OIS Alumni Anushka Gadekar on taking a Gap Year

Taking gap years is a decision that can be met with a lot of criticism and discouragement from people around us. Personally, I felt very lonely as I saw everyone around me going off to college and chasing their dreams while I was stuck here all by myself. My parents were incredibly supportive and made me realize that I wasn’t alone! That's when it hit me: I had the liberty to make this year full of productivity or get through it by doing just the bare minimum. 

I was determined to take this opportunity to not just explore my love for psychology but also prepare myself for college and the challenges that would come with it. And it truly was a VERY busy year. I was working hard at my internship and doing multiple psych courses all while preparing for ACT and IELTS. An unexpected outcome of my gap year journey was that  I was able to improve aspects of myself that I never knew needed improvement. The most basic of them being my eating habits and studying patterns. 

It was difficult to constantly keep hustling and working especially when there was no real 'incentive' but having my goal for each month precisely planned out was extremely helpful. 
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Finally, something I realized over the course of 1 year is that taking a gap year or a semester off does not set you back by anything in the larger picture as long as you use it to your full advantage.

Anushka Gadekar
Class of 2019