personal statement with gap year

Gap Year Personal Statement Examples

• 1 Personal Statement Example Links
• 2 Gap Year Benefits for your Personal Statement
• 3 Gap Year: What are my options?
• 4 Can I afford a Gap Year?
• 5 Should You Take a Gap Year?

Personal Statement Example Links

• Personal Statement Example 1
• Personal Statement Example 2
• Personal Statement Example 3
• Personal Statement Example 4
• Personal Statement Example 5
• Personal Statement Example 6
• Personal Statement Example 7

Ever been intrigued by the idea of taking a pause from traditional education or work paths to explore new horizons? Fascinated by the prospect of personal development, gaining real-world experience, or simply broadening your perspective through travel?

If so, a Gap Year could be your ideal journey. This unique opportunity enables you to pursue interests, grow personally, and gain life experience outside the classroom or workplace

Gap years are a great way to take time off from traditional education and explore the world. Whether you’re looking to gain work experience, travel, volunteer, or simply take a break, a gap year can be an incredibly rewarding experience.

👍 When writing a personal statement : Highlight your passion for the course, demonstrating your understanding of it. Use relevant personal experiences, coursework, or work history to showcase how these have fostered your interest and readiness for the course.

Gap Year Benefits for your Personal Statement

Taking a Gap Year before starting university can have many benefits for students. Some of the advantages include:

• Personal and professional growth: A Gap Year can provide students with the opportunity to explore their interests, develop new skills, and gain valuable work experience. This can help them to become more confident, independent, and better prepared for university and beyond.
• Cultural experience: Many students choose to travel during their Gap Year, which can expose them to different cultures and ways of life. This can broaden their perspective and help them to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of other cultures.
• Improved academic performance: Studies have shown that students who take a Gap Year tend to have higher GPAs and are more likely to graduate within four years.
• Improved career prospects: Students who take a Gap Year may have a better understanding of their career goals and are more likely to pursue internships or work experiences that align with their interests and aspirations.

Gap Year: What are my options?

Some popular choices for Gap Year activities include volunteering, internships, language immersion programs, adventure travel, and cultural exchange programs.

In terms of whether taking a Gap Year is good, bad, or does not make a difference, it ultimately depends on the individual student and their goals. For some students, a Gap Year can be a valuable and transformative experience, while for others, it may not be necessary or feasible.

Can I afford a Gap Year?

The cost of a Gap Year can vary widely depending on the activities chosen and the location. Some students may choose low-cost options such as volunteering or working while others may opt for more expensive activities such as travel or language immersion programs. It is important to research the costs associated with each option and to create a budget before embarking on a Gap Year.

Should You Take a Gap Year?

A uni gap year is an increasingly popular choice for students looking to take a break from their studies and explore the world.

A Gap Year is a valuable opportunity to gain new skills, explore new cultures, and develop as a person.

If you have taken a Gap Year before starting university, it is essential to include this experience in your personal statement.

By including your Gap Year experience in your personal statement, you can demonstrate to the university admissions team that you are a well-rounded individual who has taken the initiative to pursue your interests and passions beyond academics.

Reach out to us for career and sponsorship opportunities

© 2024 Acrosophy Excellence in Application

A Medical MBA Company The Medical MBA Ltd Company number: 13561401 86-90 Paul Street, London, England, United Kingdom, EC2A 4NE

• Personal Statements
• Gap year personal statement

Your Gap Year

When it comes to taking a gap year you have two options – to take it before you begin university, or to take it during your time at university. Luckily, whichever option you choose will look good on paper.

Universities like to see that their students have life experience outside of their academic career and a gap year is the perfect chance to pick up new skills, take part in different activities, and see a little bit more of life. 

Gap years prove to universities that you’re ready for a new adventure and like to take on a challenge. These are positive personal attributes for potential university students and can make you stand out from the crowd.

However, there are some definite dos and don’ts when talking about your gap year in your personal statement. The admissions tutors will want to hear either about what you did during your gap year, or what you intend to do if you haven’t already taken it.

You don’t have to focus your personal statement on your gap year but a few sentences or a short paragraph near the end of your application outlining your plans will show the reader that you’ve thought about what you’ll be doing.

It doesn’t matter if you’re going to be spending the time working to gain relevant experience in your subject or whether you’re travelling, as long as you show the admissions tutor that you have a plan and know what you will gain from taking the time out of education.

What you do on your gap year is completely up to you but most universities would warn you off wasting your time. Lying on a beach for an entire year might sound like a great reward for all your hard work at school, but you won’t gain anything from it.

It’s important to have a break but taking the time to volunteer for a community project, learn a new skill or language, and gaining valuable vocational experience will get you ahead of the game when the time comes to apply for/or return to university. 

University Guides

• Accommodation
• + much more!

Sign up for news & advice about applying to uni

• Universities
• Fees & Finance
• For Parents
• International Students
• Terms and Conditions

Clearing Universities & Courses

Clearing advice.

Recommended Clearing Universities

Popular Course Categories

Course search & discover.

Start the search for your uni. Filter from hundreds of universities based on your preferences.

Search by Type

Search by region.

Recommended Universities

Ravensbourne University London

London (Greater) · 67% Recommended

University of Kent

South East England · 96% Recommended

University of Surrey

South East England · 99% Recommended

Search Open Days

What's new at Uni Compare

West London Institute of Technology

WLIoT provides students with higher technical skills that are demanded by employers, learn more here!

Escape Studios

Ranked #1 in the world for Production Excellence in Immersive Media - learn more here!

Ranking Categories

Regional rankings.

More Rankings

Top 100 Universities

Taken from 65,000+ data points from students attending university to help future generations

About our Rankings

Discover university rankings devised from data collected from current students.

Guide Categories

Advice categories, recommended articles, popular statement examples, statement advice.

What to include in a Personal Statement

Personal Statement Tips

Need some help with your personal statement? Then this is the guide for you!

Writing a personal statement is never easy and it can take a long time to perfect, but if you take a look at our UCAS personal statement tips, then you'll see exactly what you should (and what you shouldn't) include in your personal statement.

Write for the degree course you want to study

There is no simple formula to write a personal statement for two unrelated degree courses. However, if the courses are similar, such as a Banking degree course, and an Accounting degree course , you can adjust your writing to suit both of these subjects.

The trick is to not mention the subject(s) by name if you are applying for different ones. The same can be said for universities, don’t talk about the institution if you are applying to separate universities.

Choose your biggest passion

Although if the courses are totally unrelated – you find that you have two passions, media and music and are waiting for A-Level results day to make a decision – it can be impossible to write about both subjects well.

If this is the case, then you will need to look at your predicted grades, your degree courses and career aspirations if you have them. Once you have chosen a degree course that you prefer over the other, then write about that one in your personal statement.

The most important thing to remember is to ensure your statement suits its purpose; to impress the university, to answer questions, and to represent yourself.

Check your notes

Hopefully, you will have a structured plan before you start writing and this could be in the form of bullet points or an entire page of notes. Regardless of your planning style, the crucial factor is that you have thought about your personal statement before sitting down to write it!

Within your notes, you can decide what language you want to use, the style, and goals of your statement. Once you begin writing don’t forget to check back to your notes! Some students produce a weak statement because they don’t remember to re-read their initial goals. Referring to your plan will also help you if you find that you go off-topic, or lose inspiration during writing.

Think about the structure of the personal statement

Our next tips for writing a personal statement, is about how your personal statement looks and reads and how important it is to universities. It shows admission tutors that you understand how to write effectively and to follow instructions. Remember to address the aims of a personal statement – why you should be accepted on to the degree course, at that university, and why you are a good fit for the subject.

The language that you use will also be judged. Avoid text or messenger style of writing and the use of slang, because let’s be fair, that’s not what universities are looking for in a personal statement.

