The White House announced that Malia Obama will delay her attendance at Harvard--her parents' alma mater--till the beginning of fall 2017 and will take a "gap year"  or "bridge year" after she graduates from high school this summer. 

Malia had been touring all the top colleges over the past few months and there was much speculation about where she would end up. Her decision to take a bridge year caught the world by surprise, but it's part of a growing movement in the US that may have just received the ambassador it needed to break into the mainstream.

Her decision was no doubt influenced by the spotlight that shines so brightly on her father, US President Barack Obama. If she began her college career while he was still in office, she would be bombarded with attention. Starting after he ends his term will afford her a greater degree of obscurity and calm. 

But aside from evading pandemonium, Malia's choice reflects a growing consensus in the US that a bridge year is a great route for many students. (Something known by many in Europe already).

A bridge year involves taking a year off in between high school and college. It allows a student to pause, refllect on her education to date and then recalibrate. It's a bridge to a more aware self. Oftentimes, students embark on self-discovery journeys, but bridge years don't have to be ambitious or elaborate. 

Whatever the motivation, bridge year students are often better prepared for college when they finally attend because they inevitably mature during this time. The human brain develops well into the 20s and sometimes beyond, so delaying college by even a year could mean greater cognitive capacity.

A student also gets to more fully explore who she is, what matters to her and what she wants to do with her life.

Oftentimes, students choose to travel. One program called Global Citizen Year (which provides ample financial aid) immerses students in a different culture for several months. "Through a mixture of world-class training, structured immersion and a local apprenticeship, we support our Fellows as they embark on a transformative experience that provides an unparalleled opportunity to see the world—and themselves—through a dramatically different lens."

A bridge year can mean many other things. It can involve working a job, volunteering, or joining a farm collaborative. It can involve embarking on personal research, exercising intensively or just spending time with family and friends. Not all forms of a bridge year are available to everyone, but nearly everyone can find or devise a program that works for them.  

Ultimately, a bridge year is about growing as a person and deeply thinking about what your next step in life will be. Far too often students are shuttled into college after a dizzying selection process that fails to leave room for personal reflection. 

Bridge years want to change that. 

They've become more common over the past decade, but they're still rare in the US. Less than 1% of college students take them. Many people warily regard the whole concept as indulgent or distracting. 

But now that the most watched high school senior in the country--Malia Obama--has decided to take a bridge year, it could further popularize the movement. After all, if the president of the United States thinks it's a good idea, it's probably worth considering.


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