Every year, students and parents talk about the pros and cons of a gap year experience. This year, given the current situation with COVID-19, more families are seriously considering other options besides heading off to a college campus in the fall. Here are a variety of good reasons to consider a gap year.

Get off the treadmill

You really think you could benefit from some time off. High school has been stressful, the college admissions process has been incredibly anxiety-producing and you’re finding yourself perhaps not as motivated or excited for the next chapter. So many high school students just feel as if they’re running on fumes. Who wants to pay the high price of college today if you’re not fully invested in the experience?

Many students really benefit from doing something different for a year (community service, work, internships, etc.) and then returning to an academic environment with their batteries fully charged. Travel is typically a component of most gap year programs, but that is not likely to happen this year. Students will need to be a bit more creative about how they want to spend their time. A number of colleges are now encouraging their accepted students to take off their freshman year and start renewed, refreshed and reenergized the following year.

Grow and mature

Not everybody is ready for the independence. Some parents and many students, when pressed, worry that they may not be college-ready. They may have never lived away from home for an extended period of time; they may still be a little too dependent on their parents or they may not quite have mastered self-discipline and solid decision-making skills.

A gap year experience that allows them to take baby steps, lets them mature at their own rate and validates their progress and maturity can be the perfect antidote.

Just ask any college student and they will tell you that balancing academics and a social life is tricky. Many parents of freshmen who were forced to drop out during or after their freshman year now wish they had considered a gap year option.

Build your resume

A gap year experience can be a great opportunity to focus on a social issue, academic interest or pet project. Most colleges will be happy to defer your admission to the following year as long as they receive a detailed letter stating how you plan to spend your time off.

Many students will use the year to dig deeper into something that interests them and then use that experience to gain entrance to a more selective college.

Gap year resources

These books discuss the merits of a variety of gap year experiences and briefly describe hundreds of programs.

4 “The Complete Guide to Gap Year,” Kristin White

4 “The Gap Year Advantage,” Kari Haigler and Rae Nelson

4 “Before You Go: The Ultimate Guide to Planning Your Gap Year,” Tom Griffiths

Lee Shulman Bierer is an independent college adviser based in Charlotte, N.C. Visit her website College Admissions Strategies.