Never write your statement on the UCAS personal statement page

Next up is one of the most important university personal statement tips. Students should write their personal statement within a word document where they can check spelling and grammar as well as being able to use a programme they understand. However, after each paragraph, you should then copy your statement back into the UCAS page to see how many lines or characters you have used.

Remember you are only allowed to have 47 lines or 4000 characters worth of space. This is different to a word count and can be easily misunderstood. One scenario that can make you panic is that you write this amazing statement and check the line count before submission to find out you are extremely over the limit!

The ending of your personal statement is another key element to keep in mind. There is no right or wrong way to end your personal statement, however, we recommend two key elements: Make it personal and reinforce the key messages you've made earlier in the statement. These are the fundamental tenents to a good personal statement conclusion and will ensure that you sign off the statement in a meaningful way.

Be positive

There is no need to feel that you have to explain any shortfalls or negative aspects of your application – especially if the university won’t pick up on this!

Try to be positive and interesting to the admission tutor, tell them about any side projects you’ve done if this will seem more relevant and worthwhile than how you completed your coursework.

Look at the university prospectus

Most of our tips for writing UCAS personal statement might seem pretty obvious, but this one is often overlooked by students.

Before writing your personal statement actually read the university website and prospectus. In most cases, institutions will describe the type of students they are looking for, whether that be innovative, creative or those with academic excellence. You need to look at these prospectus as thoroughly as possible because these will yield more information than you think.

Talk about you

It seems like one of the more obvious personal statement writing tips, but it’s the most important one. The purpose of the personal statement is for universities to find out about you because the basic information within the application won’t tell them this.

Try to include the following: what you like to do in your free time, subjects you study that maybe won’t be graded, sport and leisure activities, hobbies, musical instruments, prizes you’ve won, competitions you’ve entered, languages you speak or side projects you were involved in.

You do not need to include everything, but the relevant information will help them form a decent impression about you and your personality. The vital thing is that you have a good reason for why you want to study that subject.

If you take a gap year then talk about your gap year

This too may seem like one of our more blatant tips on writing personal statements, but you’d be surprised just how many students are reticent to mention their gap year(s).

Admission tutors can see when a student has had a gap year in between college and university. They will be interested to know why you chose to have a year out and briefly explaining why will help your application. Discuss what you did during that time, why you chose to take a gap year and how it may be related to the course.

If you are considering taking a gap year or applying for a deferred place at university or if you have retaken your exams during a gap year or if you’ve been travelling during your gap year, then you can talk about this too. Write about your plans during this time and why it would benefit you in the long run.

Although there are no strict rules about discussing your gap year in your statement so if you decide not to that is okay too. You may still be asked about it during an interview with the university.

Why you want to study that degree course

This really is what the personal statement is about. Yes, you need to talk about yourself, but one of the best tips on how to write a personal statement we can give you, is talking about your deeply-held passion and love for the degree course.

The vital thing is that you have a good reason for why you want to study that subject. It doesn’t matter if it sounds silly or different to your friends’ personal statement; you can work on it later or go into more detail during the admission interview. The best part is that you’re honest. However, if your reasoning is purely due to not doing anything else at that moment then it’s best not to include that!

Take a look at some Personal Statement examples for ideas on how to effectively mention your potential degree course. Admission tutors search for enthusiastic and passionate students because they will be the best fit for the degree course.

Talk about the subject

Write down as much as you can about the subject you want to take. There may be certain aspects or modules that really interest you, or that you understand it is the right step for your career aspirations.

All of these reasons are music to the university’s ears because it not only shows that you have done your research but that you understand why you should study the subject.

undergraduate Universities

Undergraduate uni's.

Ravensbourne

Uni of Kent

429 courses

Uni of Surrey

437 courses

Uni of Roehampton

270 courses

Goldsmiths, UOL

272 courses

West London IoT

ARU Writtle

103 courses

238 courses

Uni of Portsmouth

370 courses

Middlesex Uni

313 courses

Northeastern Uni

Uni of Suffolk

106 courses

Uni of Hertfordshire

418 courses

Uni of Sunderland

200 courses

Uni of East London

299 courses

Leeds Arts University

Uni of Chester

402 courses

Uni of Hull

273 courses

Uni of Brighton

252 courses

365 courses

Cardiff Met Uni

304 courses

Uni of Bedfordshire

343 courses

Uni of Winchester

166 courses

Uni of Bradford

197 courses

Wrexham Uni

168 courses

Kingston Uni

386 courses

Uni of Huddersfield

453 courses

528 courses

Uni for Creative Arts

323 courses

Coventry Uni

446 courses

Leeds Beckett Uni

325 courses

Staffordshire Uni

276 courses

415 courses

Uni of Leicester

267 courses

Heriot-Watt Uni

207 courses

Anglia Ruskin Uni

463 courses

Uni of Westminster

331 courses

Swansea Uni

782 courses

Uni of Essex

802 courses

UWE, Bristol

250 courses

Uni of C.Lancashire

440 courses

246 courses

Edge Hill Uni

245 courses

Bath Spa Uni

295 courses

Manchester Met Uni

316 courses

Nottingham Trent

531 courses

Edinburgh Napier

184 courses

Uni of Reading

393 courses

Queen's Uni

410 courses

Want to learn more about a university?

Get your questions answered by sending them an enquiry now.

How a Gap Year Prepares Students for College

More students are taking a year off after high school to explore their interests.

What Is a Gap Year?

Getty Images

Traveling and focusing on personal development are common ways students spend their gap year.

While many students head directly to college after graduating from high school, a smaller cohort chooses an alternative: a gap year.

What may have previously been seen as an unconventional path has become more accepted in recent years, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. When colleges either shut down or moved to virtual learning, many students opted to defer enrollment and take a gap year, experts say.

The Gap Year Association, an Oregon-based nonprofit that helps students access gap year opportunities, estimates that on average, between 40,000 and 60,000 students take a gap year each academic year. That number rose to an estimated 130,000 students during the 2020-2021 school year, according to the organization. High school counselors, students and parents are becoming more aware of the variety of options after high school and seeing the benefits of taking a gap year, says Jennifer Sullivan, founder of Fast Forward College Counseling.

“It’s not an all-or-nothing now,” she says. “You’re not just going to college or you’re going to work. There’s a lot of in-between. There’s a lot of gray area where some students do choose to take a gap year or to take a gap semester, then decide that they’re ready.”

The Gap Year Association defines this educational interlude as "a semester or year of experiential learning , typically taken after high school and prior to career or postsecondary education, in order to deepen one's practical, professional and personal awareness." Some students elect to take a gap year in the middle of pursuing a degree.

Typically, students use this time to travel, work or volunteer and figure out what they want to study when they do eventually go to college, experts say. Some students may be experiencing burnout and are taking a break to focus on their mental health.

While experts say the concept has long been popular in Europe, it has grown in the U.S. more recently. One major boost came when former first daughter Malia Obama announced in 2016 that she would take a gap year before attending college, which caused the term to spike in Google searches that spring.

Experts suggests the move not only introduced many students to the concept but gave them social permission to pursue it.

“A gap year, if done right, can position you really strongly for college,” says Cathleen Sheils, senior associate director of college counseling at New York-based Solomon Admissions Counseling.

How Gap Year Experiences May Vary

For high school students or graduates considering a gap year, the options are plentiful and include structured programs or self-guided exploration.

The Gap Year Association, which accredits numerous programs , lists experiences with a focus on ecology, animal welfare and conservation, language studies, coding, cultural immersion and a variety of other topics.

Another option is AmeriCorps, which offers a number of service programs throughout the country for those 18 or older. Students who participate are eligible for benefits such as a living allowance and an education award that can be used to pay off loans or put toward future tuition.

