Allie
Are there the same amount of financial opportunities for students who take a gap-year?
I am currently taking a gap year from school and it has inspired me more to pursue higher education; however, it seems that my opportunities are more limited compared to students who did not take a gap year. Scheduling college visits, applying to colleges, finding scholarships that apply to my situation, and even scheduling appointments to talk to people about all the obstacles I am facing with my gap year has been a challenge. Why don't colleges recognize gap-years as an option? #college-admissions #scholarship
2 answers
Lisa Lee
Lisa’s Answer
There are different types of aid: merit and financial need.
For financial need: once you apply to colleges, apply for FAFSA. This would not be affected by your taking a gap year.
For merit need: Having a gap year could look really good depending on how you play your cards. Did you take a gap year to work/gain experience? Was the gap year due to some personal reasons? You said that your gap year has inspired you to pursue higher education and that's awesome! Colleges love to see growth.
Even though you are taking a gap year, you would still be considered a freshman admit (unless you took college courses somewhere during that gap year). Financial aid tends to be the best for freshman because colleges are trying to entice you to come to their school. At the end of the day, there are a lot of scholarships out there. You just have to know where to find them.
Here are a couple I have used:
1. I would also suggest looking at your school's scholarships (once you are admitted) to see if they offer scholarships to new students.
2. You could also use Google. BUT if you go this route be sure to be wary of scams. If they ask for any form of payment or personal information, it is likely a scam.
3. Your city or county usually has scholarships for students
4. Local organizations such as Rotary and Kiwanis
If going to a 4 year is not what you're looking at, there are also a lot of scholarships at community colleges and it is usually cheaper than a 4 year university. Best of luck! Hope this helps.
Lindsay Williams
Lindsay’s Answer
In the US, your options for financial scholarships are very limited (I know from experience) if you are not entering immediately after high school. If you have already been accepted, you can sometimes take a deferment. That would be something to ask your admissions office. But applying and gaining admittance after you have left high school is not something I would wish on even an enemy. It limits your financial opportunity for aid in major ways.