The Rise of the Gap Year
by Ian Shapira
Billy Neville was flipping through the humongous Fiske Guide to Colleges last fall when his mother told him something unexpected: "Keep in mind, you don't really have to go to college next year." Ultimately, Neville deferred his enrollment for a year, joining the growing number of students who take a "gap year" -- time off between high school and college. Gap-year consultants who charge $1,000 or more to advise students on how to fill the time have emerged.
The Washington Post, 8/5/2007