Students may also elect to work during a gap year, either to make money for college or to earn college credit through an internship.

"The best gap years tend to be the ones that push students to think about who they are and their role in the world," says Joe O'Shea, associate provost and dean of undergraduate studies at Florida State University and author of "Gap Year: How Delaying College Changes People in Ways the World Needs."

O'Shea says a gap year can help motivate and inspire students and better prepare them for college. He notes that the "natural break" between high school and college is an ideal time for students to "pause and reflect" and explore options before their studies begin.

"Often you see students who struggle in higher education because they don't have a sense of purpose and direction," O'Shea says. "Gap years – because they give students a broader sense of the world and their place in it and how they can contribute – help to supply and empower students with the kind of motivation and purpose that can animate their entire college experience."

How a Gap Year Affects College Admissions

If students are considering a gap year, they should go through the college application process as a high school senior as if they're planning to attend right away, rather than waiting to apply during the gap year. It's much easier to complete college applications when students are still in school and have the help of counselors and teachers, says Colleen Paparella, founder of DC College Counseling.

O'Shea suggests that high school students considering a gap year research whether the colleges they're interested in support that effort.

Experts typically recommend that students not divulge gap year plans on their college applications or before being admitted. But students can reach out to admissions offices to find out their general policy on gap years. “We definitely tell them this is not something you want to advertise at the time that you’re applying, because that’s not going to make you a more attractive candidate,” says Paparella. “Not to say they won’t get in, but it’s just going to make things more difficult.”

After being admitted, students might want to have a formal conversation with an admissions officer about considering a gap year.

While it's rare for colleges to deny a gap year request, it's common for them to want more information about why the student is taking a gap year, and they may require paperwork, Paparella says. Some schools have policies for how students can take their gap year. They might require students to check in mid-year to make sure the plan is still on track, or they could stipulate that students can’t take classes at another institution, she says, as that could possibly change their status to a transfer student.

Generally, students can then defer enrollment, paying a deposit to retain their spot and enrolling after their gap year. Keeping in mind that the decision day for most colleges is May 1, Paparella says students should wait until they are absolutely certain about taking a gap year to fill out any forms from the school, but to still be cognizant of their timeline to allow for alternate plans to be made.

“Somebody who feels like a gap year is a great idea in September of their senior year might feel very differently eight months later,” she says. “We say just keep your options open. Don’t disclose that now, and when you’re sure you want to do it and you have schools you’ve been admitted to, you can go ahead and ask for a gap year.”

Some students, however, take a gap year because they weren't admitted to their desired school but are intent on attending that institution. A gap year is a way for those students to rebrand themselves and stand out among other applicants. Those students will reapply either during or following their gap year, says Sheils, who previously served as director of admissions at Cornell University .

Colleges expect to see more maturity and perhaps more direction from those applicants, she says, and there needs to be some connection between how students spent their gap year and their future academic goals.

“Not every gap year is created equally or is seen by admissions officers as credible,” she says. “What you’re looking for is, what did they do during that gap year to actually grow their academic profile?”

How to Know if a Gap Year Is Right for You

Students should not take a gap year simply because they're putting off their next step. Whether their plan for that year is to work, travel or recharge mentally and emotionally, students should have a specific reason for taking time off.

“They need to have a very clear idea in mind about what they’re going to do afterwards," Paparella says. "I would definitely never do this and keep it open-ended at the end. That’s not going to work.”

Some students, Sullivan says, are deterred from taking a gap year because they don't want to be behind their peers academically and socially. Some might regret missing out on certain college experiences that their friends are having.

Experts say students should determine what motivates them, what their long-term goals are, and whether or not they can make it work financially. Formal programs offering travel or internship opportunities can cost more than $50,000 on the high end, although students may pay less due to scholarships and other financial aid, O'Shea explains. And for low-income students, certain programs may be subsidized to enhance affordability.

O'Shea notes the need in higher education to support gap year students and points to scholarship funding from FSU that aims to do so through its Gap Year Fellows Program. He believes such initiatives are making the gap year concept more available to students with limited financial means. While gap years have been the domain of middle-class families and above, O'Shea thinks that is changing as enrichment programs become more affordable.

Money aside, students need to determine how a gap year will ultimately help them.

"I have worked with individuals who have taken a gap year to focus on their mental health or passions (such as art or teaching English abroad), which has helped them gain perspective, different skills, and mature emotionally before returning to academics," Lindsey Giller, a clinical psychologist with the Child Mind Institute, wrote in an email. "These individuals can then begin school with newfound confidence that may not have been possible had they gone to college straight from high school."

Searching for a college? Get our complete rankings of Best Colleges.

25 Best Jobs for High School Graduates

Tags: education , colleges , college admissions , students , Travel , Coronavirus

2024 Best Colleges

Search for your perfect fit with the U.S. News rankings of colleges and universities.

College Admissions: Get a Step Ahead!

Sign up to receive the latest updates from U.S. News & World Report and our trusted partners and sponsors. By clicking submit, you are agreeing to our Terms and Conditions & Privacy Policy .

Ask an Alum: Making the Most Out of College

You May Also Like

Toward semiconductor gender equity.

Alexis McKittrick March 22, 2024

March Madness in the Classroom

Cole Claybourn March 21, 2024

20 Lower-Cost Online Private Colleges

Sarah Wood March 21, 2024

How to Choose a Microcredential

Sarah Wood March 20, 2024

Basic Components of an Online Course

Cole Claybourn March 19, 2024

Can You Double Minor in College?

Sarah Wood March 15, 2024

How to Avoid Scholarship Scams

Cole Claybourn March 15, 2024

Ways to Maximize Campus Life

Anayat Durrani March 14, 2024

8 People to Meet on Your College Campus

Sarah Wood March 12, 2024

Completing College Applications on Time

Cole Claybourn March 12, 2024

Calculate for all schools

Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, how do i explain a gap year on my college applications.

I took a gap year after high school and I'm worried about how it will look on my college applications. How can I explain my gap year in a positive way so it doesn't hurt my chances of getting accepted?

It's great that you're considering how to present your gap year in a positive light on your college applications. Many students take gap years, and colleges are often open to these experiences, as long as they are framed constructively.

First, consider what you did during your gap year. If you engaged in any meaningful activities, such as volunteering, internships, or personal projects, make sure to highlight these experiences in your application. You can include them in the 'Activities' section or even write an essay about how they influenced your personal growth.

If your gap year was more focused on personal circumstances, like family commitments or health issues, it's important to be honest about this. You can briefly explain the situation in the 'Additional Information' section of your application. Just remember to focus on how you've grown and what you've learned from the experience, rather than dwelling on any negative aspects.

Good luck with your applications!

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

How to write about your gap year

You have just submitted your primary application and after a brief respite, the secondary essays begin to flood in. Do not fret! With a little practice and patience, you will be churning out these essays! It can be easy, however, to become overwhelmed with the task at hand. My advice is to begin writing some of the more straightforward essays to help you boost your confidence and get the ball moving. A great place to start is the prompt about your gap year. Here are a few tips and misconceptions to guide you through this common secondary prompt.

Tip #1: Be Straightforward 

In many cases for this essay, you will have very little space to describe what you are doing or plan to do. As such, do not add flowery language and get to the point as quickly as possible. Your main goals here are to (1) tell your reviewers what it is that you are doing/plan to do and (2) what you have learned/hope to learn. Ideally you want to focus on the latter and explain how these extra years will eventually align with your goals of becoming a physician. 

Tip #2: This is Not your last chance 

One thing that is often not known (or is simply forgotten) is that these secondary essays are not your last opportunity to update your schools about what is happening/what you are learning during your gap year. Throughout the admissions process, applicants are often encouraged to write update letters to the schools (just double check that each of your schools accepts update letters). This secondary is a great chance to tell the schools the things that you are working on now and what you have learned from them. 

