Location
  • Online
Length
4 - 52 weeks

Program Details

Timeframe
Year Round
Age Min.
16

Pricing

Price Details
Inquire for pricing
What's Included (Extra)

Gap Year planning and internship services.

Nov 08, 2023
Jul 29, 2024
4 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Gap Year Solutions helps students increase college success through transformational gap experiences. Founder Katherine Stievater is an accredited Gap Year Consultant and Professional Member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association. She works with students across the U.S. to structure work, internships, volunteering, travel and other activities into a customized plan. In addition to working with students to plan their Gap time, Gap Year Solutions also finds internship placements for students! Katherine's approach focuses on student ownership, and building life skills such as problem solving, independent living, and resilience. Her process with her students creates trust and powerful mentoring relationships. She encourages students to embrace this unique opportunity to step off the traditional path, be authentic, and continue to discover themselves! Katherine has four boys including two that took a Gap Year before or during college. Headquartered in Boston, MA.

Video and Photos

Program Highlights

  • Emphasizes life skills and college readiness
  • Finds internship placements for Gap Year students
  • Builds powerful mentoring relationships to help students learn and grow
  • Encourages work and internships along with travel
  • Brings deep experience with today's teens

Related Programs

Program Reviews

4.92 Rating
based on 13 reviews
  • 5 rating 92.31%
  • 4 rating 7.69%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Content 4.95
  • Engagement 4.95
  • Support 4.95
  • Platform 4.95
  • Value 4.85
Showing 1 - 8 of 13 reviews
Default avatar
Beth
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Review of Gap Year Solutions

Gap Year Solutions, owned by Katherine Stievater, was simply an amazing choice for our family and for my daughter's gap year. Katherine is a very experienced gap year consultant and knows the top programs for her students. Katherine took the time to get to know my daughter and met with her several times throughout the year to help my daughter select the gap year programs that were the best for her and to tailor the gap year to my daughter's needs and interests. Katherine recommended top quality programs that we would never had been able to find ourselves. I cannot say enough wonderful things about Katherine and Gap Year Solutions. Hiring Gap Year Solutions was the best decision our family could have made and was worth every penny!

17 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
RJ
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Gap Year Solutions

Katherine is very helpful and she is with you every step of the way. She was very good at helping me map out my entire gap year ensuring that it was one of the best experiences of my life. She is very knowledgeable on many amazing gap year programs and will set you up with different calls to help you gauge which program will be the best fit. She is also a great communicator and will always answer your texts wherever you may be in the world. I would definitely recommend using her to help map out your gap year!

18 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Isabelle
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Katherine Stievater- Gap Year Solutions

Katherine was extremely helpful and encouraging while helping me plan my gap year. She provided lots of insight and encouragement, and really helped create a unique and personalized experience for me. Her expertise was clear with how much detail and information she had on ways to plan my gap year. Not only did she just provide information, but she also provided her own thoughts after visiting in person a variety of programs herself. She went above and beyond and even now continues to check in on me and hear about what I’m up to now.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Take advantage of the time and space you’ve given yourself to travel and grow.
38 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Janet
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

2022-23 gap year - Central America and Australia/New Zealand

Katherine helped our family navigate exciting and important gap year decisions. What I appreciated most is that she put the student in the driver's seat, letting the have agency over decisions. Katherine supported our student's growth and boosted her confidence along the way. Our child's gap year experience altered who she has become in seemingly innumerable positive ways.

In today's world of insane college admissions, a gap year provides opportunities for personal growth outside the bubbles our kids have lived in through high school. Students gain perspective and maturity that serves them well throughout college and beyond.

43 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Mark
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Gap Year Solutions

As a parent of an 18-year-old student who completed her gap year in 2022-2023, I highly recommend Gap Year Solutions - which provided ongoing, expert consulting to my daughter during her gap year. This consulting helped her identify multiple suitable gap year programs and local job possibilities, and make great choices. As a result, she emerged well-prepared for independent, dorm-based living and to choose a college major in which she is now thriving. The periodic consulting calls (most with the student, some with parents) helped keep my daughter on track and helped boost her confidence in herself and her college path.

45 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Jack
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

2020 Gap Year Review

Taking a gap year was the most difficult, and best decision of my life. Working with Katherine Stievater was a big part of why it was the best decision. I knew I wanted some sort of travel trip, and Katherine laid out multiple options that fit my interests. The ARCC Pacific Northwest trip itself fulfilled every one of my desires. I traveled to the most beautiful parts of the country while simultaneously building relationships with other students. I had the opportunity to work in a group every day and take on a leadership role. Learning from my gap year turned me into the person I am today and is something all students should consider. As a college student, I have talked about my gap year in every interview I've been in because it was that meaningful of an experience. Working with Katherine was an absolute pleasure and critical to my gap year's success.

What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?
In a night swimming incident one of friends and fellow gap year students had a scare in the ocean. I was able to swim out and help him safely in. This was extremely nerve racking but also reminded me that life is a gift. After a life or death experience like that I made sure not to take anything for granted and to make the most of every opportunity.
Pros
  • Maturity
  • Patience
  • Leadership
51 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
James
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Gap Year Solutions review

Coming out of high school I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Taking a gap year seemed like a good idea but I had no idea where to start. Thankfully I found Gap Year Solutions because otherwise I wouldn’t have known what to do. Katherine Stievater helped me so much through my gap year. She helped me make a list of things I’d want to do during the year, helping me have a plan. She also looked for and recommended gap year programs for me. Katherine took what I found interesting and recommended programs that would fit me. Without her I wouldn’t have found the two programs I went on. I had the best experiences of my life during my gap year. Without Katherine it would have been a very different year.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Be open minded to new experiences during your gap year. One of the programs I went one I was a little unsure if I’d like it, but it ended up being the best experience of my life.
Pros
  • Helps you find and recommends programs
  • Helps you stay organized and have a plan for the year
41 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
James
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Katherine Stievater Gap Year Consulting

Katherine was really helpful throughout my gap year. She helped me find programs that I might be interested in, she helped me stay organized and stay on track during the year. Without Katherine I don’t think I would have found the programs I went on and I don’t think my year would have been as successful. She helped me follow my interests and find programs that actually resonated with me. Even in between programs she helped me stay on track. She had me make a dream list of things I’d like to do or learn. That helped me focus on specific things to do during my time. Katherine was extremely helpful in making my gap year an amazing experience.

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
I would not change anything. Katherine helped make my year amazing. She helped find incredible programs and I wouldn’t do anything differently.
Pros
  • Informative
  • Helped me find programs
  • Helped me stay organized
53 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers