Are Gap Years About To Be A Trend?

In a Thursday, April 7, 2016 file photo, President Barack Obama jokes with his daughter Malia Obama as they walk to board Air Force One from the Marine One helicopter, as they leave Chicago en route to Los Angeles. The White House announced Sunday, May 1, 2016, that Malia Obama will take a year off after high school and attend Harvard University in 2017. (
President Barack Obama jokes with his daughter Malia Obama as they walk from the Marine One helicopter. The White House announced that Malia will take a year off after high school and attend Harvard University in 2017. Jacquelyn Martin / AP File Photo
In a Thursday, April 7, 2016 file photo, President Barack Obama jokes with his daughter Malia Obama as they walk to board Air Force One from the Marine One helicopter, as they leave Chicago en route to Los Angeles. The White House announced Sunday, May 1, 2016, that Malia Obama will take a year off after high school and attend Harvard University in 2017. (
President Barack Obama jokes with his daughter Malia Obama as they walk from the Marine One helicopter. The White House announced that Malia will take a year off after high school and attend Harvard University in 2017. Jacquelyn Martin / AP File Photo

Are Gap Years About To Be A Trend?

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First daughter Malia Obama revealed over the weekend that she’ll defer her enrollment at Harvard until 2017 so she can take a gap year. We talk with two experts about the different versions of gap years, their benefits and whether they’re right for everyone.

Joe O’Shea is the author of Gap Year: How Delaying College Changes People in Ways the World Needs and director of Florida State University’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement.

Jeff Selingo has been a higher education writer for two decades. His most recent book is There is Life After College: What Parents and Students Should Know About Navigating School to Prepare for the Jobs of Tomorrow.