How Gap Years Can Prepare You For College: A Semester in Patagonia

In the fall of 2014 I was hit with the college process. There’s a lot of hype about college; it’s a big decision, it is where you will be living and learning for the next four years. During the application process I was excited to prepare for the next chapter of my life, but I felt kind of lost. Then I discovered the concept of a gap year. When I threw the idea out to my family, friends, and mentors, they all gave me the same response: “Looking back, I wish I took a gap year…I didn’t know what I was doing at all my first year of college.” After several months and many reiterations of the Common App passed, I decided to defer from Colorado College and apply for semester in Patagonia, South America with NOLS.

The decision to take a gap year was not an easy one. For the first few weeks while I was still at home, awaiting my many flights to the Southern hemisphere, I couldn’t help but feel a little isolated. Everyone else was off making new friends at school and adjusting to a different phase of life. I was at home, checking my packing list for the 14th time, making sure I was prepared for the next three months.

Eventually, the start of the NOLS semester program came and I boarded my flight. I said goodbye to my family, friends, my phone, and set off into the unknown.

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