Gap Year Radio

Today we welcome bestselling author Lara Prior Palmer to talk about the gap year that inspired her book, Rough Magic. At the age of nineteen, Lara Prior-Palmer discovered a website devoted to “the world’s longest, toughest horse race”―an annual competition of endurance and skill that involves dozens of riders racing a series of twenty-five wild ponies across 1,000 kilometers of Mongolian grassland. Lara ultimately became the youngest and first-ever woman to win the race. Margo, Julia and Lara discuss the entirety of Lara's gap year, what it was like competing as a woman and why she thinks all young people should consider the magical uncertainty of gap time.

***CONTEST ALERT***

We are running an Instagram contest to give away a copy of Lara's book! The contest runs through Monday, December 16th 2019 so the winner will get their copy just in time for the holidays.

Want in?

Follow @gapyearradio on instagram and tag someone you want to travel with too. If you already follow us, tag two people you want to travel with and/or who you think should take a gap year.

Winner will be announced on December 17th 2019!

Marco Marsans spent his gap year on four continents, expanding his understanding of himself as well as the mechanisms that make the global economy run. Marco learned that by understanding the functions of micro and macro economies, he can affect positive change in the world. In his captivating interview, Marco details how traveling in Asia, working with refugees in Costa Rica and interning at a private equity firm in Amsterdam informed his thinking on how to dismantle global inequities.

Joining us on the pod is Emma Hulme, who spent her post-college gap time with the American Conservation Experience (or ACE), a branch of Americorps that coordinates and trains volunteers to undertake practical environmental restoration projects in America’s national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and other public lands.

Emma tells us about how her three month stint with ACE turned into nearly a year of service in various parts of the west, and led her to her current adventures abroad and taking the leap to push outside of her comfort zone.

Intro/Outro Music: Quasi Motion by Kevin MacLeod; licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License More info: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Quasi_Motion/

Ever wonder what colleges think about the gap year option? This episode we are joined by Skyler Adams, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Northwestern University.

Skyler tells about the gap year from the admissions perspective and how to think about a gap year as it relates to applying for college. We also discuss the ideal deferral plan, how deferring can impact financial aid and why a gap year won't help get you into college.

Intro/Outro Music: Quasi Motion by Kevin MacLeod; licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License More info: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Quasi_Motion/

This episode you are going to hear from Mackenzie Burke, a gap year alumni who participated in three distinct program during her gap time. She chats about the various passions and interests these three segments served for her, from the plains of East Africa, to researching life under the sea in Timor-Leste, to living on her own in Cusco Peru. Additionally she shares with us a bit more about the independence progression that she intentionally set up for herself during this year.

Welcome to Season Three of Gap Year Radio! We are excited to bring you a brand new season of exciting interviews. Our premiere episode features three entrepreneurs who launched successful social ventures as a result of their gap year experiences.

You’ll hear from Kris Cody of PAKA Apparel, Anika Funk of Banana Backpacks and Cecilia Polanco of So Good Pupusas. Although these three stories are unique to each of their personal journeys, they share a common thread of their gap time influencing their worldviews, and eventually, their enterprising career paths. As Kris says,” Taking a gap year in of itself is an entrepreneurial act.”

Note to listeners: Use coupon code GAPYEAR for discounts on PAKA and Banana Backpacks gear!

How does one prepare for a transformative experience like a gap year? For our Season Two finale, we invited three professional gap year counselors; Jason Sarouhan of the Center for Interim Programs, Marion Taylor of Taylor the Gap and Susan Staley of Free to Roam Adventures, to discuss what they think are the most important ways to prepare for a gap year. We'll cover mental and physical preparation as well as tips for staying safe on your gap time.

Intro/Outro Music: Quasi Motion by Kevin MacLeod; licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License More info: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Quasi_Motion/

Joining Margo on the pod is Jacqueline Contino, who spent a life-changing post-undergraduate gap year in South Africa through the program Oyster Worldwide. After studying a pre-veterinary track in college, she ended up participating in two separate programs in South Africa during her gap time, first studying wildlife veterinary medicine. It was during this first stint in the country where she discovered that maybe there was a different path calling to her, and she was able to return to the same place in South Africa to pursue her now dreams of becoming a park ranger.

Joining us in this episode is Sasha Landauer and Jiyoung Jeong and of Gapyearly, who start us off by telling us a bit more about their own independent gap years post high school before beginning their undergraduate education at Stanford University. They now c0-direct the online gap year platform Gapyearly, which offers firsthand feedback of gap year experiences and free support for prospective gap parents as well as students who are considering gap time. They have recently co-written a Gap Year Planning Guide in partnership with the Gap Year Association, with special editing and design assistance from Erin Aucar of Amigos, who also joins us on the episode to walk us through this incredible resource for future gappers out there.

Elisabeth Mulder joins Margo on the pod to discuss her gap semester spent in New Hampshire with Gap at Glen Brook. From spending two days solo in the woods, to returning as a summer camp counselor at Glen Brook and now heading back this summer for her third stint of time, Elisabeth's passion for her experience with Gap at Glen Brook is inspiring.