Sometimes students nearing graduation need more time to figure out what they want to do after school. Often a well-structured gap year can provide an opportunity for quality thinking about the next move.
Challenge
Concerned parents contacted us about their daughter heading into her junior year. They wanted to know if she should be applying to colleges, whether she should start writing her college essays even though she didn’t know what major to declare. She didn’t even have a short list of colleges. In fact, their daughter was showing little interest in university, and they were worried. Most of their daughter’s friends not only had wish-lists of schools, they were already making campus visits.
Background
Their daughter had never felt strongly about particular subjects, or a career. She didn’t have hobbies, wasn’t active in clubs or athletics, but she did like to read, and she did reasonably well in school. But any time they broached college, their daughter grew obstinate, or withdrawn. They got concerned and when she told them she wanted to delay making a decision on college, they freaked out. They were worried that she would fall behind her peers, waste a year or more, even worse, she might not ever go to back to school. That’s when they called The Lifing Group.
Solution
We understand that kids develop at different rates. Not everyone has an easily identified passion, sometimes what kids think they want, turns out not to be. But all kids eventually do find their way. We have a proven process that includes skills and personality assessments, but we also take the time to get to know your child. This wrap around approach addresses foundational and executive function skills as well as tutoring and mentoring to build confidence and trust.
Over the summer and during her senior year we engaged with her weekly and together we discovered what got her excited. We determined that she was ready for college, she just needed confidence building and some guidance and understanding on her strengths and interests. At the end of the day, there is no one way to transition from high school to the next phase of life. At The Lifing Group we are committed to finding the right next steps for your child, at a pace that gives them the best opportunity to realize their potential.