Essential Eligibility Criteria

This is a general and broad list of suitability criteria for students seeking to take a gap year. These qualifications provide a standard by which gap students understand the full extent of the physical, mental, and emotional challenges presented with any gap experience.

Mental Health:

• Student cannot be adjudicated, court mandated, nor on probation.

• Student cannot exhibit psychiatric conditions that cannot be managed in the field without therapy.

• Student must be able to self-medicate with proper dosage without the aid of an instructor.

• Student should be able to care for self in the way of nutrition, hydration, sleep, allergies, stress, and personal hygiene.

• Willingness to seek and provide recommendation from current/past therapist

• Open mind, self aware, and curious

• Ability to follow rules and guidelines stipulated in selected gap program

• Enough command of English language to understand and communicate effectively

• Age 18 (some gap programs will take 17 years old if legal papers are signed by parents)

Safety and Risk Mitigation:

• Ability to withstand long periods of travel on plane, boat, train, etc.

• Sound judgment to identify risks, hazards, and dangers

• Ability to recognize unsafe team member’s behavior or of self due to stress, sickness, behavior

• Ability to handle and respond to stressful situations and unfamiliar settings such as home stays, different food and customs, medical emergencies, dangerous conditions or disasters

Ethical Behavior:

• Abide by cultural norms with dress code and behavior that is culturally appropriate

• Exhibit cognitive ability to recall and learn skills taught in program

• Be a team player and respect differences

• Be responsible for own belongings at all times

• Be able to travel and navigate independently