Benefits Of The College ‘Gap Year’ | MSNBC

[0:00]the eldest of President Obama's daughters and one of the nation's most famous 2016 college applicants has made her decision about where she'll attend college. Malia Obama was accepted at Harvard but says she's not actually going to start until the fall of 2017. She's opted instead to take a gap year after graduating from high school. Her choice is one that's becoming increasingly popular among high school grads. The idea, use that time to maybe explore the world and then arrive at campus a little more mature, a little more focused. Laura said is an expert on gap years. The Educational Placement Services in Bethesda, Maryland. Nice to have you with us. Can you clear up something for us off just off the top here. There's a gap here which we've heard about a lot, I think mainly overseas for some time where, you know, kids go and they may travel or maybe they do some sort of rather pricey educational um experience. Is there a difference between that and someone who's simply taking a break for a year and maybe is going to work a little bit at home and make some money for college? No, I don't think so. I would call them both a gap year. Um, I think that there is somewhat of a misconception that a gap year has to be one of these pricey programs, but it really just means taking a year off and, you know, whether that is traveling abroad or staying home and, you know, working at a coffee shop and working on a political campaign, they're both considered a gap year. What's the benefit of a gap year? I think I mean, it depends on what the student is doing, but there's a number of benefits. I mean, for some it is to make some money before college. For others, it is to gain the maturity that they need because they're not quite ready to start school. Um, for others, it's really just to explore something that they think they're interested in. Um, you know, it's a good opportunity if you think you want to be pre-med to shadow a doctor, do some volunteer work in a hospital, um, get some things on your resume or figure out that maybe that's not something you actually want to do. Um, and you know, for some students, they also just need a break. They've been so focused for the past few years academically and before they jump into another academic experience, they want to take some time off. So are they are they burnt out? I mean, we hear a lot about that about kids in high school just being completely fried by the time they graduate. Yeah, absolutely. That is that is the case for some people. Um, I think that that's not the most common reason for a gap year though, usually it's students who need a little more maturity or who actively have something that they want to do. They want to bike across the country and they don't think they'll ever have another chance to do it. Is there a concern at all, um, that this could actually mean that kids stay in school longer that it ends up being more expensive, either for them, if they're taking out the loans or paying for it themselves or the parents that it may put them on, you know, a five, six, seven year plan. I think the opposite is is typically true actually because students tend to come in a little bit more focused. Um, you know, like I said, if they have identified an interest, um, that they want to pursue, that may keep them from changing majors, which could delay their graduation. Um, or they're just a little bit more mature and able to handle the workload better. So I don't really see it extending their time in college. Well, now that we know where Malia Obama is going to college, I guess the next question will be what does she do for her gap year, so we may be talking to you about that specifically in the near future. Education expert, Laura Hosid, thanks for your time today. Hey there, I'm Chris Hayes from MSNBC. Thanks for watching MSNBC on YouTube. If you want to keep up to date with the videos we're putting out, you can click subscribe just below me or click over on this list to see lots of other great videos.