Misconception #1: It is not okay to “just work on myself”

Something that many applicants do during their gap years is work on their candidacy – most commonly working on their MCAT score. However, something that might be feared at this point in the cycle is that this information is not enough for this essay. However, medical school is a lot about resilience and overcoming obstacles. Therefore, talking about the plan and approach you have taken to strengthen your application is a valid approach for this essay! Ideally, your plan worked and you did in fact achieve your goals; so, talking about what you have learned in the process is absolutely helpful in showing your ability to go through medical school and become a doctor.

Misconception #2: It is not okay to do something non-medical

While many people spend their gap years doing something that is “easily defendable” in terms of its relation to a future in medicine, others may do something completely different. All the above is great! The most important thing to do in this essay is to talk about what you have learned and how it will make you a better physician in the long run. 

Now, if you have taken many years off and have not touched the field of medicine for any of those years, it may be more difficult to defend why you are applying to medical school. If you are going through this scenario, my advice is to try to have something even remotely related to medicine going on in the background. Your primary focus of your gap year(s) can be unrelated to medicine, but make sure you have some kind of touchpoint with the medical field during that time, even if it's in a very limited capacity. 

Pav graduated magna cum laude with a BSE in Chemical and Biological Engineering and minors in Engineering Biology and Global Health Policy from Princeton. He is now an MD-PhD student at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Related Content

Student Good Guide

The best UK online resource for students

• How to Plan Your Gap Year: A Step-by-Step Guide For 2024

A Gap Year is a unique opportunity to take a break from the traditional path of education or work and explore new experiences as a student. It’s estimated that over a million students take a gap year in the world every year. 

However, planning a Gap Year may seem daunting, especially if you’ve never done it before.

Also, things can change during the year, so it’s important to make a good plan for a Gap Year .

You are fresher and must be wondering how to plan a Gap Year. This guide will take you through each step of the planning process to help you create an unforgettable Gap Year experience.

Why Gap Year?

Before diving into the specifics, let’s find out why many students take a Gap Year every year. 

Gap Years can provide several benefits, such as:

• Gaining real-world experience and skills.
• Exploring new cultures and ways of life.
• Taking a break from academic or work-related stress.
• Enhancing your resume or personal statement for graduate school.

With a better understanding of why you want to take a Gap Year , you can begin to determine your goals and objectives.

Read our guides:

• What To Do In A Gap Year As a Student
• How To Apply To University After A Gap Year

Benefits of a Gap Year

One of the main benefits of taking a Gap Year is gaining valuable experience. This experience can come in many forms, such as:

• Volunteering with non-profit organizations.
• Interning with company professionals.
• Working abroad and earning a salary.
• Travelling and exploring new cultures.

Not only will you learn practical skills, but you’ll also gain a unique perspective on the world and yourself. 

This newfound awareness can help you determine your future career and life goals.

Setting a Realistic Budget

Embarking on a Gap Year adventure is an exciting and life-changing experience. However, before you set off on your journey, it’s important to plan and budget your trip carefully to ensure that you have a safe and enjoyable experience. Here are some tips to help you set a realistic budget for your Gap Year.

Estimating Travel Expenses

Transportation costs can be one of the most significant parts of your budget. It’s essential to research transportation options carefully to find the best deals. 

Consider booking flights in advance, taking trains instead of flights, and renting a car or vehicle if necessary. 

Additionally, don’t forget to set aside funds for travel visas and any necessary travel insurance policies during your trip.

Accommodation and Living Costs

Student accommodation and daily living costs can vary significantly based on your destination and travel style. 

Researching hostels, university halls, or homestays can be a great way to save money on accommodation. Cooking at your hostel or catching a meal out at budget eateries can also be an easy way to save on living costs. 

What about staying in less touristy areas or travelling during the off-season to save money?

When calculating living costs, don’t forget to include expenses like transportation, food, and entertainment. 

It’s essential to have a realistic understanding of how much money you will need to spend each day to avoid running out of funds before your trip is over.

Learn more in our guide How to Apply for Student Accommodation in the UK

Saving and Fundraising Strategies

Saving for your Gap Year can be challenging, but it’s essential to have a financial cushion to ensure that you have a safe and enjoyable experience. 

Working part-time jobs, freelancing, or using online platforms like GoFundMe to promote your trip and raise funds. Additionally, consider setting up a separate savings account for your Gap Year and automating your savings to make it easier to save money.

Managing Your Money During Your Gap Year

Budgeting and managing your funds during your trip is crucial to ensure that your Gap Year experience is sustainable. 

Consider using cash or credit cards to help you keep track of expenses. Keep a journal of your expenses and review them regularly to ensure that you are staying within your budget. 

Be prepared to adjust your budget as necessary based on unexpected expenses or changes in your travel plans.

Plan and Research Gap Year Opportunities

With your objectives, budget and travel style in mind, you can start exploring potential Gap Year opportunities.

• Volunteer programs and internships can provide valuable experience and skill-building opportunities.
• Work and study abroad options can provide a unique cultural experience and extra income.
• Adventure and cultural experiences allow you to explore new destinations and travel styles.
• Networking and Gap Year resources can help provide inspiration, resources, and advice for planning your trip.

Consider researching different options and keeping an open mind to find the best fit for your Gap Year experience.

How to Plan Your Gap Year

Once you’ve determined your objectives and identified potential Gap Year opportunities, it’s time to create a detailed itinerary to ensure that you can fulfil your goals within budget. Key considerations for building your Gap Year itinerary include:

Choosing Your Destinations

Be sure to do research and explore different regions to help you create a diverse and enriching travel experience. Be aware of the seasonal factors that could impact your destination choice and travel itineraries such as peak travel times, weather conditions or natural environmental factors.

Balancing Work, Travel, and Leisure

Balance is key to creating a successful Gap Year experience. Consider how much time you want to spend travelling, working, resting, and exploring your host country.

Planning for Seasonal and Regional Factors

Environmental or seasonal factors can play a big role in the type of experience you can have in certain countries or regions. For example, tropical monsoon seasons can impact beach travel in Thailand.

Building in Flexibility and Contingency Plans

Keep in mind that sometimes unexpected things can happen during travel, so it’s important to build flexibility and contingency plans so that you can adjust your itinerary as needed.

Final Thoughts

With this step-by-step guide, you can plan a Gap Year that is personalized, budget-friendly, and enriching. Remember to consider your objectives, budget and travel style options before exploring different Gap Year opportunities. Finally, we hope you have a safe and unforgettable Gap Year experience!

Recommended for reading:

• How To Apply To University After A Gap Year 2023

Watch CBS News

The Fed is meeting today. Here's what experts are saying about the odds of a rate cut.

By Aimee Picchi

Edited By Alain Sherter, Alex Sundby

Updated on: March 20, 2024 / 3:22 PM EDT / CBS News

Update: The Fed left its benchmark interest rate unchanged .

Americans are bearing the financial burden of higher costs for every type of loan , from mortgages to credit cards, after two years of interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve. With the central bank meeting today, economists and consumers alike have one question on their minds: When will the central bank start cutting rates? 

The answer: Almost certainly not this month, and probably not at its next meeting, according to Wall Street forecasters.

Most economists polled by financial data company FactSet think the Fed will keep its benchmark rate steady on Wednesday, as well as at its following meeting on May 1. Consumers holding out for lower borrowing costs may have to wait until the following month for relief, with about half of economists now penciling in the Fed's June 12 meeting for the first cut in four years, FactSet data shows. 

The Fed kicked off its flurry of rate hikes in March 2022 as inflation soared during the pandemic, reaching a 40-year high in June of that year. Although inflation has rapidly cooled since then, it remains higher than the Fed would like, which is why economists believe the central bank will keep rates steady this week.

