Conor’s experiences in Tanzania (where his group was held up at gunpoint) serve as a strong reminder that gap year programs can truly challenge you in ways you had never expected.
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My older sister took a year off, and so throughout the college process my parents consistently suggested the concept. I was more reserved, however. I was ready (or so I thought) to jump into college—what is consistently referred to as “the best four years of your life.” I was also concerned about being a year behind my peers academically and socially. It’s hard, when stuck in the high school mindset where age and grade level are so highly valued, to understand that being a year older in college will barely impact your experience and certainly not ostracize you from your peers.
Upon my acceptance to UNC, I reconsidered my anti-gap year stubbornness. I realized that I was undecided on what to study, what my passions were, and that a year off might not be a bad idea. Once I changed my mindset, the concept was infectious. I had a whole year. Did I want to travel, work, volunteer? My parents endorsed the concept highly, and saw the potential of a year to really help me grow and discover both my passions and myself.
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Most of my peers were thrilled about their college choices, but were supportive of my idea to take a gap year. Overall, I think the concept was so foreign that most didn’t know how to react (myself included).
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I began my year off with a family trip to Peru. The seven of us (I have four siblings) did a trip to Ayacucho, Peru, where we all volunteered in some capacity. I was there for 2 weeks, and then returned and moved in with my grandparents to begin a 4-week internship with a ceramicist in Florida. I did ceramics in high school, and thought it would be fun to spend some time pursuing art essentially as a lifestyle.
I then lived with my other grandmother in rural Georgia, where I worked in a wire factory for two months. This was an opportunity for me to earn some money before the year began, but resulted in one of my more important experiences. Being in the work force—particularly in a factory, was instrumental in opening my eyes to the way so much of America lives.
I then did a course in coastal sailing in Baja California. This was one of the more exciting parts of my year, as we got caught in a Hurricane (“Paul”, I believe), and several windstorms.
My next big trip, and the biggest program I went on, was with a British-based NGO called . It combined significant volunteer work with cultural tourism. My parents and I settled on this program because I had been interested in going to Africa, but we felt it was important to go with a well-established program since I had done very little solo-traveling before. I remember very distinctly being on the plane about to land in Arusha, Tanzania, thinking “I don’t speak the language, I barely know how to find my group, and I have little cash…this could be disastrous.” This program ended up being one of the most defining trips of my life. We lived with a Maasai tribe in the bush, helping out in a local school (teaching and building) as well as conducted science projects monitoring animals in the area. I meanwhile endeavored to learn both Swahili and Maa (the Maasai language), which have stuck with me until today. I even ended up taking Swahili in college, and have taken multiple African Studies classes. This experience was so novel because the Maasai live so differently than any other culture I have ever seen—different concepts of religion, property, tradition, respect, even life and death. I was on this program for 3 months. After, I traveled in South Africa before returning home.
Once home, I started working as a technician in a local vet clinic. This was also to earn money to fund many of the travels of my gap year, and gave me another insight into the working world. I consider work a very important part of any gap year.
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Living with the Maasai – I made several amazing friends there, who taught me a lot about their culture and lifestyle. I still speak with them to this day, but revel even more about our contrasting lives. I have several times received phone calls from them, bored while tending cattle. It’s fascinating to be in college, worrying about upcoming tests or weekend plans, while my friend Nguvu is concerned about a drought that is killing cattle and goats alike. Very few other experiences have made me appreciate my own privileges as much as Tanzania did.
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In Tanzania, 10-12 men with guns and machetes came into our campsite and held us up. They stayed in our camp for about 30 minutes until one of the Maasai escaped and managed to scare them off, but they took with them a car, computer, multiple wallets, phones, passports, etc. They shot at one of my friends (the Maasai, Nguvu) when he escaped, but missed barely.
This drastically changed our trip, and was a huge psychological blow. It is hard to go through something so traumatic without having lasting mental repercussions. We were all given the opportunity to return home, but every one of us decided to stay. I’m glad I chose not to leave; if I had left, I probably would never have gone back to Africa. As it is, traveling (particularly in Africa) is a very stressful experience for me, as I worry constantly about my safety and my things. It has also been one of the most rewarding and transformative experiences of my life.
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These programs all varied in cost. The Tanzania program cost upwards of $4,500 total (including some miscellaneous costs), and the NOLS course was about $3,700. My parents and I reached an agreement that they would help cover any programs that were service or educational based, while I funded all social or other ventures. I feel very fortunate that this was the case, but also acknowledge that working two summers helped me gather quite a substantial amount of money to help cover costs.
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I’ve spent more than 16 years of my life being educated in the classroom, but I can safely say that my year off taught me more about myself and my surroundings than any classroom had to offer. It taught me how to land in a new place, and find my way to new friends and comfort. It taught me how far I could push myself, and which direction I should go. And it allowed me to step outside of the academic realm for a brief moment, giving me the space and time to re-evaluate what I considered to be my passions, my interests, “me.”
I came back to college ready to launch into academia. I took classes such as Swahili and African Studies because of my gap year travels. I also jumped into many extracurricular activities—such as Students for Students International, a scholarship program for girls in Eastern Africa—because of the interests that I developed on my year. Many of the friends and networks I have established in college are from shared interests in travel, international development, leadership, and general exploration.
Gap years have since become a tremendous part of my life. I believe firmly in their ability to build a foundation for a student’s college experience. I have been working closely with , and have created a student group called . I see the United States as on the verge of a phenomenal movement—one where we rethink the educational process, and consider the opportunity of a gap year.
