The School Counseling Group, Inc.

“By a discovery year, I don’t mean simply traveling to Europe or doing nothing. I mean a year of experiences to learn about yourself—what you like and do not like, what are your strengths, what is your purpose, and what pathways are possible.”

The Need For Discovery Gap Years, Microinternships As Students Choose College Although the nation’s top universities are the envy of the world, it’s also true that a stunning number of students learn little, fail to graduate and take on debt that they struggle to pay back when they don’t complete.

"Between the fall of 2009 and spring of 2015, the number of students who visited campus counseling centers increased by more than 30 percent, while college enrollment climbed just 5 percent, according to a 2015 report by the Center for Collegiate Mental Health." Read more here on how colleges are increasing mental health support on campus, a wonderful thing to see.

As Students Struggle With Stress and Depression, Colleges Act as Counselors More than 60 percent of college students said they had experienced “overwhelming anxiety” in the past year. Over 40 percent said they felt so depressed they had difficulty functioning.

This is a very informative article that highlights the factors parents should consider when thinking about a gap year for their child.
https://bit.ly/2IhFbQe

Is a Gap Year Good for Your Child’s Mental Health and GPA? Parents, consider four factors when recommending a gap year before college.

How do we teach resilience? Interesting take by Meghan Leahy Parent Coach

Perspective | I want my son to be more resilient. Is that teachable? He cries at school and thinks other kids are being unkind. I want him to tune them out.

“Enhancing soft skills and taking the initiative to forge their own unique career paths will contribute to effectively preparing today’s high school students for successful future careers. “

Three Workplace Trends Every High Schooler Should Prepare For Evolving workplace trends will impact the future career paths of today’s high school students. Students can take steps now to start forging their unique career trajectories and effectively prepare for future professional success.

This article from The NYT points out that Thanksgiving time is a good moment to check in with your college freshman son or daughter to see how they're managing the transition.

When a College Student Comes Home to Stay Thirty percent of freshmen won’t return for their sophomore year, and the wheels can start to fall off as early as Thanksgiving. What can parents do?

This is a great article from The Daily Illini about the amazing options available to gap year students.

University students take gap year Rather than going straight to college, some students are opting to take a year off to work and gain new experiences before applying to a university. Billy O’Donnell, sophomore in Business, took a gap year to gain valuable work experience to benefit his resume. He spent the first half of his gap ye...

Check out the link below for the complete list of USA Gap Year Fairs. There will be 4 in the DC area in early 2019:

2/4- Rockville, MD at Richard Montgomery HS at 7pm
2/5- Ashburn, VA at Broadrun HS at 6pm
2/6- Fairfax, VA at George C. Marshall HS at 6pm
2/7- Washington, DC at Woodrow Wilson HS at 6pm

Gap Year Fairs Schedule - USA Gap Year Fairs USA Gap Year Fairs connects students & families with experiential learning opportunities with gap year programs from all over the world!

So, what does it mean to be the "best" college?

Challenge Success, Ignore College Rankings And Engage Today, Challenge Success, a nonprofit organization affiliated with the Stanford Graduate School of Education, released its latest white paper: “A ‘Fit’ Over Rankings: Why College Engagement Matters More Than Selectivity.” It provides a meaningful exploration of what really matters.