV but more importantly give a taste of what you like or not like to do. Secondly, you can collect some money to help your funding for the university. 2. Study. Again. Yes, this does sound boring, but as we already mentioned, not all students are ready to go to college. Some still desperately need "tune-up". Take a language course, for example, to learn how to compose academic writing or a public-speaking class to help build your confidence while doing a presentation. 3. Travel Yes, technically gap year is a "holiday" so you could certainly go somewhere. When you are in college, you will not have much time to do leisure activities without thinking of your exams, summer internships, and research projects. Traveling abroad can be a mind-expanding experience for you. This will also teach you to live independently, far away from your family support. The downside is, this might be expensive. 4. Volunteer Gap year could also be a perfect time for you to channel your passions by volunteering. You can join the local youth organization and help them with their activities or explore the jungle and go see the wildlife in their natural habitats if you're into an adventure. There is also some volunteer positions that will pay your service, so you will have the chance to get involve and earn some cash - the options are endless. Volunteering will add positive value to your personal branding. 5. Sign-up for a competition If you are good at writing, you might want to join a writing competition. If you are a dancer, look up for any available dancing competition. You can use these experiences to beef up your achievement section in your CV. Whatever you decide to do, make sure it aligns with your interests.