Why a Passion for Learning is Your Best Gap Year Souvenir by Megan Lee There’s that pair of comfy traveler pants – wild patterns with cinched waists and ankles. Or the prints of beautiful artwork made by a local you conversed briefly with. There’s the magnet for mom, the T-shirt for baby bro, and the precious charm bracelet you mentally commit to never losing. While all of these mementos have value and – hopefully won’t end up in the bottom of a dusty box in the attic as their fate – there’s one incredibly powerful souvenir that your Gap Year…
Megan Lee
How to Support Your Traveling Student From Home by Megan Lee Well done! Despite feeling nerves like never before and wanting nothing more than to squeeze your kid tight and never let go, you’ve managed to support your child as they’ve gone through the (admittedly-more-arduous-than-you-anticipated) process of preparing for a Gap Year. But now they’ve taken off from JFK/SFO/ATL, and are en-route to the learning experience of a lifetime. So, now what? Even though you’re thousands of miles away, you, as a parent, will still play a critical role in the success of your child’s Gap Year. As per usual,…
Should I go to College After my Gap Year? by Megan Lee You’ve tackled the world. You’ve marched confidently off the beaten path (even if your heart broke a little as your friends all shared first-year experiences as college freshmen). You’ve grown leaps and bounds, and are excited at the prospect of continuing to grow and learn. But you’re wondering: is college the next best move for me in my life? Is it a conducive environment to the type of growing and learning I want to do? The Value of a College Degree There are a lot of benefits to…
How to Put a Gap Year on Your Resume by Megan Lee Your backpack is officially empty and your socks no longer smell like the plague. You’re settling into life back home and are eagerly looking to the next steps in life. OR – you’re at the stage of life where you peek into your Gap Year memory box only when you’re feeling particularly nostalgic. Whether you completed your trip yesterday, yesteryear, or yester-decade, here’s the advice you need to add some pop to that black and white list of credentials. General Gap Year Resume Tips: No matter if you’re…
What to Do When Your Student Comes Home a Different Person by Megan Lee The countdown has dwindled (to your great joy, to your kid’s great despair) and the end of the gap year is now upon us! You look up from the kitchen table to see your child on the couch and it’s like a year hasn’t passed. But it did, and while your child might look the same more or less (save for that new tattoo?!), their mind and soul might be a little different. Getting to know that new person takes time. We know you love them,…
10 Ways to Maximize Learning On Your Gap Year by Megan Lee Every morning on your Gap Year, you’ll need to wake up and renew your commitment to maximizing your learning potential every day. Now, this is no easy feat. Some days, staying in bed and escaping reality will seem like the more attractive option. But don’t fall victim to Gap Year learning exhaustion, which includes side effects that make you think sitting in your room all day on your laptop is an appropriate way to spend your time. Here are a few things you can do every day to…
Healthy Ways To Deal With Homesickness On Your Gap Year by Megan Lee Homesickness might be a new phenomenon for you if you never did the whole sleep-away camp thing in your younger years, but it’s inevitable. It’ll sneak up on you when you least suspect it: a photo shared online of your friends back home at one of your favorite annual events, a familiar smell of homemade cooking, the softness of a couch. The lack of a couch. The lack of one-course meals or even silent meals. Homesickness crops up in all shapes and sizes. It may be hard…
How to Identify Your Gap Year Goals by Megan Lee This probably isn’t the first time someone has asked you to identify your goals for your gap year (and probably won’t be your last either). Grown-ups keep telling you, “You need to know your goals!” And you’re like, “Cool, I get it Dad… but easier said than done!” Until now. It’s reflection-time! Not to sound too much like that great tune from Mulan, but you need to buckle down and do some serious reflection before your gap year. Ask yourself these questions and write out your answers. Yes, physically write…
A Parent’s Guide to All Things Gap Year by Megan Lee Your kid just proposed a (slightly outlandish) idea to you: “I want to take a gap year.” Maybe you’re 100% on board (you don’t need lots of convincing to understand its benefits) or maybe you’re still on the fence. It’s okay to worry – after all, you have your child’s best interests in mind, right? Regardless of which side of the support spectrum you fall in, here’s everything a parent needs to know to help their kid rock a gap year. Finances Ah, yes. Money. The necessary evil (and…