Alternatives to College / Gap Year Options
Books
Search our catalog online at http://follettweb.vsac.org:9000/webopac/main?siteid=1. Patrons may borrow books either by coming to the Resource Center in downtown Winooski, or by making an interlibrary loan request through their local school or public library.
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Choices for the High School Graduate: A Survival Guide for the Information Age (2005) |
Call # 373.18 Fireside |
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The Gap-Year Advantage: Helping Your Child Benefit from Time Off Before or During College (2005) |
Call # 370.116 Haigler |
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The Gap-Year Guidebook (2006) |
Call # 370.116 Withers |
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The Gap Year Book: The Definitive Guide to Planning and Taking a Year Out (2003) |
Call # 370.116 Hindle |
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Success Without College: College May Not Be Right for Your Child or Right Just Now (2000) |
Call # 370.116 Lee |
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Taking a Gap Year (2005) |
Call # 370.116 Griffith |
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Taking Time Off: Inspiring Stories of Students Who Enjoyed Successful Breaks from College and How You Can Plan Your Own (2003) |
Call # 370.116 Hall |
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But What If I Don’t Want to Go to College?: A Guide to Success Through Alternative Education (2006) |
Call # 374.013 Unger |
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Other Ways to Win: Creating Alternatives for High School Graduates (2006) |
Call # 370.11 Gray |
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The Teenagers’ Guide to School Outside the Box (2001) |
Call # 373.2 Greene |
Internships/work opportunities
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Back Door Guide to Short-Term Job Adventures: Internships, Summer Jobs, Seasonal Works, Volunteer Vacations, and Transitions Abroad (2005) |
Call # 650.14 Landes |
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International Workcamp Directory (2006) |
Call # 331.128 VFP |
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Sail Tall Ships!: A Directory of Sail Training and Adventure at Sea (2000) |
Call # 790.01 ASTA |
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Teaching English Abroad: Teach Your Way Around the World (2006) |
Call # 428.007 Griffith |
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The Uncollege Alternative: Your Guide to Incredible Careers and Amazing Adventures Outside College (2000) |
Call # 331.7 Wood |
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Work Your Way Around the World (2005) |
Call # 428.007 Griffith |
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You’re Certifiable: The Alternative Career Guide to More Than 700 Certificate Programs, Trade Schools, and Job Opportunities (1999) |
Call # 378.013 Natalfi |
Volunteer, service, and travel experiences
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Alternative Travel Directory: The Complete Guide to Traveling, Studying, and Living Overseas (2002) |
Call # 370.116 TAP |
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Alternatives to the Peace Corps: A Directory of Volunteer Opportunities (2005) |
Call # 361.3 Willsea |
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How to Live Your Dream of Volunteering Overseas (2002) |
Call # 361.37 Collins |
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The International Directory of Voluntary Work (2005) |
Call # 361.3 Pybus |
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Volunteer Vacations: Short-Term Adventures that Will Benefit You and Others (2006) |
Call # 302.14 McMillon |
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Transitions Abroad (periodical) |
Call # PER 370.116 Hu |
Web Links
Below is a partial listing of the many available college alternative or gap year programs. The costs vary widely for these programs.
