Gap Year Programs

Summer Programs

Many high school students engage in any number of interesting summer experiences: structured programs, part-time jobs, community service, summer camps, club athletic teams, domestic or international travel, community theater, or academic coursework, to name a few.

The College Counseling Office has compiled a lengthy list of summer programs. It is by no means exhaustive and we do not particularly endorse any one program. We offer this list as well as the TeenLife search feature as a starting point to help you in your own research. We also strongly believe (and have confirmed with universities) that sometimes getting a good old-fashioned summer job mowing lawns or scooping ice-cream “looks” just as good in the application process as participating in a structured program.

If you are going to participate in a summer program, do so because the experience looks interesting to you – not because you want to build a resume. Trust us – a restful summer lends itself to being a more active and successful student during the year. Choose activities that allow you to learn more about yourself and provide you with an experience that suits your needs and interests.

At bbin娱乐平台, many of our rising seniors spend the summer engaging in science research in labs at Boston University or other local universities as part of work on a science-oriented senior thesis. Others might pour through piles of literary texts or historical journals compiling the foundations of a humanities-oriented senior thesis. Many students will pursue activities outside of the academic realm as artists, athletes, camp counselors, sailing instructors, babysitters, landscapers, managers of the local coffee shop, etc. What is most important is that students take time over the summer to rejuvenate and cultivate their interests.

Gap Year Programs

In a typical year, one or two bbin娱乐平台 students decide to take a gap year – a year ‘off’ between graduating from high school and enrolling in college. Students have made this decision for a variety of reasons, the most common of which is to engage in a particular area of passion for one year before embarking on the undergraduate college experience.

In addition to the TeenLife search feature, the College Counseling Office has compiled a list of gap year programs as a research tool. It is by no means exhaustive and we do not particularly endorse any one program. Upon request, we are happy to share this list as a starting point to help you in your own research.

If you are going to participate in a gap year program, or plan to take a year off between high school and college, do so because the experience looks interesting to you – not because you want to build your resume. This may the only time in your young life where you are untethered from a traditional school environment, and you get to fully immerse yourself in a setting of your choice.