Let’s reframe Gap Years
I posted this recently on LinkedIn, and figured I’d share it here as well in case it is helpful to future applicants trying to think through gap years, or how to frame them:
Folks that know me well know that I have opinions. Most of them I keep to myself most of the time. But I do want to share with you all my dislike of the concept of Gap Years. Now, before anyone gets upset with me - let me explain. Gap Years, without any further nuance, could mean anything. I often get asked by law school applicants what I think of Gap Years, and if they will help them in their efforts to be admitted to law school. And the answer, like all answers, is "It depends." I want to change that.
It is really all about how we define words. "Gap" means an absence of - or a lacking of something between two other things. Do we want to define ourselves by a lacking of something? Not really. Let's do better.
I am doing my best to rebrand the concept. I don't want to talk about Gap Years anymore. Let me introduce you to what we should be talking about: Growth Years. Growth Years are periods of time between educational opportunities (between high school and college - which I personally did - or between college and professional/graduate school) in which a person does something that results in GROWTH. It might be a work experience, an experience abroad, time caring for a loved one, or a multitude of other things I am not mentioning here. But the key is - what was the value of that year. What did the person learn? In what ways did they grow as a person? THAT answer is what makes the difference in the value of how the time was spent. If there is growth that can be articulated it is a Growth Year. I find those experiences to have value.
So law school applicants: talk to me about your Growth Years, or your Growth Experiences. Fellow admissions professionals and pre-law advisors: let's encourage students to define and state the value of their experiences. Because THAT is what matters.
#GrowthYears