Gap Year Advice: Talk to Strangers

“Don’t talk to strangers” is the single worst piece of cultural brainwashing that we’ve perpetrated on children in the past couple of generations. While statistics are pointing to the fact that America is safer than it’s been since the mid-sixties, we continue to frighten each other into believing that we are at constant risk of[…]

Preparing Students to Leave: Skill Building for Families

My friend tells the story of going on a college visit to NYC with her, then, 17 year old daughter. The first night in the city her daughter and a friend announced that they wanted to take off on the subway to go to dinner and have an adventure. My friend’s instinct was to say,[…]

Gap Year Safety: How to Stay Alive on Your Trip

I attended the near drowning of a Gap Year traveler one week ago today. It was, by far, the most terrifying experience of my life to date and I’m extraordinarily glad to have been present, and that he is alive. While travel is, statistically speaking, a safe endeavor, deaths do occur abroad; just like they[…]

Why Use a Gap Year Counselor?

If you are in high school, chances are you or someone you know is working with a college counselor to help them through the painstaking college application process. For students who need help deciding which schools to apply to or how to write a great essay or how to finance their college experience, this guidance[…]