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With all of the cliques and popularity competitions, high school is not usually the best place to find yourself. So why would it make sense that 18-year-olds fresh out of high school should start college and declare what they want to do for the rest of their lives? In Australia and many European countries, there is a growing trend of high school graduates who take an extended break from school, often referred to as a “gap year” where they travel, volunteer, and/or work. This allows for increased clarity regarding what they want before they start pouring money into a college degree.  In the infographic below, Rasmussen shows why these scholastic sabbaticals are on the rise, especially in the U.S.

Last year the American Gap Association awarded $2.5 million in gap year scholarships. Combined with parental funding and work abroad opportunities, approximately 40,000 students deferred admission to universities last year. Of the surveyed students who have taken a gap year, 66% said they took their school work more seriously when they returned and 60% were more sure about declaring a major. 88% said their gap year made them more employable and 75% were “happy” or “extremely satisfied” with their careers after graduating from college.