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attended the University of Florida where she studied public relations and business. Since UF (one of the nation’s top public state universities) provided full scholarships for in-state students with exemplary SAT/ACT scores, Stacy was the rare student who completed just one college application.
Stacy worked throughout high school to build her savings account. Prior to attending Florida, she traveled through Europe for a few weeks. But it was upon completion of her college program that Stacy took the road less traveled, taking some time as a bridge before entering the workforce.
Graduating one semester early, she opted to travel throughout Southeast Asia, completely planning her own excursion and experiencing each moment for as long as she wanted. Since it was the first time in her life she truly forgot about the structure that defined the first 22 years of her life, the trip proved so meaningful she is planning yet another for the upcoming year.
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I graduated a semester early, because I had received 32 college credits in high school (I dual-enrolled, which a lot of schools offer these days). I had worked in high school and some in college, and my parents had made a deal with me that however much money I saved in a year, they would match it.
It was really encouraging for me because the more I worked, the more I was “patted on the back,” more or less. So basically, one reason I took the bridge experience was because I had the funds to do it. Also, my schooling was not skill-specific, meaning I didn’t learn to bookkeep or study how to design a bridge. With my degree in Public Relations I could apply my education to a lot of business practices. I am happy for that because I don’t feel boxed into one career path. In the same vein, having no set way meant there was no defined next step. The freedom, combined with my curious heart (and of course, funds), allowed me to open my mind to travel.
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My parents thought I was “running away from the real world.” They thought I was scared and didn’t know what I wanted to do in life, and felt that my “gallivanting” was because I was lost and confused.
Truth be told, they were exactly right.
However, I saw traveling as a way to answer these anxieties. I saw it as a way to ground my thought and give me a sense of inspiration, especially after having been in such a structured system of education for the past 15 years.
They didn’t get it. I had to beg and beg and beg for their approval. I cried over and over for their support, and I knew it was fear that was holding them back from accepting my plans. In my mind, they were concrete plans, but to settle my heart, I wanted them to feel confident about them too. It wasn’t until I shared my experiences with them via my travel blog, that they understood the significance of the trip.
My peers thought I was just plain crazy. They admired my sense of adventure, especially to Southeast Asia, where Americans are less known to backpack through, but I had other friends who had been to this area of the world, and they motivated my decision.
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I constructed my own experience because I wanted to fend for myself and I knew I could do it. I, like every other human, only need three things: food, clothing and shelter. Most everywhere in the world has these things, or life could not survive. Therefore, I can survive anywhere too – that is anywhere inhabited. Don’t get me wrong, if you send me to the middle of the jungle, I’d get eaten alive, but if an ordinary person can live somewhere and find their way, I can too.
I also had a few friends that lived in China and had traveled to Southeast Asia. Again, I thought, if they can do it, I can too. So I pulled from my available resources (friends, books, internet and my own confidence and independence) and I went!
Contrived trips and too much planning give me more anxiety than anything else. It’s like that saying, “don’t have expectations and you won’t get let down”, or however the better philosopher than I wrote it. Going into something, an adventure especially, without an exact travel route or defined expectation, means most anything that will happen will be exciting and new, though sometimes unnerving, but why travel if not for those feelings!
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I spent 2 months between Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. I had one backpack, the size of a Jansport. It wasn’t even like a backpackers backpack with a thousand pockets and utilities. Mine just had a big pocket and a pencil pocket. I rotated between two or three shirts and shorts and used soap and water to clean them in between wears. EASY!
I went with my closest friend. We’d traveled through Europe together too, but that was a bit more of a posh trip. There was no frill to the hostels we stayed at in Asia. We’d get a room with two single beds or one double bed, and sometimes, only sometimes did the room have its own bathroom or a shoddy A/C unit. They’d be anywhere between 5-10 dollars, so $2.5-5 bucks each. Meals were roughly $2 and I ate noodles, veggies, rice and soup most of the time. I didn’t eat meat – that was my only ignorant move. I’m not a huge meat eater anyways, but I do regret feeling close-minded in any sense on the trip.
We spent a lot of time in temples. I loved it. Buddhism is the most prominent religion, and Buddhist monks all studied English as part of their Monk training. They loved being able to practice their English with us Americans, and likewise, we enjoyed hearing of their thoughts and beliefs.
As for a summary feeling for the trip: peaceful. I saw and felt beautiful things- all instilling an overwhelming feeling of internal peace.
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Two things: using my independence and then connecting with other people. Sounds a bit oxymoronic, doesn’t it? So I’ll explain. I felt independent in my thought, and free to express it as well. I made the decisions of where I wanted to go, how long I’d stay in one place, what questions I wanted to ask, when I wanted a tour guide, when I could give two sh_ts about kings long ago – it was freedom of thought and action a hundredfold over.
In the same breath, I also enjoyed connecting with people from all over (location, as well as life experience). We compared stories and feelings and from each I learned a new perspective to challenge who I was and what I’d ever known. It was fascinating how I adopted different points of view that I never would have thought were in my realm of thought. Beyond the scenic splendor making it an eye-opening trip, it was also mind-opening and encouraging of my own independence.
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There was honestly no low or negative point. The only slightly indecisiveness I had was whether to extend the trip to longer than the 8 weeks. I ended up not extending it, and I am thankful now because I’ve decided to take another trip this year!
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The airfare from Bangkok round trip was $1,200 and when I was in Asia I spent $1,800 dollars – so about $3,000 in total. We kept a budget of around 30 dollars a day, and stuck to it! Some days we only spent 12 dollars, so the $18 would go to an overnight bus, or train ride. It evened out perfectly. Most everyone we came across was living off a similar budget, and I can’t even imagine what there is to squander more money on – it’s all on an entirely different economic scale, way less than what we see in America.