That doesn't mean that the Fed won't say anything noteworthy. Experts said the Fed's latest economic outlook could provide hints about when rate relief might be in the cards.

"The Fed is going to be taking a lot of the oxygen out of the room this week as they conclude their March meeting on Wednesday afternoon," said Sam Millete, director of fixed income at Commonwealth Financial Network, in an email. "We've seen some mixed economic data to start the year. It's going to be interesting to see how the Fed reacts to that, especially in Fed Chair Jerome Powell's post-meeting press conference."

Here's what to know about Wednesday's Fed meeting and what it means for your money. 

When is the Fed meeting this week?

The Federal Reserve's Open Market Committee meets on March 19-20. The rate-setting panel will announce its rate decision at 2 p.m. Eastern time on March 20.  

Chairman Jerome Powell will hold a press conference at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday to discuss the FOMC's rate decision and provide information on the central bank's outlook.

When and by how much will the Fed cut interest rates?

The Fed on Wednesday is expected to maintain the federal funds rate in a range of 5.25% to 5.5%.

The question is whether the central bank might provide guidance about the expected timing of what would mark the first rate cut since March 2020, when the economy was in free fall due to the pandemic, prompting the Fed to slash borrowing costs to buoy the economy. 

On Wednesday, analysts expect Powell to reiterate that the Fed wants to see continued improvement in its battle against inflation before cutting rates.

"The Fed will keep their forward guidance unchanged while stressing that they need further evidence that inflation is on a sustainable path toward their 2% target before cutting interest rates," Ryan Sweet, chief U.S. economist with Oxford Economics, told investors on Monday in a report. 

Economists still think the Fed could cut rates several times in 2024, although some economists are now projecting fewer reductions than they had forecast earlier. For instance, Goldman Sachs on Monday said it is penciling in three cuts in 2024, down from its earlier forecast for four cuts this year.

That change is "mainly because inflation has been a bit firmer than we expected," Goldman Sachs economists said in a research note.

What is the inflation rate in 2024?

In February, consumer prices rose  3.2% on an annual basis , faster than January's 3.1% pace and well above the 2% target sought by the Fed. 

To be sure, inflation has cooled considerably after touching a four-decade peak of 9.1% in June 2022, but it remains higher than its pre-pandemic levels of about 2% and represents one reason why economists believe the Fed will push back rate cuts until at least June.

If inflation is down, why isn't the Fed cutting rates?

Powell has repeatedly noted that cutting rates too soon could spark a resurgence of inflation, causing more financial pain for consumers and businesses.

"The Fed does not want to repeat the same mistake made in the 1970s by declaring that they have conquered inflation too soon, only to have it reemerge," said Villanova University economics professor Victor Li, a former senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, in an email.

He added, "But the Fed knows they can sabotage the soft landing that they created by holding rates too high for too long and causing a recession."

The good news, said LendingTree economist Jacob Channel, is that the Fed also isn't likely to raise rates even with  inflation cooling less quickly than investors had hoped and amid signs that economic growth remains robust.

"Fortunately, while cuts might still be a few months (or more) off, it doesn't look like the Fed is going to raise rates again anytime soon," Channel said in an email. "We'd need to see inflation growth pick up far more steam that it currently has before the Fed starts seriously considering more hikes."

How will the Fed's rate decision affect your money?

If the Fed keeps its benchmark rate steady on Wednesday, borrowing costs will remain high, impacting everything from credit card rates to loans for auto purchases or homes , experts say. Credit card APRs, for instance, are at their highest levels since the Fed started tracking them in 1994, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

There is a one upside to elevated interest rates: Savers can get robust returns by parking their money in high-yield savings accounts or CDs .

"Some of the highest CD rates are found in shorter-terms right now, so they remain accessible if you need access to the cash in 6 months or one year's time," noted Elizabeth Renter, data analyst at NerdWallet, in an email. 

• Jerome Powell
• Federal Reserve

Aimee Picchi is the associate managing editor for CBS MoneyWatch, where she covers business and personal finance. She previously worked at Bloomberg News and has written for national news outlets including USA Today and Consumer Reports.

More from CBS News

5 great ways to avoid bankruptcy

4 things to avoid doing when your CD matures

Does a short-term or long-term CD make more sense this spring? Experts weigh in

3 times you should get a HELOC (and 3 times you shouldn't)

Erin Andrews Details Lowest Moments From "Crappy" 10-Year Fertility Journey

While it took 10 years for erin andrews and husband jarret stoll to reach their personal end zone—life with son mack—the long slog down the field was worth it, she told e news in a new interview..

Never did Erin Andrews imagine she'd have to call so many audibles en route to becoming a mom to now-8-month-old son Mack .  

"I say this not to try to brag or anything, but I ended up marrying a person who had success in his career," she exclusively told E! News  of husband Jarret Stoll , who won two Stanley Cups as a centre for the Los Angeles Kings. The NFL sportscaster herself, meanwhile, "worked my rear end off to have my dream job with Fox Sports doing America's game of the week ," she added. "I hadn't been told no a lot." 

And though a 2017 cervical cancer diagnosis meant she had to undergo two surgeries to remove portions of her cervix—all while cha-cha-ing her way to a third place finish on the 10th season of Dancing With the Stars —she assumed she had all the Xs and Os in place to have a baby. 

"I work out all the time," reasoned the 45-year-old, who had already frozen her eggs years before her diagnosis. "I eat right. I take care of my body, yet my body was not producing the way I wanted it to." 

So on the precipice of her seventh round of in vitro fertilization (IVF) , "I just was so tired of keeping quiet," she explained of sharing her struggles in a 2021 essay . "It was such a hard, painful journey. I think I went numb through most of it, because you just feel like a robot and you're on this really unfair roller coaster that more times out of none, you're going to get really bad news." 

The physical component was hard on its own.

"You feel like crap, you're pumping all these chemicals into your body," she described. "And that's just the IVF part of it. That's not the emotional roller coaster with this surrogacy route . And after a while, I got so tired of seeing all these waiting rooms at the fertility clinics just packed. And I felt like nobody was giving the reality of how crappy the situation was. And so I decided not to bottle it up anymore."

Hence her motivation for teaming up with Enfamil for their Bottle Up partnership, raising awareness about all the struggles parents face. Her game plan: To help others know that no matter the battle, they've got a whole squad behind them. 

" I'm a vocal person ," she acknowledged of sharing her fertility journey , "and I could speak from the heart and just talk about how crappy it was and that I get it for a lot of couples and families that are trying to have a child." 

Trending Stories

Josh peck breaks silence on drake bell and quiet on set, kate middleton & prince william issue statement after her cancer news, kate middleton is receiving preventative chemotherapy: what it means.

Doing her best to manage her emotions throughout the process, continued Andrews, "I just became this robot where I'm like, do it again, let's do another round. It's draining on your finances. It's draining on your relationship. It's draining on your self-esteem. My body has forever changed because of the whole thing." 

And yet it was her heart that took the brunt of it. "Having so many failed attempts is really, really difficult," she explained, "when you look around and you're like, 'Why does everybody else have a baby? Why is this easier for everybody else and not me?'"

Still, even at her lowest she never once considered throwing in the towel. 

"I don't really know if I ever got to that point," she said. Though as they advanced from the IVF route to the surrogacy route, the situation certainly felt more fraught. "We didn't have many embryos left," she continued. " We had already lost two , which was a really big deal because they were really good ones. And I thought to myself, 'Okay, if this doesn't work, we'll go the egg donor route.'"

Her winning strategy, she explained, was to "exhaust all options to make this a reality." 

As they marched their way down the proverbial field, there were definitely times that Andrews wavered, recounting one plane ride in late 2022 the day before she and Stoll, 41, learned their surrogate was pregnant with their son. 