- The VSAC Resource library staff maintains an updated list of various summer/semester opportunities in and outside of Vermont geared primarily, but not exclusively, to high school students — Summer opportunities
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ publication “High Earning Workers Who Don’t Have Bachelor’s Degrees” offers information on jobs that pay well, the educational requirements of these jobs, and a discussion of what makes a “good” job — http://stats.bls.gov/opub/ooq/1999/fall/art02.pdf
- “Where Are You Headed?” provides a database of gap year options, as well as information on summer opportunities and advice on college admissions and transfers. Use VSAC’s membership: username = reachout, password = winooski — www.whereyouheaded.com
Cultural/educational experiences
- AFS Intercultural Programs, Inc. is a non-profit, international organization that provides intercultural learning opportunities abroad with the aim of promoting a more just and peaceful world — www.afs.org/afs_or/home
- Global Quest offers 12-week, summer, and year-long programs in Thailand and Ecuador/Galapagos for high school seniors and graduates who want an off-the-beaten-path, authentic cultural experience — http://gquest.org
- Sojourns Abroad is a 12-week fall/spring or 2-week summer cultural immersion experience in Italy, Spain, or France for those who want an international adventure — www.sojournsabroad.org
- Youth for Understanding is an international exchange and educational organization committed to inspiring and engaging youth of all races and ethnicities, regardless of socioeconomic status, in an academic year, semester, or summer program — www.yfu-usa.org
- Audubon Expedition Institute is a traveling graduate and undergraduate school that transforms students into inspired, compassionate environmental leaders and activists — www.lesley.edu/gsass/audubon/index.html
- Earthwatch Institute promotes sustainable conservation of our natural resources and cultural heritage by putting people in the field where they assist scientists in their field work — www.earthwatch.org
- Living Routes offers Ecovillages, ecological communities where students live in harmony with local environments while investigating personal and community-based solutions to real world issues — www.livingroutes.org
- Outward Bound offers over 650 adventure-based wilderness courses that focus on compassion, learning through experience, and responsibility to both team and the environment — www.outwardbound.org
- The Student Conservation Association provides opportunities for volunteers, conservation internships, and a year-round leadership program in our National Parks, Forests, and other public lands — www.thesca.org
- The Vermont Youth Conservation Corps is a private non-profit organization that hires young adults to complete conservation and park management projects on public lands in Vermont — www.vycc.org/index.html
- Americorps is the domestic Peace Corps; volunteers are eligible for an education award after one-year’s service — www.americorps.org
- City Year is a national service organization which unites young adults, ages 17-24, from diverse racial, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds for a demanding year of full-time community service, leadership development, and civic engagement — www.cityyear.org
- Cross Cultural Solutions is a not-for-profit international volunteer organization that operates volunteer programs in Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Morocco, Peru, Russia, South Africa, Tanzania and Thailand — www.crossculturalsolutions.org/Default.asp
- Global Volunteers assists people of diverse cultures in gaining a non-tourist perspective through volunteer opportunities such as teaching English, working with community elders, repairing buildings, and more — www.globalvolunteers.org
- The Global Volunteer Network places people in community projects in 21 countries — www.volunteer.org.nz
- Volunteers for Peace offers low-cost international volunteer opportunities for young adults — www.vfp.org
- World Volunteer Web, coordinated by the United Nations Volunteer program, supports the volunteer community by providing a global one-stop shop for information, resources, and organizations linked to volunteerism — www.worldvolunteerweb.org
- Action Without Borders provides information on non-profit careers, volunteer opportunities, and internships — www.idealist.org
- The Center for Interim Programs enables people to pursue structured alternatives to formal education by matching clients' interests with over 3,000 internships, apprenticeships, volunteer positions, and cultural study programs worldwide — www.interimprograms.com
- Dynamy offers year- and semester-long leadership and career exploration internship programs for high school seniors and recent graduates. Each nine-week program combines an internship component with an Outward Bound course, community service, independent apartment living, and one-on-one advising — www.dynamy.org
- Gap Year Edge combines customized gap year placement with one-on-one coaching throughout the gap year — www.gapyearedge.org
- LEAPNow is a source for low-cost internships, volunteer positions, work exchanges, and experiential programs in 129 countries and the U.S. — www.leapnow.org/home.htm
- Young Politicians of America offers links to hundreds of internships in a variety of organizations, including government, nonprofit, media, academic, and service organizations — www.ypa.org/home.php
Software Resources
VT Guidance Central
VT Guidance Central is a web-based, personalized, self-guided program that provides comprehensive career, college, and education planning tools
You can use VT Guidance Central as a tool to:
- explore career possibilities
- plan the training you need for specific careers
- search for colleges/universities that fit your desired criteria (e.g., location, size, programs/majors, activities, costs)
- prepare for the SAT and ACT
- learn about financial aid options
- and much more!
Visit the VSAC Resource Center in Winooski to utilize other assessment, career, and education planning software tools.
Updated: June 2007
Compiled by: VSAC Resource Center, 10 East Allen Street, PO Box 2000, Winooski, VT 05404
Call: 800-642-3177 toll-free or Burlington area 802-655-9602 • Fax: 802-654-3765 • E-mail: info@vsac.org
The Vermont Student Assistance Corp. was established by the Vermont General Assembly in 1965 to help Vermonters obtain the information and financial resources they need to pursue their education goals beyond high school.
