Unpopular opinion: I don't necessarily think the "gap year" is the boogieman that it's sometimes portrayed to be. That being said, taking time off between high school and college should be an intentional choice compatible with the individual student's long-term goals and plans. Too often, students "melt" because they get overwhelmed by the process, not because they're intentionally exploring or building workforce skills in other ways. Adulting is scary, and they're expected to do a lot of it really fast. These tips are a great start, and we also need to think differently about how we approach the way students get started in postsecondary education. I'm thinking about... ❔ How can we help students who do decide to go straight to college in the fall make a smooth transition, respecting their new autonomy without throwing them right into the deep end? ❔ How do we create a clear path for students who take time off to easily find and access attractive postsecondary options later? ❔ What supports can we put in place to keep those gap year, gap year-plus, and returning students engaged with the academic community so they stay in the know about how to access useful postsecondary opportunities? ❔ What are the ways we other students who don't go straight into college after high school? How are we unintentionally sending the message that they don't belong once they do decide to come back? #HigherEd #GapYear #YouCanComeBack #StudentSuccess #NontraditionalStudents #DoCollegeDifferently #FirstYearExperience #ReturningStudents #GapYearPlus #SummerMelt
Up to one-third of high school graduates who plan to go to college never make it to campus - a type of summer learning loss known as the "summer melt." Here's how to keep college plans on track before classes start: https://lnkd.in/eW5uRrHn #NationalHigherEducationDay
your points here Nichole would be a roadmap of new frontiers in structuring a whole branch of enrollment management with college completion as the driver