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Story For The Gap from page 8
Planning, Research Are Key
There are a wide variety of gap year pro-
grams, both Jewish and secular, so finding
the right program requires a fair amount of
research and planning.
Madeleine Warshay gathered informa-
tion from websites and also talked to several
people who had participated in some of the
programs she was considering. Ney also
provided materials and brought speakers to
Akiva from gap year organizations.
Madeleine narrowed her choices down to
three seminary-based programs and is cur-
rently waiting to hear whether her applica-
tions will be accepted.
"I wanted to take time to strengthen my
religious identity and broaden my knowl-
edge:' said Madeleine, who would eventually
like to study psychology or social work "For
me, it was mostly about studying and learn-
ing. ,
As the time grew closer for North
Farmington High School graduate Emma
Cohen to start her freshman year at Oakland
University, she began to have doubts about
her choice.
"I realized I didn't know what I wanted to
do:' said Cohen of West Bloomfield, now 21.
"I wasn't necessarily ready for college; I was
going because it was 'my time' to go"
After some hasty soul-searching and
research, she decided to defer college and
enroll in a gap year program — Young
Judaea Year Course. It turned out to be the
right decision for Cohen, who had consid-
ered a gap year but balked at the idea of
being so far from her family and familiar
surroundings.
"I decided to push myself to do something
out of my comfort zone and see how it went:'
she said. "I realized it was a once-in-a-life-
time opportunity."
Cohen chose the Young Judaea program
because of its Zionist bent, and because
her father had had such a good experience
on the program when he was 18. Also, she
had spent her childhood summers at Camp
Young Judaea in Wisconsin.
The nine-month program, based in Israel,
consisted of three segments. The first three
months, Cohen took classes and helped in
a local preschool in Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv.
Then her group moved to Arad, a small
town in the Negev, where she volunteered at
an end-of-life facility. During the last three
months, they stayed in Jerusalem, taking
courses and volunteering at a Hadassah
hospital.
"I knew college would always be there, and
forfeited. Some programs do random drug
testing.
"Drugs are absolutely prohibited on my
program:' Freya Gothelf said. "If they catch
you with them, you go home. End of story.
Alcohol is also not allowed on campus, but
it is not off limits outside of campus. It is
legal and not a crime to drink it. There are
some problems with it, but very few. But the
problems are equal or fewer than on a col-
lege campus"
Jordana Eisenberg of Baltimore, Hannah Alexander of Ann Arbor and Emma Cohen
of West Bloomfield with other Young Judaea Year Course participants in Israel.
Alexander has since made aliyah and is serving in the Israel Defense Forces.
"I knew college would always be there, and I
didn't want to miss this opportunity."
- Emma Cohen
I didn't want to miss this opportunity:' she
said.
Cohen found the courses, sponsored
through the California-based American
Jewish University, stimulating.
"There was a really cool course, Christian
Encounters, where we visited mosques,
churches and synagogues:' she said. Other
courses included Israeli film, Zionism, his-
tory and "a lot of Hebrew"
While many Year Course students traveled
outside of Israel during winter and spring
breaks, Cohen chose to stay, hiking and
camping through the northern part of the
country with her newfound friends. When
her older sister, Hannah, visited during a
Birthright Israel trip, Cohen was able to serve
as a guide.
Cohen now is a junior at Grand Valley
State University, where she is majoring in
psychology; she plans to get a master's degree
in occupational therapy.
"I think everyone should do a gap year:'
she said. "I became more independent. It
changed me a lot, made me grow up and
appreciate the things I have here"
Because many gap year programs include
an academic component, transferring credits
may be an issue. Dunajsky said this is one
Israel Programs Fair
Word Of Caution
Parents need to know that it is legal for 18
year olds to drink alcohol in Israel and in
some other countries. Alcohol is off limits on
campuses or in program housing, but teens
on gap year programs have been known to
drink. In Israel, it's popular to hit the bars
after Shabbat.
Marijuana and other drugs are another
matter. Most programs have a zero-tolerance
policy for drugs. This means teens can be
sent home immediately and fees are usually
❑
Gap Year Considerations
Attend a program to learn more about Israel stu-
dent programs - summer, gap year, semester and
university - from 12:30-2 p.m. Sunday, Jan.13,
at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Ann
Arbor, 2935 Birch Hollow Drive. Meet program
representatives, enjoy Israeli snacks and music.
For details, call Eileen Freed, (734) 677-0100.
10 January 10 • 2013
area where advance planning can help.
"If you're deferring your enrollment, the
college has to be aware of your plans if you
want your credits to transfer:' she said. Even
then, there is no guarantee that every col-
lege or university will accept every academic
credit earned during a gap year.
Madeleine Warshay has ascertained that
Stern College in New York, where she has
been accepted, will accept the credits from
the gap year programs she is considering. So
far, Cohen has succeeded in transferring 19
of the 27 credits she earned during her gap
year and is working on receiving the rest
"I had to push; it's a little bit of a process,"
she said.
A Look at Finances
According to Dunajsky, budgeting for a gap
year should be included in a family's overall
college fmancial plan. The non-discounted
cost of some of the programs can range
from $20,000-$50,000, but the good news is
there are many scholarships available.
Cohen received assistance from Masa
Israel Journey (www.masaisrael.org ), an
organization that provides guidance and
scholarships for a variety of gap year pro-
grams, from Hadassah (a sponsor of Young
Judaea) and from the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit. Scholarships may also
be available from organizations sponsoring
the gap year programs as well as from local
synagogues or youth groups.
"I told Freya I would fund four years of
college:' said Gothelf. "Theoretically, she
could earn up to 32 credits in the program"
Dunajsky said there are some programs,
such as the U.S. government-sponsored
AmeriCorps, that offer money toward col-
lege tuition after the gap year is completed.
She added that MET (Michigan Education
Trust) funds cannot usually be used for gap
year programs.
"That's another reason why planning is so
important:' she said.
For some teens, homesickness can be a
factor. Many families make travel plans to
visit their children during holiday breaks.
Cohen, who was a little homesick at the
beginning, made use of technology, such as
Skype and Facebook, to stay in touch.
"And I had family and friends in Israel, so
I got invited for holidays:' she said.
For Cohen, making the transition back
to home and college life was somewhat
difficult, but the skills and confidence she
gained more than made up for the brief
period of discomfort.
"You want to compare everything with
Israel, and you can't;' she said. "It took
a while to get back to reality, but it pre-
pared me for college and gave me lifelong
friends"
JIN
• Decide how you want to spend your time: working, studying, traveling, volunteering or a combination.
• How important is a Jewish focus?
• Do you prefer a highly structured program or one that allows some flexibility?
• What will the program cost (including travel during school breaks) and what financial assistance
can you expect?
• Do you want to stay in Israel or see other parts of the world?
• Will the college you plan to attend accept your gap year credits?
• Does the student mix seem like a good fit?