The Complete Guide to the Gap Year

February 1, 2010
In this good contribution to a growing field, White, the director of an educational consulting company, helps students who seek a post-high school experience other than college or the military navigate their many choices, beginning with interfacing with college admission staffs and funding the experience. She also includes material about federally administered national service opportunities, techniques for evaluating gap-year programs, and profiles of students' gap-year experiences. About 200 gap-year opportunities are described, organized primarily by experience type (e.g., volunteer, adventure, language study, conservation, and postgraduate year). VERDICT Unlike Susan Griffith's solid "Your Gap Year: Everything You Need To Know To Make Your Year Out the Adventure of a Lifetime", White's book lacks content on the risks and challenges of taking a gap year, and libraries with the former need not purchase White's book. Otherwise, this is a good choice for students with the means and broad perspective necessary to consider this experience.Eric Petersen, Kansas City P.L., MO

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