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My gap experience was incredibly life changing: and I wrote about it in “The Huffington Post.” I met someone new every day, learned something new every day and loved something new every day. I saw the world as a revolving door — indefinitely open, so long as you push yourself through, and closed only when you give up your strong arm. With might, my permanently inquisitive mind wandered to places, both physical and intangible. Experimental was my nature; nature was my eyes’ constant bliss; bliss was every step of my journey.
I learned more than a few things in these two short months. But most circled back to appreciating the breaths that young American graduates are repeatedly persecuted for taking — myself, too, a persecutor. Elizabeth Gilbert’s ever-praised bestseller-turned-blockbuster, Eat Pray Love, was widely admired because it hit home for thousands of Americans who have similarly discovered that moment, in that 10-years-too-late breath, of realizing that the life they’d created had spiraled out of their control — happiness and self-truth stolen in the whirl.
My gap year experience gave me insight that I will take with me in all my future endeavors- be it work, relationships, health, love etc. I cannot express how important it is to consider traveling, backpacking, suitcasing – however you get around. I would help anyone, encourage anyone, guide anyone or accompany anyone (strangers included) as to gift them with the experience I was blessed with.
Stacy Tasman photos courtesy of
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Aaron Flaster continues to call Mill Valley, California, home. Like most high school students, Aaron enjoyed playing sports and spending time outdoors.
However, the sophomore at Lewis and Clark, experienced what he calls a “kind of cognitive dissonance” during his high school years. Having frequently traveled with his parents to developing countries, Aaron found it difficult to process, mentally and emotionally, why he had been blessed with so much.
His initial experiences with his parents led him to volunteer with the summer before his senior year of high school. That volunteer work in Latin America added another rung to the step ladder of experiences abroad that led him to consider taking a Bridge Year.
The Psychology and Economics major chose three separate programs for his experience: learning seamanship aboard a 112-foot sailboat through a study abroad program called , voluntarily teaching English to novice monks in Thailand through the non-profit organization , and volunteering in Argentina with the .
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Surprisingly, the idea of taking a Bridge Year was first suggested by my parents! It was not that they thought I was unprepared for college. Academically and personally, they knew I was ready. However, they believed that the experiences and knowledge I would gain from a Bridge Year would enrich my college years. And they were right.
Ironically, when my parents first mentioned the notion of a Bridge Year, I brushed the idea aside without thinking twice. I was ready for college and I wanted to go. ‘Why postpone college for a year when it is so close!’
A Bridge Year sounded like an interesting idea, but I thought I would just take the equivalent of a Bridge Year after college. I felt that way until April of my senior year in high school, which is when I had a change of heart. I realized I was making a huge assumption that I would be able to do something like a Bridge Year after college. What if I had to get a job right out of school, or wanted to move home? I would regret it for the rest of my life if I had decided to post-pone a Bridge Year until after college and then was not able to do it. I am glad that I did not continue to live by that assumption because my Bridge Year qualitatively transformed my college experience and mindset.
In addition to suggesting a Bridge Year, my parents also helped dispel many of my fallacious beliefs about the social implications of a Bridge Year. Academically, I would be a year behind all of my high school friends that were going straight on to college. The thought of being ‘a year behind’ and not having common experiences to share with my friends was really disconcerting. However, my father helped me realize that the notion of being ‘a year behind’ was completely misrepresenting the philosophy behind a Bridge Year. Academically, my peers would be sophomores when I was a freshman, but does that really matter? I plan on growing old with my close friends from high school regardless of whether they graduate college a year before me.
More importantly, a Bridge Year is an education! It is an experiential and conceptual education that would provide me with an invaluable foundation of knowledge and true passion for learning.
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Deciding how to structure my Bridge Year took more time than applying to college. With the help of my parents (that is quite an understatement; I would not have been able to organize my Bridge Year in such a short amount of time without them), I chose three particular organizations. Some students prefer not to go through any organizations; I wanted to because my interests were specific and I have found that engaging in service is easier when done through an organization.
For three months (September-December), I participated in , which is a seamanship and study abroad program. Twenty seven other college age students and I lived aboard a one hundred and twelve foot schooner sailboat. Unlike Semester at Sea, which is more akin to a cruise ship, we were responsible for maintaining and learning how to sail the boat (with the help of a captain and two first mates of course). In addition to living as a crew member, we took four academic courses: Oceanography, Marine Biology, Student Leadership, and Sailing. Sometimes class was on deck, and other times it was eighty feet below the surface because everyone became certified divers. We began the voyage in Cairns, Australia and sailed up through Indonesia and Malaysia to Thailand, stopping every three or four days to glimpse a new culture and landscape. Most of the other students (including myself) had never sailed before. By the end of the trip though, we were all well versed in the art of sailing, and we placed second in the King’s Cup Regatta, a prestigious sailing race in Phuket, Thailand.
My parents suggested Seamester because they thought it would inspire and challenge me in ways I never had been. Like when they brought up the idea of a Bridge Year, I immediately refused to consider Seamester. It just seemed like an extravagant vacation on a boat, and I felt guilty even considering such a lavish venture. Fortunately, my parents helped me realize that was not a very reasonable response; I could orient the rest of the year around service, and why would I want to pass up this opportunity? I do not know how my parents always seem to be right, but they are—Seamester challenged me to adopt a new way of life, live in very close quarters with twenty seven strangers that eventually became like family, and see the world through the unique lens of life on the sea.
