Advantages and Disadvantages of Taking a Gap Year before Undergrad and Graduate School

Volume 1, No. 1
Online ISSN: 3071-0898

© The authors. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons 4.0 License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Taking a Gap Year before Undergrad and Graduate School

CONFERENCE ABSTRACT

Takyla Graham* and Tamara Avant⁺

School of Health Sciences, Barton College, Wilson, NC, USA
*Student author, ⁺Faculty mentor

CITATION

Graham, Takyla; & Avant, Tamara. (2026). Advantages and disadvantages of taking a gap year before undergrad and graduate school [Conference abstract]. Barton Journal, 1(1), 152–153. https://bartonjournal.org/vol-1-no-1/2026-cat4-article-no-014

Abstract

Taking a gap year can improve students’ academic performance, likely because those students adopt a growth mindset (Blackburn et al, 2005). I hypothesized that participants who took a gap year (before entering either undergraduate or graduate school) are more prepared and have better academic performance than students who did not take a gap year. Participants (N = 46) were current and former college students who answered a questionnaire on their gap year status, self-assessments (i.e., how they feel), and an evaluation (i.e., their behavior/actions) of their academic preparedness and performance. Independent t-tests showed that results did not match my hypothesis, as there was no significant difference in perceived performance for those taking a gap year (M = 3.41, SD = 1.08) or not (M = 3.88, SD = 0.64), t(44) = 1.29, p = 0.20. There were also no significant differences in their perceived preparedness for college, t(44) = 1.38, p = 0.17. However, students who felt more prepared for college had a higher average performance evaluation (M = 4.01, SD = 0.77) than students who felt less prepared for college (M = 3.13, SD = 0.63), t(44) = 2.88, p < 0.01. Additionally, there was a significant positive correlation between the preparedness and performance evaluations for all participants (r(44) = 0.86, p < .0001), but this relationship was stronger for participants who took a gap year (r(3) = 0.95, p = 0.05) than those who did not (r(41) = 0.83, p < .0001).

Keywords: gap year, academic performance

References

Blackburn, George Alan; Clark, Gordon; & Pilgrim, David. (2005). The gap year for geographers: Effects and paradoxes. Geography, 90(1), 32–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/00167487.2005.12094115

Category I Articles
(3000–5000 words)

Full-length Article. Comprehensive, original research study common in the sciences, social sciences, humanities, and interdisciplinary fields. Presents research questions, methods, findings, and implications in full detail.

Review Article. Critical synthesis of existing scholarship across a discipline or subfield, often in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Identifies major debates, trends, and gaps in the literature.

Technical Report. Detailed account of applied research, development, or project-based work, typically used in engineering, technology, environmental science, and public policy. Emphasizes procedures, data, and practical results.

Category II Articles
(1500–3000 Words)

Case Study. An in-depth examination of a single event, individual, organization, or community, used widely in business, education, medicine, social sciences, and public policy to illustrate broader concepts.

Creative Scholarship. Scholarly work grounded in artistic, literary, or creative practices. Explores craft, process, or interpretation as a form of inquiry accompanied by explanatory text.

Critical Essay. An argument-driven analysis of a text, issue, or concept, common in the humanities and cultural studies. Prioritizes interpretation, critique, and original perspective.

Data Paper. Documentation-focused article describing a dataset’s collection, structure, and potential uses. Common in sciences, social sciences, and humanities.

Methodology Paper. Focused exploration of research methods, designs, or analytical tools across disciplines such as psychology, biology, statistics, and communication studies. Emphasizes innovation or refinement of methods.

Replication Study. Study that reproduces prior research to test reliability and validity, especially in psychology, economics, biomedical sciences, and education.

Research Note. Short report presenting preliminary findings, emerging questions, or early-stage results. Used in sciences and social sciences to share timely insights.Short article. Condensed research piece that presents a focused analysis, small study, or partial findings across disciplines.

Category III Articles
(750–1000 Words)

Book/Media Review. Evaluative overview of a recent book, film, performance, or digital media, used across humanities, social sciences, and interdisciplinary fields.

Brief. Concise report summarizing key findings, updates, or policy-relevant information, common in public policy, health, and applied sciences.

Commentary. Short, argument-based reflection on a current issue, debate, or publication, common across disciplines.

Letter. Short communication addressing a specific study, idea, or dataset, used in sciences, social sciences, and some humanities fields.

Perspective. Reflective or viewpoint-driven piece offering an informed disciplinary interpretation of an issue, trend, or method.

Category IV Articles
(Abstracts)

Extended Abstract (300–700 Words). A more detailed, mini-article format often used in STEM and interdisciplinary conferences, including background, methods, and preliminary findings.

Conference Abstract (150–300 Words). Concise summary of proposed conference research, outlining the question, approach, and significance across any academic discipline.