WHENtheWhiteHouseannouncedthatMaliaObama，theolderdaughterofUSPresidentBarackObama，wouldwaituntil2017toenrollinHarvardandwouldtakeagapyearinthemeantime，alotofAmericanswereconfused．ButtheWhiteHousedidn'tsa
WHENtheWhiteHouseannouncedthatMaliaObama，theolderdaughterofUSPresidentBarackObama，wouldwaituntil2017toenrollinHarvardandwouldtakeagapyearinthemeantime，alotofAmericanswereconfused．ButtheWhiteHousedidn'tsaywhatMaliaObamawoulddoduringtheyearshe'stakingoff．
GapyearsaresopopularinBritainthatmorethan200，000studentstakethemeveryyear．However，theyarevirtuallyunknowntomanystudentsintheUS．Onlyabout1percentofgraduatingseniors，orabout30，000Americanstudents，decidetotakeayearoffbetweenhighschoolandcollege．
Gapyears，asdefined （定义） bymostUScolleges，arestructured （规划好的） educationalperiodsoftravel，volunteeringorotherkindsoflearningthroughexperiences．Theyusuallyhavetobeapprovedbythecollegesstudentsplantoattend，andmoreAmericanstudentshavestartedtotakegapyears．
AccordingtoAmericanGapAssociationsurveys，therewasa22percentincreaseinstudentstakinggapyearsin2015overthepreviousyear．
Whilemanycolleges，andparticularlypublicuniversities，don'tallowstudentstodeferenrollment，FloridaStateUniversityhasbegunencouragingitsfreshmentotakeayearofffromtheirstudiesinordertogetsomeextramaturityandnewexperiences．
"Weknowveryclearlynowthatgapyearscanbeaneducationalexperiencethatchangesyoucompletely，"saidJoeO'Shea，presidentoftheboardoftheAmericanGapAssociation．"Theyshowanincreaseindetermination．Gapyearshelpincreasestudents'focuswhiletheiridentitiesandfutureplanstakeshape．"
JustaskKarisEngle，whospentayearwithacharitableorganizationinHaitiatage18．Theexperiencehasmadeherrealizethatshewantstohelpothers．Engle，nowthepresidentofTheGladesInitiative，anon-profitorganizationthathelpswithfoodsecurityincommunitiesinsouthernFlorida，saidtheimmersion （沉浸） inaverydifferentculturecompletelychangedherworldview．
BythetimesheenteredBethelCollegeinKansasayearlater，herlifehadchanged．
"IfeltlikeIwasdifferentfrommostpeoplethere．IknewclearlywhatIwantedtostudy，whichwasinternationaldevelopmentwithanemphasisonsocialwork，"Englesaid．