Once Seamester ended in Thailand, I stayed for another two months (January/February) and taught English to novice monks. The program was organized through the non-profit organization . My parents and I found Global Service Corps on a general internet search because I was interested in Buddhism, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to tag onto the end of Seamester. I had never taught before and all I had from Global Service Corps was an information packet on teaching English. Luckily, I was able to team teach with another volunteer before embarking on my own. I taught three different classes, and the ages of the students were analogous to elementary, middle and high school. Because of the language barrier, most of the lesson plans involved a variety of group activities, games, and speaking practice. The language barrier was certainly an issue, but many of the students had already been taking English classes. My role was similar to that of a substitute teacher–the groundwork had already been laid by the other monks and I was just filling in for a while.
I was anxious when I first began teaching because I felt like I was unnecessarily imposing English on the monks. When I expressed this concern to one of the head monks, he told me that English is actually a very useful tool for the novice monks. After the end of their schooling, the novices could choose whether to enter the work force or become monks. The majority of novices (I can only speak for the monastery where I was teaching) chose to enter the workforce, and English gave them a competitive advantage.
I have not taught since my time at the monastery, but I came away with a deep appreciation for inspiring teachers and a passion for education. Though a liberal arts college is distinct from a monastery in Thailand, I can still tell the difference in college between a competent teacher from one that is inspiring and captivating.
After my time teaching, I lived at a separate monastery for two weeks (still as a part of Global Service Corps) and practiced meditation four times a day. I shared a room with a Thai monk who spoke very little English, and I spoke very little Thai. He treated me like a younger brother though, and our relationship was not hindered by the language barrier. I learned how to meditate from an American monk that had been a part of the monastery for seven years. He was an old friend of the abbot (head monk), and decided to join the monastery after nearly two decades spent working for USAID in Africa.
Meditation is still an integral part of my life. The mindfulness practice that I gained from this immersion in Buddhism still drives my pursuit of self-understanding. Now a sophomore in college, I occasionally participate in a meditation group on campus and try to meditate on my own as well. I do not consider myself to be Buddhist, but my immersion in Thai Buddhism continues to shape my thoughts and way of being in the world.
During the last four months of my Bridge Year (April-July), I volunteered in Argentina with the , a non-profit organization based out of San Francisco. I was the only volunteer at a community center in an impoverished community, and for most of the time, I was solely responsible for pursuing and/or initiating projects. I lived with a host family and worked with a sewing cooperative that was started and run by three women. When the cooperative first began in 2006, the women only had one foot-powered sewing machine and produced baby and dog clothing. Due to the hard work of the women and previous FSD volunteers, the cooperative now has four industrial strength machines and they market women’s clothing.
The cooperative was located in a relatively poor and patriarchal community, and my role was to help find retail outlets for their products. The lack of transportation and repressive social norms prevented the women from leaving the community and marketing their products. I created a brochure and tried to establish relationships with retail outlets in order to generate consumer demand. My efforts did not generate a significant influx of profits, but the women and I learned a lot about micro-enterprise through our efforts. As a side note, I was also involved with other aspects of the daycare center: I tried to help a school counselor start a sex education program in the nearby middle school, provided the children with free dental care and hygiene lessons by coordinating with a local health clinic, tried to start a baking cooperative with other women from the community, plant a community garden, and create a ‘big buddy’ system between the nearby high school and daycare center.
The responsibility and independence that I had working at the daycare center was unparalleled by any of my other Bridge Year experiences. I was pulled out of my comfort zone into a realm of unfamiliar challenges and inspiring ideas. I initiated new projects and continued past projects with community members; some of which flourished, while others dissolved. Even though I worked hard, I still felt like I could have done more for that community when it came time to leave Argentina. I did not see any tangible results from my efforts, which was very disconcerting. Upon later reflection, I realized though that the relationships I formed during my time in Argentina, and Bridge Year in general, were more valuable than any tangible project or result. Those relationships opened my eyes to other cultures and lifestyles, as well as my own potential.
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When I reflect on my Bridge Year, I do not think of there being one particular high point. I learned something unique and equally valuable from each experience.
However, I do think my Bridge Year got progressively more challenging. I started off the year with Seamester, which was group oriented and well supervised. The supervision was necessary for safety reasons, but it limited the number of individual challenges I could take on. While teaching English in Thailand, I had to develop my own lesson plans and learn how to teach to students my own age (18), as well as six-year-olds. Finally, in Argentina, I was given the freedom to determine what kinds of projects I wanted to participate in and how to initiate/continue those projects. Such freedom instilled me with a unique sense of independence, but it also pushed my emotional and cognitive capacities. The fragility of the projects and general uncertainty about future sustainability frequently made me question my efforts and intentions.
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Similarly, I cannot say that there was a specific low point during the year. However, I was at times, mentally and emotionally stretched beyond what I thought were my limits. For instance, there was one period during my time in Argentina when I was physically ill, winter was at its height, the community development projects that I was working on were either paused or dissolving, and I was frustrated with my own inability to follow through on all the projects I wanted to be involved in. Although this may seem like a disheartening scenario, in retrospect, that time period was one of the most vital parts of my Bridge Year. It was an intense glimpse into my own potential and ability to push beyond what I thought were my psychological and physical limits. Never before had I been challenged to dig so far down into my own well of strength in search of motivation and understanding.
