Instead of studying for exams and going out to parties, some Princeton freshmen could be spending their first year after high school overseas helping others.
Earlier this week, Princeton University announced that it is working on a program to send about 100 students, or 10 percent of its entering class, abroad for a gap-year program before the students come to campus.
At Penn, which has no plans to offer a program similar to Princeton's, about 60 students defer admission for a year, according to interim Dean of Admissions Eric Kaplan.
Princeton's program would serve as a bridge year between high school and college and allow students to perform social service in another country before starting at Princeton. Students who qualify would receive financial help, though Princeton tuition would not be charged for the year abroad.
A working group is still finalizing details including the selection process and safety precautions.
Princeton President Shirley Tilghman said in a press release that the program would "increase the international perspective of all students [and] . expand Princeton's commitment to the service of all nations."
Penn students' reasons for taking a gap year vary widely, from a desire to travel to compulsory military service in their homelands, Kaplan wrote in an e-mail.
That year, some students say, is an educational experience unlike that of a typical freshman, especially in terms of personal development.
College freshman Anabel Lippincott deferred admission to Penn for a year to work on Capitol Hill and travel around Europe and Africa, where she volunteered in schools, hospitals and orphanages.
"Taking that year, especially when [you're] 18, you get to know yourself a little better," she said. "When I got [to Penn], I was a much more confident person."
Gap years, which are a popular option for students in Europe, haven't caught on with the same fervor in the United States.
Princeton's program, though, could increase the number of students who defer for a year, said James Boyle, the president of College Parents of America.
"Parents haven't really taken to the idea of a gap year [yet] . It makes sense for a market-leading school such as Princeton to do this and see how it works," he said, adding that the program "will cause a greater spotlight to be put on the gap year."
The process of taking a gap year at Penn is easy, said College freshman Reiko Sakai, who spent a year studying in Ecuador before coming to the University.
After being accepted early decision, she said, she just had to request a deferral and then update Penn on her status throughout the year.
Making a gap year work is "pretty easy to do if you have a good program you're participating in," she said.
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