"I was flying home from a game and the second I sat in my chair on the plane, I just lost my s--t," she detailed. Trying to avoid catching the attention of her fellow passengers, "I just started bawling because I thought, 'I can't hide behind my football game anymore, now I have to face reality. We're going to find out if she's pregnant tomorrow.'" 

At that moment, she continued, "I was like, 'Oh my God, what if it doesn't work? I can't do this again.'" 

Which is what makes moments with Mack—like a recent morning spent enjoying cuddles and a round of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?— all that much sweeter.  

"It was just a fight to get there and then she's pregnant and it's like, 'Let's keep him healthy. Oh my God, are we going into the delivery room? Oh my God, he's here,'" reflected the WEAR by Erin Andrews founder. "Now it's like we've almost had a breath to think about all this. I think now I'm starting to understand what a gift he is." 

And, yes, there have still been tough moments like the nights Andrews spent keeping watch over the monitor to make sure Mack was okay ("I go, 'His face looks really smashed in the crib. Do you think he's breathing?'") or poring over the research to decide which formula to choose.

Enfamil Enspire Optimum  proved to be the winner, noted Andrews, thanks to its lactoferrin, which is "the protein found in breast milk and colostrum." 

And then there was the time he had a diaper blowout midway through a FaceTime conversation with Andrews' parents. "Literally crap running down my arm and leg," she recalled. "It was great." 

But any s--tty situations are overshadowed by watching Mack attempt to establish a bond with their golden retriever Howie who "is like, 'Ugh, you're still here,'" joked Andrews. Or marveling as he pulls himself to standing in his crib. 

"He's starting to get a personality," she said. "Apparently he's very strong-willed and strong-minded. We were on a conference call with the Dallas Cowboys during the playoffs and Mike McCarthy , the head coach, said to me, 'How's he doing?' I said, 'He's really vocal,' and he's like, 'Wonder where he got that from?'" 

As for what he'll inherited from his Daddy , "My husband can't wait to get him on hockey skates," said Andrews, sharing Stoll has also stared wistfully at the tiny skiers they've spied outside their vacation home in Montana. "Obviously the sporty kind of stuff we're looking forward to." 

And though he's still months away from his first birthday, Mack has already enjoyed a film session or two. 

In the weeks after his June arrival , as Andrews was feeding him, "we would watch training camp together," she recounted. "And I was like, Oh my God, this is a dream." 

How Police Found Riley Strain's Body Two Weeks After Disappearance

Princess diana's brother responds to kate middleton’s cancer news.

‘I’m going to be OK’: Watch the Princess of Wales’s statement in full

Catherine thanks public for support and praises ‘fantastic medical team who have taken great care of me’

Kensington Palace has released a personal video message from the Princess of Wales in which she reveals her cancer diagnosis and offers a message of hope to others with the disease.

The Princess announces that she is having treatment for cancer. She thanks the public for their support and says she has taken time to reassure her three children that she is “going to be OK”.

The message was filmed in Windsor by BBC Studios on Wednesday, March 20 and is two minutes and 15 seconds long.

This is the transcript:

“I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you personally for all the wonderful messages of support, and for your understanding whilst I have been recovering from surgery .

“It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family , but I’ve had a fantastic medical team who have taken great care of me, for which I am so grateful.

“In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London, and at the time it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous.

“The surgery was successful . However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy, and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.

“This of course came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family.

“As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment.

“But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be ok.

“As I have said to them, I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal in my mind, body and spirits.

“Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance too, as is the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you. It means so much to us both.

“We hope you will understand that, as a family, we now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment.

“ My work has always brought me a deep sense of joy, and I look forward to being back when I am able, but for now I must focus on making a full recovery.

“At this time, I am also thinking of all those whose lives have been affected by cancer . For everyone facing this disease, in whatever form, please do not lose faith or hope. You are not alone.”

• Princess of Wales,
• The Royal Family,
• Prince William,
• King Charles III
• Facebook Icon
• WhatsApp Icon

Armed Services Republicans

• Subcommittees
• Jurisdiction and Rules
• Additional Resources
• Committee History
• Committee Chairmen
• FY24 NDAA Resources
• Community Project Funding
• Press Releases
• Media Resources
• Stay Connected

Search form

Lamborn opening statement at hearing on u.s. strategic forces posture.

Washington, D.C.   — U.S. Representative Doug Lamborn (R-CO), Chairman of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, delivered the following opening remarks at a hearing on the United States’ strategic forces posture for fiscal year 2025 to assess the related programs, capabilities, and priorities. Rep. Lamborn’s remarks as prepared for delivery:   Our hearing today is situated at a critical juncture for our strategic forces. We are continuing to pursue a long overdue modernization of our nuclear enterprise while Russia and China grow their nuclear forces at a staggering pace. Recent reports even suggest Russia's contemplation of deploying nuclear weapons in space, a notion previously inconceivable among rational nations, but since Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine such outrageous and irresponsible behavior has become commonplace.   Our efforts to replace our aging nuclear systems could not come at a more challenging time.   The Sentinel missile program is undergoing the Nunn-McCurdy process after cost increases and schedule delays greatly exceeded the threshold to trigger the required review.  While I believe fully fielding a modernized and nuclear triad is something we must achieve, I would note that the witnesses before us today will not be able to comment directly on the Nunn-McCurdy review.  This process is being led by Dr. Bill LaPlante, the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment.   Beyond Sentinel, a crumbling and inefficient industrial base is exposing the Navy’s development schedule for the Columbia-class submarine to increasing risk. While it is sometimes tempting to focus only on cost-growth or missed milestones, we cannot overlook the ultimate consequence of programmatic delays – our warfighters will lack the capabilities they need to carry out their mission.   Decisions to defer nuclear modernization have left the recapitalization schedule devoid of flexibility with no room for delay.  We face the serious prospect over the next decade of our nuclear triad aging out before replacement systems are operational.   Allowing this scenario to play out would expose our nation to heightened nuclear risks in a two nuclear peer world and leave us with an older and smaller nuclear force that is unprecedented in our history.   We must avoid this outcome. Congress’s decision in last year’s NDAA to mandate a program of record for the development of a nuclear sea-launched cruise missile will help, but other creative solutions and new capabilities beyond SLCM will be necessary to ensure we avoid a deterrence gap in the next decade.  As a nation, we must be prepared to invest heavily in these solutions. All options must be on the table. General Cotton, we look forward to hearing your thoughts on this challenge.   In the space domain, our efforts to secure American superiority have unfortunately continued to be proven prescient by the growing threats posed to U.S. space assets and the joint force by Chinese and Russian space weapons. General Whiting, I look forward to hearing your priorities today and what we need to be ready to fight and win in space.   General Guillot, as the warfighter in charge of defending the homeland, we look forward to hearing from you about the evolving threats you face and whether our capabilities are staying ahead of them. Specifically, I’m interested in hearing your impression of what your command needs when it comes to defense against hypersonic weapons and domain awareness.    

New Data Show Massive, Wider-than-Expected Global Gender Gap

Women enjoy just two-thirds of the legal rights that men enjoy.

WASHINGTON, March 4, 2024 —The global gender gap for women in the workplace is far wider than previously thought, a groundbreaking new World Bank Group report shows. When legal differences involving violence and childcare are taken into account, women enjoy fewer than two-thirds the rights of men. No country provides equal opportunity for women—not even the wealthiest economies.

The latest Women, Business, and the Law report offers a comprehensive picture of the obstacles that women face in entering the global workforce and contributing to greater prosperity—for themselves, their families, and their communities. It expands the scope of its analysis, adding two indicators that can be critical in opening up or restricting women’s options: safety from violence and access to childcare services. When those measures are included, women on average enjoy just 64% of the legal protections that men do—far fewer than the previous estimate of 77%.