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I love to talk about the value and philosophy of Bridge Years, but I also do not want to sound pompous or hypocritical when encouraging others to consider a Bridge Year. The reason is that my parents paid for my year. I am very conscious of the fact that not everyone has this luxury, but I think I can further the discussion about Bridge Years while being aware of the many socio-economic situations that students and parents face.
That said, there are a variety of ways to structure a Bridge Year to minimize costs, such as finding paid internships, volunteering locally/domestically, or working for part of the year to save money. Regarding specific costs, Seamester (3 months) cost approximately $15,000, Global Service Corps (2 months) cost $4,000, and the Foundation for Sustainable Development (4 months) cost $6,000. I do not want these prices to be off-putting though because this is NOT the typical cost of a Bridge Year. I mention the prices only to provide as much helpful information as possible, but I am not advocating such expensive Bridge Years.
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When someone asks me how I have been affected by my Bridge Year, I am inclined to say that I am a qualitatively different person. However, having explored identity in some of my philosophy classes, I am reluctant to make such an ambiguous statement.
Philosophy aside, I can say that the experiences during my Bridge Year imbued me with an intense dedication to learning, critical thinking, and self-understanding. Academia has become personalized in ways I never imagined: graphs about income inequality are people that I met and grew to love like my own family, I critique theories using both my conceptual and experiential knowledge, and my intrinsic motivation to learn evokes a rigor that helps me take advantage of such a rich learning environment. College has been transformed into the pursuit of truth and pure understanding in order to go back out into the world with a stronger heart and mind.
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Hilary Brown grew up in Seattle, Washington. While in high school, Hilary was involved in a lot of outside activities. In addition to an interest in dance, she raised puppies for cialis 20mg and volunteered at the local children’s hospital.
When it came time to apply for college, Hilary focused in on small liberal arts schools. She ended up selecting Occidental College where she is currently a freshman.
Hilary spent a year working with . She began her experience abroad in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, where she took intense language classes. That time was followed by six months in a more rural location working at a local women’s health health center as well as a general health center.
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I thought about doing a Rotary exchange since the beginning of high school but when the time came to apply I was so wrapped up in the idea of going to college the following year that I did not want to have to go to high school for another year, even if it was in a different country. I heard about Global Citizen Year March of my senior year. At the time I was relieved to have finished college applications and the idea of a gap year had completely left my mind. My decision to apply was very impulsive. After reading about the program it just seemed like a great opportunity that I never would have come up with on my own. My parents were both very supportive. My decision was made in such a short amount of time that I did not discuss it with many other people.
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I chose to participate in Global Citizen Year specifically because it seemed like a great opportunity. It was organized and would give me guidance but at the same time allow me to be independent in a foreign country. In addition, at the time I was not aware of any similar programs.
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The year started with group conference calls about once a month throughout the summer. It gave everyone a chance to discuss relevant topics and ask questions. Mid-September we all met up for two weeks of training in San Francisco. During this time we had the opportunity to visit organizations such as, IDEO, Room to Read and KIVA. We also had seminars on development, leadership and cultural immersion.
After the U.S. training we spent a month in the capital of Senegal, Dakar, where we took intense language classes. This was followed by six months in a more rural location. Each student lived with a host family and was assigned to a personalized apprenticeship. I was placed at a local women’s health center and a general health center. In addition, I helped with an English club in a nearby town.
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The high point was probably towards the end when I realized how much I had adapted to Senegalese life and culture. Instead of wanting to go home I wish I could have stayed longer, which I think is a good sign.
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The most challenging aspect was getting used to my new environment once I moved out of the city. My new home was obviously run very differently then my home in the U.S. In addition, I was not used to sharing a room with three small children and had barely any time to myself.
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The fact that GCY does not have a set “cost” I think made the program accessible to all participants. Each participant contributed what they could and GCY helped with the rest.
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My experience in Senegal changed both my personality and my perspectives. It gave me self-confidence and in conjunction a sense of strength that I did not have before. This resulted in a new ability to share my opinion when I previously would have kept silent. I also became calmer and not as flustered with minor mishaps that before I would probably have considered a major crisis.
In addition, my perspective was changed on a variety of topics from polygamy to immigration. I was made aware of challenges I had never been exposed to and therefore could not have previously understood.
Upon returning to the U.S. it was as if I was seeing everything in a whole new light. Practices and mannerisms that I had never seen as significant felt sometimes strange, wrong or foreign. After reflecting on the year over the summer I realized that, while I had not expected it, the year shaped what I want to do in the next phase of my life. I entered college in a completely different, more focused, mindset then I would have a year ago.
When I was in Senegal I knew I had made the right decision by taking a gap year however, it was not until talking to other students at college when I truly realized the impact and priceless value of my bridge year. Speaking with most students who come straight from high school I feel as if I am a step ahead. I have a sense of direction and purpose for which many of my peers are still searching.
Hilary Brown photos courtesy of .
]]>But in a testament to Breinberg and his students, the Academy gave the choral director complete freedom to craft the vocal arrangement. And in perhaps the ultimate tribute to the Breinberg’s ability to arrange, the harmonies that he sculpted have been incorporated into the (tentative) score.
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Amazingly, for the well-grounded educator, the group’s selection to perform in Hollywood is not listed as his favorite moment of the year. Instead he points to a very emotional day when the chorus had the great fortune to make some music with the boys from Ithaca College.
The Ithacappella visit coincided with the day of the funeral for Breinberg’s 96-year-old grandmother, Bertha Hall. “I was swinging back and forth with a decision on whether or not I should cancel the visit,” explains Breinberg. “In the end, my mom convinced me to keep the engagement, as that is what my grandmother would have wanted.
