Everything You've Ever Wanted to Know About Gap Years
A gap year is a chance to explore your interests and ambitions before committing to college or university.
A gap year is a "gap" from school — students take a break from their education path to explore their passions and interests, and possibly save some money for college or university in the future.
Taking a gap year isn't right for everybody, but it can be liberating for students who aren't yet committed to a particular pathway. Still, taking a gap year can be intimidating, as it's not always clear how to get the most out of your time.
That's where CanGap, the Canadian Gap Year Association, comes in. CanGap offers tons of gap year resources to help students — and their parents! — better understand what a quality gap year entails.
Let's take a look at some of those resources!
Making the right decision on a gap year
First up is a handful of resources to help you make the decision on whether a gap year is right for you.
Gap Year Quiz
Every year, thousands of students take the quiz to determine if a gap year is the right call! Take the quiz to find out for yourself.
CanGap's got a few other quizzes you might enjoy as well.
The Ultimate Decision Guide
This is a flowchart that takes you from the key, basic question of "Do I want to go to college or university after high school graduation?" and breaks down the many pathways to consider from there. Download the PDF Decision Guide here.
Talking to your parents about a gap year
For many students, this is the hardest part of taking a gap year: talking to your parents!
Need a little advice on approaching this subject with your parents? Download the PDF conversation guide here, which includes worksheets, guidance, and advice for talking about the potential of a gap year with your parental units.
Planning your gap year
Once you've made the call to take a gap year, you'll want to do some planning so that your experience is the best it can be.
Goal-setting 101
Setting goals is an important first step! The Goal-Setting PDF worksheet can help you drill down on your hopes and expectations for your gap year.
Diversifying your gap year
This worksheet is all about finding a balance in your gap year, so that you nourish every aspect of yourself: mental, physical, social, and beyond. This short worksheet uses the earn, learn, give back model to help you identify the aspects of your gap year that matter most to you. Download the diversification PDF worksheet here.
Gap year provider questionnaire
Lots of organizations promoting gap year activities exist! This PDF questionnaire offers a list of questions to ask a provider if you're considering their services.
Passion project template
If you've got an ambitious personal project brewing, and you're serious about making inroads on it during your gap year, this downloadable PDF worksheet can help you lay out your goals and next steps.
You may also be eligible for a Gap Year Fellowship to help fund your project!
Funding your gap year
This is where the rubber meets the road. You'll want to think about budgeting, and you may also enjoy the financial literacy workshop presented by Jazzmine Raine, a CanGap staffer.
Your gap year budget
Download the gap year budget template, an easy-to-use spreadsheet that you can edit in Excel, Google Docs, or any other spreadsheet app on your phone.
The spreadsheet walks you through the major aspects of a solid gap year budget, including income and expenses, and separate tabs for each gap year experience you want to have.
Developing a workable budget is an important part of adult life, so getting a head start during your gap year can help you plan more effectively, and be ready for the unexpected!
Download the gap year budget template.
Financial literacy video on YouTube
Check out this financial literacy (finlit) video on YouTube! It's an hour-long session hosted by Jazzmine Raine that covers understanding our relationships with money, mindful financial practices, finlit terms, and more.
In fact, we'll save you a click. Watch the whole finlit video below:
$750 CanGap Gap Year Scholarship
Every May, CanGap offers a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or refugee, between the ages of 17 and 25, who are taking a gap year, a $750 gap year scholarship!
Learn about what the gap year scholarship is and isn't on the CanGap scholarship page.
Whether a gap year is right for you is ultimately a decision only you can make. Organizations like CanGap exist to help support you if you do decide on a gap year. Check out the gap year FAQs if you still have questions about the whole idea, or contact CanGap directly.
Enjoy your gap year!
Explore CanGap and decide if a gap year is right for you
