Give Me a Year Off (or Start College in Another Country)

How does a semester abroad sound when we are helping our students think about next steps? Perhaps they will discover adventure; maybe they will expand their mind past the community they grew up in. I often advocate for students to take the transitional gap year and wait to engage in the study that will be demanded of them. But recently, colleges have begun to accept more students by offering the first semester or year in a foreign country. Colleges are more open to wanting to keep students they may have otherwise reluctantly rejected. Because colleges are finding it more difficult to estimate yield, or how many admitted students they can actually enroll, many are offering a study abroad program to qualified students they otherwise would not have been able to admit for the Fall semester.  Providing this option can also help to offset their costs when a student doesn’t return for a second year.

If this sounds like a dream come true, contact the study abroad office to begin learning about the requirements to study overseas as an incoming Freshman. Some students are accepted for admission that is contingent on spending their first semester or year abroad.  Knowing a percentage of students may not make it into second semester, some “elite” colleges accept incoming Freshman for Spring semester, rather than fail to fill beds. Although there are rules about what a student can do while waiting to enter, perhaps this is an opportunity for a semester abroad. So, watch for the acceptance letter that says “Congratulations, but...” It is essentially a “string’s attached” acceptance, but that certainly doesn’t have to be a bad thing!  Take advantage of this open door and walk right through to the adventure that awaits. College “with strings attached” could be just around the corner.