“She was to me what every person should have in this life, that source of unconditional love,” reveals Breinberg. “So much of who I am I owe to her and I was truly blessed to have her in my life as long as I did.”
Sharp as a tack, “nana” stood an inch shy of five feet in height. And though humility was among her greatest traits, “nana’s” grandson insists she was always sitting the tallest and the proudest at the PS22 Chorus concerts.
“She was a great lover of music and a wicked piano player,” adds Breinberg. “I don’t have a fraction of her chops on the keyboard – but what I do have is all from her.”
As for the decision to go ahead with the Ithacappella engagement, the maestro is thankful. The day became one every music educator can relate to, one of those ‘It’s not about the size of the star, it’s about the music being made and the energy level.’
“Last year, when we sang with Ithacappella, it was a blast. This time it was something more spiritual, as evident in the two groups’ collaboration on Imagine by John Lennon.
“We had no plans to do that song, and the guys just joined in, but it was truly one of those special musical moments that all involved will never forget. And that’s what we’re all about at PS22.”
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There is little doubt that fame has not changed Breinberg, the only music teacher on the planet who has told us he has never seen Glee. So if with hard work, truly anything is possible, the question becomes what’s next?
A performance at the Grammy’s? Selection to do the half-time show at The Super Bowl?
“I want to be the first elementary school chorus to sing on the moon,” pronounces the man dubbed by some reporters as an overgrown fifth grader.
“I think with regard to these extraordinary kids, it’s quite alright to dream big,” chuckles Breinberg. “But in all seriousness, an album and a documentary have to happen for these kids – eventually in some way, shape, or form.
“I’m hoping the Oscars’ appearance has awakened the powers that be to the power of these kids – that they will now allow us to pursue many of the amazing opportunities they’ve turned down for us in the past.”
But for now, the focus is on the Oscars. And though being selected is not yet his favorite moment this year, he acknowledges that seeing the excitement on his students faces when they take the stage could well become his proudest ‘proud papa’ moment to date.
]]>When college graduation rates are published, most people seem to think the vast majority of students accepted to college graduate. But in reality, the current graduation rate for full-time students stands at a miserable 53%.
But wait, it gets worse, since that oft-quoted number is actually the six-year graduation rate. When it comes to four-year graduation rates, i.e., those full-time students who graduate in the requisite four-year timeframe, the percentage drops all the way to 37%. That means roughly two out of every three college freshmen has not earned a diploma four years after beginning school.
Given the costs of college, it is hard to justify the expense unless you come away with that all-important diploma. And even worse, if you don’t graduate in four years you have made a costly proposition even more expensive.
If you are going to school full-time, you owe it to yourself and your family to complete your program in four years. Here are five steps to ensure that you meet that goal.
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The first step to a diploma in four years is to select the right college. Unfortunately, selecting a school is not an easy process.
The reason is simple – no one school is right for every student. That is why a student should never select a college based simply on name recognition, reputation or selectivity, the caliber of its football team, or the fact that classmates or other family members will or have attended that school.
To select the right college, you must do your homework. Your selections should be based on at least three critical elements, the location of the school (urban, sub-urban, or rural), the specific academic program offered (consistent with your career and academic interests) and the non-academic, cultural-based, on-campus activities (consistent with your personal interests).
The best way to tell if a college is right for you is by making a campus visit. Spending a few hours on campus, visiting classes, meeting students and observing the culture will give you a real sense of whether or not you will fit in there.
At the right school, you will feel a real sense of excitement about what it would be like to attend classes there. College is incredibly challenging, academically and emotionally. Therefore, it is essential your school help bring out the very best in you.
That won’t happen if you are on a tiny campus where everyone knows everyone else and you actually crave anonymity. Likewise, the anonymity provided by a large state school may be unsettling to someone who wants to get to know each of his or her classmates.
Ultimately, choosing a college is all about what is the best fit for you. If you don’t do your homework, you will find out very quickly first semester freshman year if you made the .
Should you make the wrong choice, it is not only possible to correct the mistake; you owe it to yourself to correct it. But it will cost you precious time and will likely mean the four-year plan is done.
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Picking a major is even tougher than picking a school mostly because there is no real consensus as to how to determine what is right for you. That is truly a personal matter for the individual choosing.
Moreover, while some students start college knowing exactly what they want to major in, many others are torn between many subjects that interest them greatly. In fact, most college counselors will tell you that uncertainty tends to be the norm and that the vast majority of students change their majors multiple times.
Ultimately, you must discover what it is that you are passionate about. First you will do much better in those classes that you’re interested in. Second, it is much easier to study and work on materials in those courses that motivate you.
This in turn translates to the critical time when you graduate – you don’t want a job, a place where you have to go to work to earn a paycheck. Instead what you want is a career, a place where you get paid to do things you are truly interested in and enjoy doing.
Therefore you should not pick a major based simply on the notion that jobs in that field pay well or gain a certain level of prestige. Knowing you will make gobs of money one day will not necessarily help you deal with the challenges of those classes today. Likewise, if you don’t care for the work involved, the paycheck will not make up for your level of unhappiness.
It is important to note that some people are unable to narrow their choice to one major so they construct a path towards a dual option. Other students pursue a major and a minor, or sub-focus.
But if you have no idea at the outset, that is not necessarily a problem. At most four-year colleges, you aren’t required to declare a major until the end of your sophomore year.
Therefore, if you are not sure, don’t pick something at random. can be a step backward in the overall goal of finishing in four years. Instead go without specifying a major and select a general program that allows you to initially take courses to see which areas you might be interested in studying deeper.
