A Gap Year Could Leave You Out in The Cold

Wow...what a difference a few weeks can make! Many students were set to move into their dorms and begin the fall semester, only to learn late in the game that some colleges and universities had changed their policies and classes were no longer being offered in-person. Furthermore, on-campus events were being prohibited and masks must be worn at all times if students leave their dorm rooms. COVID-19 testing is required and the threat of an outbreak of the virus is a constant on campus. This is not the college experience students signed up for, but the Fall 2020 semester is unlike any other in higher education's long history.

While this may seem like a good time to take the year off, there is more that meets the eye when considering a gap year. Not attending college this fall may have lasting consequences, particularly during a pandemic, than students know.

Let’s discuss the gap year. This is a time when students either delay entering college, or choose to take time off from the college where they are currently enrolled. The goal is to take a year off and then pick up where you left off. Yet taking a gap year may mean losing touch with friends, falling behind or losing momentum to go to college, and can change the forward trajectory of your life.

Students already enrolled in college and who choose to take time off, run the risk of not getting readmitted (colleges do not have to readmit you!). Students who are admitted back may now incur extra fees and find their financial aid has changed for the worse. And, those who don’t get readmitted may find themselves in financial distress as loans must now be repaid. Don’t be fooled into thinking the coronavirus relief package will keep loans at bay should you take a gap year. The CARES Act currently suspends loan payments only until Sept. 30, 2020, when it is set to expire. If this does not get extended and you have taken the year off, the six month grace period given before loans come due will expire, and you will be expected to begin making payments. An important thing to remember – Federal loans are only given for ONE six-month grace period. Once you use it, that’s it. If you have a private loan this is even more concerning, as not all private lenders allow for academic deferments for students who take time off and then return to school. This means your private loans may come due even if you are back at college full-time.

Additionally, new incoming freshmen who think they can easily re-enroll at the college they were accepted this fall, may find a very different scenario when they try to get back in. While many colleges and universities have deferred enrollment policies, students who chose to delay school due to the pandemic are not considered traditional gap students, and may run the risk of not being readmitted.

Gap years many sound “romantic.” We’ve all heard about a friend or acquaintance’s gap year plans when he or she took a year off from school to backpack through Europe, staying in youth hostels and seeing incredible sights. Yet this year things like the Eiffel Tower and the Roman Colosseum will be beyond reach as the bulk of international travel is banned for the foreseeable future.

Students may not have grand plans to travel internationally. They may decide to work for the year and consider it a good gap year strategy. This idea should also be reconsidered. Across the country we are seeing historic unemployment numbers similar to the Great Depression and in Massachusetts alone, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the unemployment rate of 16.1% in July. This was the highest unemployment rate in the country!

Don’t be fooled into thinking a gap year is a student's only alterative this fall during the pandemic. There is a smarter safe choice – attending Quinsigamond Community College. Students can continue with their education from the safety of their homes, earn credits to transfer to a four-year program and save thousands. There is support every step of the way from academic to financial and most importantly, students are not putting their futures on hold.

Make the best alternative to a gap year and enroll for the fall 2020 semester today.