The gender gap is even wider in practice. For the first time, Women, Business and the Law assesses the gap between legal reforms and actual outcomes for women in 190 economies. The analysis reveals a shocking implementation gap. Although laws on the books imply that women enjoy roughly two-thirds the rights of men, countries on average have established less than 40% of the systems needed for full implementation. For example, 98 economies have enacted legislation mandating equal pay for women for work of equal value. Yet only 35 economies—fewer than one out of every five—have adopted pay-transparency measures or enforcement mechanisms to address the pay gap.

Effective implementation of equal-opportunity laws depends on an adequate supporting framework, including strong enforcement mechanisms, a system for tracking gender-related pay disparities, and the availability of healthcare services for women who survive violence.

“Women have the power to turbocharge the sputtering global economy,” said Indermit Gill, Chief Economist of the World Bank Group and Senior Vice President for Development Economics . “Yet, all over the world, discriminatory laws and practices prevent women from working or starting businesses on an equal footing with men. Closing this gap could raise global gross domestic product by more than 20% – essentially doubling the global growth rate over the next decade—but reforms have slowed to a crawl. WBL 2024 identifies what governments can do to accelerate progress toward gender equality in business and the law.”

The implementation gap highlights how much hard work lies ahead even for countries that have been instituting equal-opportunity laws. Togo, for example, has been a standout among Sub-Saharan economies, enacting laws that give women roughly 77% of the rights available to men—more than any other country in the continent. Yet Togo, so far, has established only 27% of systems necessary for full implementation. This rate is average for Sub-Saharan economies.

In 2023, governments were assertive in advancing three categories of legal equal-opportunity reforms—pay, parental rights, and workplace protections. Still, nearly all countries performed poorly in the two categories being tracked for the first time—access to childcare and women’s safety.

The weakness is greatest in women’s safety—where the global average score is just 36, meaning women enjoy barely a third of the needed legal protections against domestic violence, sexual harassment, child marriage and femicide. Although 151 economies have laws in place prohibiting sexual harassment in the workplace, just 39 have laws prohibiting it in public spaces. This often prevents women from using public transportation to get to work.

Most countries also score poorly for childcare laws. Women spend an average of 2.4 more hours a day on unpaid care work than men—much of it on the care of children. Expanding access to childcare tends to increase women’s participation in the labor force by about 1 percentage point initially—and the effect more than doubles within five years. Today, only 78 economies—fewer than half—provide some financial or tax support for parents with young children. Only 62 economies—fewer than a third—have quality standards governing childcare services, without which women might think twice about going to work while they have children in their care.

Women also face significant obstacles in other areas. In the area of entrepreneurship, for example, just one in every five economies mandates gender-sensitive criteria for public procurement processes, meaning women are largely cut out of a $10-trillion-a-year economic opportunity. In the area of pay, women earn just 77 cents for every $1 paid to men. The rights gap extends all the way to retirement. In 62 economies, the ages at which men and women can retire are not the same. Women tend to live longer than men, but because they receive lower pay while they work, take time off when they have children, and retire earlier, they end up with smaller pension benefits and greater financial insecurity in old age.

“It is more urgent than ever to accelerate efforts to reform laws and enact public policies that empower women to work and start and grow businesses,” said Tea Trumbic, the report’s lead author . “Today, barely half of women participate in the global workforce, compared with nearly three out of every four men. This is not just unfair—it’s wasteful. Increasing women's economic participation is the key to amplifying their voices and shaping decisions that affect them directly. Countries simply cannot afford to sideline half of their population.”

This site uses cookies to optimize functionality and give you the best possible experience. If you continue to navigate this website beyond this page, cookies will be placed on your browser. To learn more about cookies, click here .

Ruby Franke case: Police records, personal journal detailing child abuse released

The records also include witness statements from franke and jodi hildebrandt’s august arrest..

(Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department) Police body camera footage shows officers preparing to enter the home of Jodi Hildebrandt on Aug. 30, 2023. Washington County prosecutors released a slew of records Friday from Hildebrandt and Ruby Franke's child abuse case.

Washington County prosecutors released a slew of records Friday detailing the “horrific abuse” Utah parenting influencer Ruby Franke and former mental health counselor Jodi Hildebrandt inflicted last summer on two of Franke’s young children.

The records include police reports, witness statements and more than 30 body camera and surveillance videos showing Franke, Hildebrandt and the children interacting with authorities.

Also included in the records is a handwritten journal that Franke kept, according to the Washington County attorney’s office. It documents a timeline of the children’s abuse as well as Franke’s apparent musings of “religious extremism” that prosecutors say motivated the women to harm the kids.

(Utah 5th District Court) Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt appear in 5th District Court in St. George, Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. Washington County prosecutors released a slew of records Friday from their child abuse case.

The children were regularly denied food and water as well as beds to sleep in, prosecutors have said. They were forced to lift and carry boxes up and down stairs, perform wall sits for hours, and do manual labor outside in the “extreme summer heat” without shoes or socks, among other forms of abuse.

“If you can engage a weak minded soul in a physical activity of obedience you can begin to break the bond Satan made w/ the weak,” one entry from Franke’s journal states.

The women were arrested Aug. 30 after Franke’s 12-year-old “emaciated” son escaped Hildebrandt’s Ivins home and asked a neighbor for help. Security footage released Friday from the neighbor’s home showed the boy knocking on their door.

Responding officers soon found Franke’s 10-year-old daughter inside a bathroom closet within Hildebrandt’s home. Body camera footage shows authorities giving the malnourished girl pizza to coax her out, promising to help her like they helped her brother.

In the videos, both children appears thin and dazed, moving slowly. Their answers to police questions are redacted. In one video, a paramedic outside Hildebrandt’s house tells an officer, “I’m crying.”

“I know,” he responds. “That’s why I have my shades on.”

[Read more: Ruby Franke videos: What police saw after Franke’s son escaped Hildebrandt’s home ]

Franke and Hildebrandt each pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse in December. Both were sentenced in February to at least four years in prison.

The records shared Friday also included Washington County jail phone calls from both Franke and Hildebrandt, in which they discuss “their guilt, perceived innocence, and motives for the crimes they were convicted of,” prosecutors said in a news release.

A police report taken after the children were hospitalized noted the Division of Child and Family Services told authorities they already had “several other cases” involving the Franke family “up north.” Franke’s primary residence was located in Springville.

“The women appeared to fully believe that the abuse they inflicted was necessary to teach the children how to properly repent for imagined ‘sins’ and to cast the evil spirits out of their bodies,” the news release states. It adds that the children suffered emotional abuse “to the extent that they came to believe that they deserved the [physical] abuse.”

‘He doesn’t even know what month it is’

(Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department) Police body camera footage shows first responders treating a child outside a home near Jodi Hildebrandt's house on Aug. 30, 2023.

When prosecutors on Friday identified “religious extremism” as the motivation behind Franke and Hildebrandt’s abuse, they did not specify what church the women affiliate with or attend.

The first unredacted entry in Franke’s journal, however, notes Hildebrandt received a blessing May 21 from a person she identifies as a local Latter-day Saint temple president.

About three weeks later, Franke’s journal indicated, Hildebrandt also traveled to Salt Lake City on June 13 to meet with two leaders from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The faith does not advise or support practices such as restraining children or withholding food as punishment. The church did not immediately comment Friday on the released records or Franke’s journal.

The journal entries that stretch until Aug. 27 otherwise focus on Franke’s two youngest children, who she accuses of “deviant behavior.”

[Read more: Ruby Franke case: A timeline of events ]

“These selfish selfish children who only desire to take, lie [and] attack have zero understanding of God’s love for them,” she wrote.