For more on the choice of major we suggest you visit the .
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Though college is extremely expensive, one positive is the enormous set of campus resources available. One particular resource every student must take advantage of once they have enrolled in a specific school is their faculty advisor.
These individuals are assigned a caseload of students and expected to provide both academic and general education guidance. Your advisor will be able to help you refine your goals, your academic focus (including help with choice of major), help you locate key resources, and are expected to monitor your progress toward your educational and career goals. They can also help you with the extremely difficult transition from high school to college.
During your first two and a half years, these individuals can help you create a course schedule, keeping track of required prerequisites and contrasting your needs with the master calendar of courses that are offered. Without this guidance, students may find that certain prerequisite that must be completed for first semester junior year may not be offered second semester of the sophomore year and thus must be taken earlier in the student’s yearly schedule. Not knowing could lead you to miss a key progression that ultimately prevents you from completing your program in four years.
In addition, if you are unclear as to what you want to major in or begin to have second thoughts about your choice of major, your advisor will not only be a great resource for helping you identify what you might want to consider instead. In the case of the person who is undeclared as to a major, your advisor can help design a broad-based general program that leaves you ample openings the last two years to move into a selected major. In the case of making a change, your advisor will be able to examine the specific repercussions of a change and help you mitigate the impact.
During the latter part of your junior and all of your senior year, these individuals will serve as the first resource for that even bigger transition – when you complete your program and begin your career. At the same time, college operates on a you-need-to-be-an-adult basis. Your advisor will not be required to schedule such appointments. In fact, he or she will expect you to seek him out when the need arises.
The University of Chicago web site has on how often you should meet as well as the proper protocols for setting up sessions.
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One of the major differences between high school and college is that attendance is not mandatory in most college courses. While a few professors may include attendance and class participation in your final grade, most will not.
The extra freedom is one of the great things about college. But with that freedom comes great responsibility.
The quickest way to extend your post-secondary years is to either drop or fail classes. After all, the sheepskin comes only when you have accumulated the requisite number of credits.
There is no doubt that class attendance facilitates the learning process. First the professor will present material that will supplement and elaborate on the readings and other written assignments. Those presentations can be essential to understanding difficult material.
Second, the discussions of your peers regarding the material are both enlightening and motivating. In fact, most students soon realize that the lack of interaction that often occurs with online courses makes it very difficult to maintain your enthusiasm.
has collected data for eight years and found that the No. 1 predictor of academic success for freshmen was regular class attendance. Furthermore, MSU found a full grade-point difference between those who go to class (2.7 on average) and those who have attendance problems (1.7).
, the and all have published results that tie class attendance with course performance.
At the University of Alabama, Birmingham (UAB), they turn to the great philosopher Woody Allen for this basic advice:
“Eighty percent of success is showing up.”
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This should go without saying – the surest way to extend college is to receive D’s and F’s in courses. Unlike high school, all college courses have extensive rigor and significant work demands. Cruise control is not likely to cut it unless you are a distant cousin to Albert Einstein.
To be successful, you must not only find time to study, you must make a commitment to doing so. First and foremost, that means finding a quiet place where you can focus on the task at hand. And for most, that means getting out of their dorm room.
The second element involves good time management skills. Studies show that studying in shorter chunks of 20-50 minute time periods followed by a brief break of 10 minutes is far superior to multi-hour sessions. Furthermore, the most challenging work should be done as early in the day as you can get to it. The more the day progresses, the more you get tired and your concentration level drops.
That means you should rank your classes according to difficulty. For the two or three hardest classes, you should schedule some time every day to work on them, again focusing on working on the most difficult as early in the day as possible.
Lastly, use the self-quizzing method that is so espoused by college professors. That means frequently closing the book and your notes and trying to recite the key concepts aloud.
]]>In fact, we would insist that college cialis 20mg like high school.
When it comes to technology, the limits (and the frustrations) appear to lie only within the confines of non-technical minds. But thanks to the likes of , a graduate of the MIT Media Lab, we have a vision of how technology might mix with the physical to truly revolutionize the world.
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Snail mail is so past tense today, what with the power and immediacy of email. And photos, remember when they had to go to a developer and you had to wait to get a sense of just what you had been able to capture. Actually, if you are young enough you may not remember that at all.
But there is a rub and it is the need for a certain level of technical savvy – email transcends snail mail only if you have basic computer literacy skills, an email account, and the hardware to go along with it. For Grampa, those computer literacy skills could interfere rendering technology a problem instead of a solution.
So imagine a world where technology still rules but for Grampa, tech skills could be removed from the equation. I use Grampa as my example with all kindness and my representative example for all those out there who remain frustrated because they simply cannot find enough time to keep up with the ever-changing technological world.
Imagine, if you would, the , a typical little night stand next to your bed, one with a single drawer that could be slid open to see what is inside. We are talking about the same type of physical drawer that one opens to find a pair of socks or some clean underwear.
But instead of a drawer, suppose it is a physical inbox. Imagine that Grampa’s children have some great photos of the grandchildren building a snowman during the first winter snowfall. They no doubt want to send them along to Gramps and would likely download them from their camera, attach them to an email, and then send them along. Now suppose instead of Grampa having to sit at some computer to log on and check his email (he thinks that logging on to a computer and accessing an email account is as enjoyable as shaving is to a 20-year-old male), he could get those photos in the traditional format.
