A trend that has recently been growing for high school graduates is taking what is referred to as a “gap year.” You may also hear a gap year referred to as a bridging year, or a deferred year.
Regardless of what you call it, the term simply refers to spending a year abroad. This is most commonly done by students for one year between high school and college. However, a gap year can technically occur at any time.
According to this article in the New York Times, many American college students are choosing to spend their junior year studying abroad: www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/fashion/08Abroad.html
Oftentimes when students graduate from high school they feel “burnt out” and somewhat directionless. Top universities like Harvard and Princeton recognize this and urge students to consider the option of living abroad for a year before investing in the four-year college.
According to the Masa Israel Journey, even the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Harvard, William Fitzsimmons, explicitly encourages students to pursue a gap year program. He explains that a gap year allows students to “gain perspective on personal values and goals, or to gain needed life experience in a setting separate from and independent of one’s accustomed pressures and expectations.”
Maybe you have always wanted to take a year off of school or your job in order to spend a year overseas in Israel. While this was once considered a luxury for only the wealthy, there are now many organizations that will help to make your gap year in Israel affordable and attainable.
Here are some of the organizations that can assist you in planning your year abroad:
(1) The International Master of Arts Program in Middle East Studies (MAPMES) in Beer Sheva:
http://hsf.bgu.ac.il/mapmes/
MAPMES is an intensive MA program in English that covers several disciplinary approaches and provides in-depth knowledge of the Middle East — its history, societies, cultures, economics and politics.
(2) The University of Haifa Year Abroad Program:
http://www.uhaifa.org/
Students from all over the world come to the University of Haifa to be part of the International School. As a student you will live and study with Israeli students as well as participate in trips, volunteer work, and celebrations for a fully immersive experience.
(3) The Hebrew University of Jerusalem:
http://overseas.huji.ac.il/
The Rothberg International School of the Hebrew University invites students from all over the world to come open their minds to new areas of knowledge and inquiry.
(4) University of Albany, New York, and Ben-Gurion University in Beer Sheva:
http://www.albany.edu/studyabroad/
The University of Albany offers a study abroad program at Ben-Gurion in which students will study language, liberal arts, cultural studies, archaeology, business and economics, and political science.
(5) University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and Living Routes:
http://www.livingroutes.org/programs/p_lotan.htm
Living Routes is a program that focuses on building social justice, green communities, and sustainability. Most of the classes in Israel take place at Kibbutz Lotan in Israel’s southern Arava Valley.
(6) Masa Israel Journey:
http://www.masaisrael.org/masa/english/
The Gateway to Long-Term Israel Programs enable thousands of Jewish young adults to spend a semester or year in Israel in any one of 160 approved programs by providing information, scholarships, and more. Masa’s aim is to help young Jews from around the world build a life-long relationship with Israel and a firm commitment to Jewish life.
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