gap years
Pre-college travel breaks
Gap years are periods, typically a year, taken off between life stages—most often between high school and college or after graduation before entering the workforce.
Students use them for travel, volunteer work, or gaining experience outside academics: She spent her gap year teaching English in Thailand.
The practice is more established in British culture but has grown common elsewhere.
- sabbaticalExtended leave from work
- travelingMoving from place to place
- volunteeringGiving service without pay
- internshipSupervised professional trial period
- backpackingSelf-supported wilderness travel
taking time off · hostel hopping · breaks · career planning · young adults · self-discovery · finding yourself · personal growth · life experience · study abroad · homestays · cultural exchange · time off · adventure · hiatus · intermission · exploration · interruption
- travel typescommute, road trip, trips, vacations, pilgrimage
gap yearsdropping out
Leaving before completion
continuous education · early graduation · fast-tracking · accelerated programs · dual enrollment
gap yearsfast-tracking
Accelerating a procedure's timeline
accelerated programs · early admission · getting ahead · career ladder · rat race
gap, year, gaps, gapped, gappy, years, yearly, yearling, yearlings