Throughout the United States, recent high school graduates and college students delay or take breaks in their higher education for a variety of reasons. One common and increasingly popular reason for delaying or taking time away from school is a gap year, which the Gap Year Association defines as “a semester or year of experiential learning, typically taken after high school and prior to career or post-secondary education.” Under that definition, gap time is purposeful and structured; it can include service and experience in new places and cultures. Religious missionary service fits this definition of structured gap time, something that many Utah students participate in because of membership in Utah’s dominant religion: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. With many students throughout the US and Utah experiencing interruptions in their post-secondary education, it is valuable to understand the consequences, both positive and negative. 

This podcast episode highlights findings from a recent UWLP brief that reports on a study examining the impact of missionary service gap time on a sample of Utah students, with particular attention to the unique benefits and drawbacks for women. Dr. Susan Madsen, Founding Director of the UWLP, is joined by the authors of the report: First, Maggie Marchant, Assistant Librarian at the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University; and Dr. Jocelyn S. Wikle, Assistant Professor in the School of Family Life, also at Brigham Young University.

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