At one point in July, Franke wrote that her son refused to do any more “work” and began screaming. In response, his hair was shaved off. The next day, she wrote, the boy attempted to run away.

“It is [the boy’s 12th] birthday and he doesn’t even know what month it is,” Franke wrote on July 10. “... I told [the boy] that he emulates a snake. He slithers and sneaks around looking for opportunities when no one is watching.”

(Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department) Police body camera footage shows officers taking handcuffs and rope from the home of Jodi Hildebrandt on Aug. 30, 2023.

Franke continues to demean the children throughout the journal, calling her son a compulsive liar and writing that she “never would have suspected the cold, dead heart [he] has.”

She describes her daughter as manipulative and at one point cut off all the girl’s long hair — “no more distracting with long hair,” Franke wrote in the entry.

“‘My mom starves me and calls it fasting,’” Franke recalled her daughter saying in one entry. “‘If I can’t go home, then what’s the point in being obedient?’”

The boy repeatedly begged his mother for basic care, such as water or air conditioning, according to the entries. The average June temperature in Ivins is about 80 degrees, with an average high of about 91 degrees, according to climate-data.org .

On July 11, the boy told Franke that he wanted to go to jail, according to the journal.

“[He] doesn’t actually know what ‘jail’ means,” Franke wrote. “He has no comprehension what throwing your life away means. He just wants the immediate gratification of sitting in an air conditioned car ride to juvie.”

A plan to move to ‘open land’ where the children ‘can work’

(Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department) Police body camera footage shows Ruby Franke after she was taken into custody on Aug. 30, 2023.

Throughout the entries, Franke states that Hildebrandt was searching for property with “open land” to buy in Arizona “where these two can work.”

The women planned to move forward with financing the property quickly, the entries indicate.

“They will think they won,” Franke wrote of her children. “They will think they got what they wanted. They will relax. Then... POP!!! We will drop them like hot potatoes out in the desert. Their new home!”

Franke said this “new home,” later described as a 500-acre plot that Hildebrandt found, would have room for them to build a ranch, so the children could experience “natural outcomes” — like a kick from a horse or cactus to run into.

“The devil does not want us to take [the children] out of society,” Franke wrote. “He did not want Jodi finding this property. He wanted Jodi and I down at the police station... not discovering a place to bring intervention to his entanglement of my children.”

By Aug. 27, it appears Franke was preparing her kids for a move — she wrote that she packed 20 boxes and put them in a storage shed, and that one of her older daughters in Springville gave her job two weeks’ notice.

Three days later, the boy managed to make it to the neighbor’s front door, his wrists and ankles wrapped in duct tape that covered open wounds, asking for help.

Donate to the newsroom now. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax deductible

RELATED STORIES

Ruby franke, jodi hildebrandt sentenced to prison in utah child abuse case, ruby franke case: a timeline of events, ruby franke plea agreement details abuse of her 2 young children, ruby franke videos: what police saw after her son escaped jodi hildebrandt’s home and officers went in, utes survive a scare from the jackrabbits to advance in ncaa tournament, the triple team: the jazz are the worst defensive team in the nba right now — and they shouldn’t be, maile o’keefe breaks utah record for perfect 10s as red rocks win pac-12 title, damir kreilach gets his goal, but rsl rallies to beat vancouver, oil railroad backers have asked the u.s. supreme court to revive their project. but can they afford it, utah’s tallest outdoor climbing wall opens saturday — at millcreek city hall, featured local savings.

• Applying to Uni
• Apprenticeships
• Health & Relationships
• Money & Finance

Personal Statements

• Postgraduate
• U.S Universities

University Interviews

• Vocational Qualifications
• Accommodation
• ​​​​​​​Budgeting, Money & Finance
• ​​​​​​​Health & Relationships
• ​​​​​​​Jobs & Careers
• ​​​​​​​Socialising

Studying Abroad

• ​​​​​​​Studying & Revision
• ​​​​​​​Technology
• ​​​​​​​University & College Admissions

Guide to GCSE Results Day

Finding a job after school or college

Retaking GCSEs

In this section

Choosing GCSE Subjects

Post-GCSE Options

GCSE Work Experience

GCSE Revision Tips

Why take an Apprenticeship?

Applying for an Apprenticeship

Apprenticeships Interviews

Apprenticeship Wage

Engineering Apprenticeships

What is an Apprenticeship?

Choosing an Apprenticeship

Real Life Apprentices

Degree Apprenticeships

Higher Apprenticeships

A Level Results Day 2024

AS Levels 2024

Clearing Guide 2024

Applying to University

SQA Results Day Guide 2024

BTEC Results Day Guide

Vocational Qualifications Guide

Sixth Form or College

International Baccalaureate

Post 18 options

Finding a Job

Should I take a Gap Year?

Travel Planning

• Volunteering

Gap Year Guide

• Gap Year Blogs

Applying to Oxbridge

Applying to US Universities

Choosing a Degree

Choosing a University or College

Personal Statement Editing and Review Service

Guide to Freshers' Week

Student Guides

Student Cooking

Student Blogs

Top Rated Personal Statements

Personal Statement Examples

Writing Your Personal Statement

Postgraduate Personal Statements

International Student Personal Statements

Gap Year Personal Statements

Personal Statement Length Checker

Personal Statement Examples By University

Personal Statement Changes 2025

Personal Statement Template

Job Interviews

Types of Postgraduate Course

Writing a Postgraduate Personal Statement

Postgraduate Funding

Postgraduate Study

Internships

Choosing A College

Ivy League Universities

Common App Essay Examples

Universal College Application Guide

How To Write A College Admissions Essay

College Rankings

Admissions Tests

Fees & Funding

Scholarships

Budgeting For College

Online Degree

Platinum Express Editing and Review Service

Gold Editing and Review Service

Silver Express Editing and Review Service

UCAS Personal Statement Editing and Review Service

Oxbridge Personal Statement Editing and Review Service

Postgraduate Personal Statement Editing and Review Service

You are here

Should i take a gap year.

• Gap year ideas
• A Level Retakes
• Gap year agencies

Find out more

​​​​​​​What can I do in my gap year?

​​​​​​​Gap year programs

​​​​​​​Travelling

​​​​​​​Retakes

​​​​​​​Volunteering

​​​​​​​Learning

​​​​​​​Working

​​​​​​​Gap Year Blogs

Top 5 Gap Year Ideas

There are many reasons why taking a gap year either before or after university is a great idea. These include:

• Boosting your performance at university (taking a break from studying can work wonders for the brain!)
• Get useful work experience under your belt
• Learn new skills to enhance your CV
• Make lifelong friends
• Experience a new culture
• Give yourself time to think about your future.

For more information and advice, please see our Should I Take A Gap Year guide?

What can I do in my gap year?

There are loads of things you can do in your gap year to make it a memorable experience. Depending on your tastes, these might include:

• Be an Au Pair
• Scuba diving
• Learning a language
• Part-time work
• Medical project
• Ski/snowboarding instructor
• Sports coaching
• Conservation
• Community development
• Summer school
• Interailing

plus many more!

How do I go travelling during my gap year?

• Consider the places to go on a gap year. The first thing you need to do is work out what your goals are. ...
• Decide who to travel with. ...
• Raise the money you need
• Book your travel itinerary
• Sort out your gap year travel essentials
• Buy all your supplies
• Plan for your return.

Should I retake my A levels during my gap year?

Can i volunteer during my gap year, how long do volunteer gap year projects last, what jobs can i do in my gap year.

There are many opportunities out there for gap year students who want to work and earn some money. These include:

• Steward on a yacht
• Teaching English
• Tour leader
• Ski or snowboarding instructor
• Travel writer
• Fruit picking.

For more information and advice, take a look at our gap year working guide, as well as gap year job boards at Indeed , e4s and gapyear.com .