Gap year consulting can set you on the path to finding exciting, challenging, and quality programs that fit your interests.

What is the Gap Year?  
Although it’s been around for a while, the Gap Year has grown in popularity recently.  Top colleges are not only supporting the gap year, but they often recommend it to their accepted students.   People of any age can take a “gap year” but the term generally refers to students who are between high school and college.
The gap year is a break from formal education in order to become immersed in another culture, to volunteer domestically or abroad, to gain experience and maturity, to improve your skills in a sport, language, the arts, or academics, or to take on some combination of all of these things.  During a gap year the learning process continues, but in a different format and venue that will inspire and excite a student.

How can gap year consulting help me?
The decision to take a gap year is sometimes a difficult one to make.  Gap year students are going on a unique educational path, and they have questions about how the colleges will view it, how to finance it, how to research it, and how to decide if it is right for them.  Once the decision has been made to go on a gap year, there are further questions about the type of program and location desired.  Finally, knowing which programs have the most satisfied students and the best quality experiences is crucial.  A gap year consultant can help you work through all these decisions.
Darien Academic Advisors offers a full service gap year package, which is unlimited gap year consulting over a two year period (prior to and during your gap year), or single consultations where you can ask questions and get ideas to put you on track to a well-planned gap year.

Why are you qualified?
We work with students considering many types of educational options, including the gap year.  Kristin White spent a year researching the gap year in-depth, which culminated in the publication of The Complete Guide to the Gap Year: The Best Things to Do Between High School and College which was published by Jossey Bass, a John Wiley imprint in 2009.