I don’t think anyone disagrees with me when I say that choosing a college is hard. The options, financial considerations, and unsolicited advice from older people at church can get old real quick. An increasingly common option for students is to take a gap year. That’s what I did!

While I don’t recommend this choice to many people, I have a lot of advice for those who choose this route. This article is just 5 of my suggestions for enhancing your gap year and making it better than mine.

1. Stay in the word of God! 

Honestly, the one, and probably, the most important thing I was missing from my gap year was the Lord. Although I went into the year with great intentions, those hopes did not come to fruition. I had built up so much hype around the year and what I would make of it. Looking back, I realize I hadn't considered the Lord in any of it, so everything fell flat.

I got to enjoy the occasional Bible Study alongside friends at church. Still, my relationship with the Lord primarily relied upon myself and my discipline (and that can be rough as an 18-year-old). Since being at The Institute, I've learned that following the Lord necessitates the community to image him AND be held accountable in my relationship with him. Accountability is a gift the Lord gives us in one another.

On your gap year, take time in the beginning to find your core group of people that will be your accountability. Spend time doing Bible studies, praying together, serving your community, and growing your relationship with the Lord. Paired with accountability, ensure you develop routines that keep you connected to the Lord and walk in step with his spirit. (Even consider taking an online Bible class. The structure of a college course will attune you to some necessary disciplines. The Institute offers some great ones.) 

2. Get a job for more than just the money. 

Outside of not knowing what to do after high school, the opportunity to work instead of going back to school is certainly attractive. It’s fun to finally get that first full, or even part, time paycheck especially if you’ve never had a job before. 

In my experience, I loved making money that first semester out of school. I felt like a “true adult,” but quickly began to idolize how much I was making. Even though the job was miserable and lonely, I never gave it up because I started to love money. Matthew 6:24 eventually convicted me with the reality that I was replacing my relationship with the Lord with money, but in the moment it was so hard to see.

If you’re searching for a job for your gap year, write down some criteria first. Be prayerful going into it and allow the Lord to search your heart. Are you taking this job for the money? Or do you really believe in the mission of this company? Does this work fall in line with what the Lord wants from you? Money is necessary to make in order to provide for yourself, but that doesn’t mean it has to become your God.

3. Travel… I have more Don’ts than Dos.

After a heavily finance-focused first semester, I devoted the latter half of my gap year to travel. Regarding gap years, travel-don'ts are my primary point of expertise. In just over four months, I traveled to multiple countries and over a dozen states, and I'm not sure I did much of anything right.

Mistake 1: Not researching the organization I traveled with. 

Arguably the most comedic moment of my gap year was when I showed up to the airport to go to Africa for a month and realized that I, at 19 years old, was the youngest participant by FORTY YEARS. After the fact, I named the trip “Amelia’s Africa Adventures ft. The Geriatrics.” It was the worst trip I’ve ever been on. 

Instead of the advertised mission trip, it was essentially a tourism trip with a side of painting dilapidated buildings. In short, the trip was pathetic, and I quickly realized I needed something much more substantial to quench my desire to make a difference abroad. If you hope to travel with a mission organization during your gap year, do your research first!

Mistake 2: Leaving and not telling anyone that I left or where I was going.

This mistake should be self-explanatory, but if not, let me lay it out for you- THAT IS DANGEROUS. Your #1 rule for traveling should always be to have multiple people know where you're going in case anything goes wrong.

Mistake 3: Traveling alone.

I traveled almost everywhere alone, and I genuinely believe it's by the grace of God that I am alive and healthy today. My overly confident 19 year-old-self didn't know what she was doing, so the answer always became "do it alone." Not only was this insanely lonely, but just like mistake #2, it was dangerous!

If you're traveling in your gap year, don't make the same mistakes I made. Consider yourself and your loved ones, and make sure you stay safe. Additionally, research and time spent learning about the location and organization will do nothing but benefit you. You're not as wise or independent as you think and have nothing to prove.

4. Get involved with a gap year program of some kind. 

I firmly believe that one of my biggest mistakes when deciding to take a gap year was not finding a program to be a part of. Despite there being hundreds of options available- ranging from a few months to the entire year- I chose to not take advantage of them and, instead, figure everything out for myself. 

There are a plethora of available options out there, and I strongly suggest taking advantage of them! Whether you do a 1-month or 9-month program, the benefits of being around others your age and having some sense of structure to your year is invaluable. (The Institute for GOD recommends OneLife Institute or Narrow Gate!)

5. Or … Just Don’t Do One.

This sounds harsh, but a year without structure is longer than it seems. Unless you feel a genuine call from the Lord to take time away from school and to go on another path, I would not suggest a gap year to many people. There is certainly a honeymoon phase while your agemates are in classes and you, on the other hand, have complete and total autonomy, but it gets old real quick. 

For myself, August and September were fantastic! By the time October rolled around, things went downhill. Fast. My mental and physical health plunged and I found myself in one of the most challenging seasons of my life. What crippled me most in this season was the intense feeling of loneliness that I couldn’t shake. Although I had some friends here and there, nothing compared to the kind of communities I saw my peers at college becoming a part of.

Additionally, nothing can really beat this time in a young person’s life when their whole life is geared around being educated. This could mean anything from traditional college to trade school, but the beauty of a communal educational experience is unmatched. I wholeheartedly recommend The Institute for GOD, which has many aspects that attract people to a gap year built into its model (travel, mission, occupational exploration, community, all created within a biblical framework)!