A tradition initially popularized in the UK, the concept of a gap year began gaining popularity in the United States in the 1980s. Since then, numerous books and articles have been written about gap years in the American context; notably, “Time Out or Burn Out for The Next Generation” by Harvard’s former Dean of Admissions, William Fitzsimmons, and “The Gap Year Advantage” by Rae Nelson and Karl Haigler.

While the Gap Year Association is dedicated to increasing gap year visibility and access for more students, we understand that gap years may not be right for every student in every situation. Thus, we stand behind following principle of gap year advising: the student must be the one to choose to take a gap year. 

Cornelius Bull, who helped pioneer the Gap Year Movement in the U.S. in the early 1980s (and namesake of GYA’s Cornelius Bull Lifetime Achievement Award), wanted to create a bumper sticker that would capture the essence of this principle: “Don’t should on me!” The idea was to let go of the “oughts” and “shoulds” and lead from the core. Students who take ownership of their experiences have the most meaningful ones.

A gap year is a time to explore the world around and within you, and to identify that which you find truly important in life. For many, it feels easiest to take this kind of time during their teens or twenties. As Cornelius Bull humorously put it, “Have your mid-life crisis at 18 while you are young enough to enjoy it!” He also liked to assert, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.” His daughter, Holly Bull, a GYA-Accredited Gap Year Consultant at the Center for Interim Programs, coined the phrase, “a gap year is a year on, not a year off,” which she experienced firsthand from her own two gap years before and during college, as well as through her consulting work with over 3,500 gap year students.