Suppose instead that little desk dresser drawer could work like a physical mail chute, that instead of those emailed photos arriving in the inbox of some computer account they were converted to traditional paper photos without the slightest input from Gramps. Then add to that one last little fine touch, that all Gramps has to do is open the drawer of that little nightstand and lo and behold, what he would find there the very items he was so used to seeing: those little 4×6 sheets of fully developed photos, prints that he could simply lift from his drawer and handle as he had done as a younger man.
Taking that one step further, imagine Gramps sitting down at a table to pen a thank you note on paper. But instead of searching out an envelope and finding the requisite snail mail address or sitting down at that damn computer, he could simply drop his paper version in his little drawer and physically close it. His work done, technology would take over to ensure it made it digitally to the appropriate person.
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But when it comes to the likes of John Kestner, well the sheer genius lies in the ability to fuse the digital with the physical in a way that transcends generations as well. Grampa of course has his finances in order – he is never over-extended or over-drawn because he pays for everything with cash, and when there is no cash to be found in his wallet, well he simply goes without.
But his grandchildren, such is not the case. Raised in a credit and debit card world, his flesh and blood consistently make decisions about finances that are essentially removed from the consequences.
The wallet is almost always empty except for the plastic – the bank accounts are sometimes flush and other times nothing short of destitute. The removal of the physical connection, the one that rules Grampa’s finances, often causes major issues.
Kestner introduces us to another concept, the , a bit like the conversion of the cell phone to the smart phone but again with just a bit more of a physical twist. The goal is to help the young un-abstract virtual assets by providing tactile feedback that even Grampa could relate to.
One such option would be the Bumblebee – the wallet that buzzes via a vibrating motor whenever the bank processes a transaction. When the buzz occurs, it reminds you of the purchase you made but have forgotten about, of that automatic withdrawal to pay for your wireless access or even inform you as to when your partner has charged something to your account. For those who need real tactile reinforcement, we could take this a step further, build in an electronic stinger that provides a nice little zap whenever you are overdrawn or have failed to make a payment on time.
Or another Kestner wallet choice would be the Mother Bear, a folding leather contraption that protects your money when you need to be thrifty. It is equipped with an adjustable hinge that resists opening, greater resistance when your account is hitting bottom, less resistance when you are flush with cash. It could even include a bit of adjustable card stickiness making it substantially more difficult to pull the credit card out as you approached your credit limit.
But perhaps the most inviting in our visual world would be the Peacock, a wallet that swells and shrinks to reflect account balances. This would be my choice though I would want to add a little plumage and color when swollen. That way my assets could be pulled at just the right moment to attract members of the opposite sex.
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These ideas sound wild, like the ones we saw when we read the great work of Arthur C. Clarke or Isaac Asimov novel. But they represent the place where technology could truly improve on the quality of life for those without a technical bent.
As Gramps always says about that new phone we gave him last year.
“If I can’t make it work, then the damn thing ain’t all that smart.”
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A quick check of the dictionary has this to say about the adjective oppressive:
1. burdensome, unjustly harsh, or tyrannical.
2. oppressive sorrows, causing discomfort by being excessive, intense, elaborate, etc.
3. distressing or grievous:
So now I am sure some of you would insist that we are being a tad bit excessive with our rhetoric, that we are invoking extreme levels of hyperbole in our use of the word oppressive. We would suggest you need to think again.
As proof positive, today we learned that have had their licenses suspended because they were in default on their student loans. That’s correct, 42 nurses lost their ability to actually earn a living in their field of study because they had not paid off their loans.
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A disciplinary action report released this month by the Tennessee Department of Health made this issue public. Though only brought to light now, the report revealed the large number of suspensions actually took place last October.
The suspensions were based on the actual implementation of a law that dated back to 1999. At that time, state law was enacted that allowed officials to revoke the professional licenses of those in default on their student loans.
That bears repeating, the law has been in effect for the better part of ten years but state authorities were just now getting around to cracking down on those students that were delinquent. The Chattanooga Times goes on to note that 20 of the nurses have been able to work out repayment plans and have subsequently been reinstated. Of course that also means that the other 22 have not done so.
Across the state of Tennessee, since the recession began in 2007, loan default rates have risen to about 9 percent. This means that one of every eleven students in the state is in default.
Of course, the basic assumption that the local authorities make (read the article) is that these individuals are simply not taking their responsibilities seriously. That could well have been the case with the 20 who were able to square things away immediately.
But it could well be a different story for the other 22. Perhaps they were not simply ignoring their loans but instead had reached the position where they were over-committed and thus unable to pay their loans along with their basic living expenses. Nurse salaries being what they are, that could just as well be the case.
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We have noted on many occasions the importance of limiting the amount of money students borrow for their education. We have expressively made mention of the need for students to understand the terms of student loans prior to .
When you borrow money for a car and default, you lose the car, your down payment and any money you paid to date on the vehicle. When you borrow money for a house and default, you lose the house, your down payment and any money you paid to date on the house.
In both cases, your credit rating suffers as well. But in both instances, the debt does not follow you – instead you can keep your wages and your job and thus move on with life.
Not so with student loans. They will follow you. If you default on your student loans the IRS can withhold your tax return and the government can garnish a portion of whatever you earn to make payments on the loan. And, as noted in the Tennessee case, the government can go so far as to revoke your ability to earn a living in your chosen field by suspending your professional license. We suspect that the situation in Tennessee is harbinger of more to come in this arena.
In very simple terms, student loans are unlike any other form of loan you can take out. And if you find yourself in tough economic straights, well then it appears you would then be privy to why we call student loans oppressive.
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