PHOTO COURTESY OF JARETT HUNEKE Guidance counselor Carol Bost gives student Michelle Najecki, of Millstone Township, a course catalog for the University of Delaware amid the bustling halls of Allentown High School. ALLENTOWN - While many high school seniors decidewhat to pack into cardboard boxes and prepare to walk the grassy quads of their future college or university, a few have put their collegiate plans on hold to forge paths in unfamiliar places.

This minority has decided to take what is commonly referred to as a "gap year." A gap year, or interimyear, is a period of time when students take a break from their formal education to volunteer, travel, work or intern.

Upon matriculating at an academic institution, incoming freshmen have the option of deferring enrollment for up to a year. During this time, recent graduates spend anywhere fromsix weeks to 10months partaking in projects that range from teaching English to children in Ghana to volunteering in urban communities in Philadelphia.

Versatility and creativity in exploring one's options are the main tenets for "gappers," or those taking time off. Students must plan where they want to go, domestically or internationally, and what they hope to accomplish while there. Organizations like AmeriCorps offer the structure of a planned program, while others, like Global Routes and Projects Abroad, allow gappers to customize their own journeys.

AllentownHigh SchoolDirector ofGuidance Patrick Leary said, "Understanding other cultures is one thing, living it is another."

JemHeinzel-Nelson, anAllentownHigh School alumna and Georgetown University sophomore, immersed herself in Guatemala's culture during her gap year. She lived in Guatemala City for eight months while working with Cedepca, an organization for abused women, and lived in the rural town of Coban for two months while teaching English to students of all ages in various schools.

"I always had to test new waters, go beyondwhere Iwas comfortable,"Heinzel-Nelson said. "It was so hard, but I learned and grew so much. In the end, I had a stronger idea of who I was, what inspired me."

Many high school graduates consider time spent during their gap years to be a rite of passage. The gap year concept,which is popular across theAtlantic, has its origins in the United Kingdom and is slowly growing in popularity in America.

American students are learning that a gap year can serve as a way for them to recharge and refocus before entering college. They are also discovering that the interim year can help them explore their interests and passions and translate their textbook knowledge into realworld experiences. Certain gap year projects also give students the ability to impact people and to better understand global issues.

While Heinzel-Nelson encourages students to use the opportunity of a gap year to see what the world has to offer, some high school seniors see the concept as daunting or even impossible.

Allentown High School senior Taylor Lefebvre, of Upper Freehold, said she has personal qualms holding her back fromtaking time off next year.

"I would," she said, "but I would not want to be a year olderwhen I start college."

Taylor added that she might consider taking a gap year prior to graduate school.

Heinzel-Nelson countered Taylor's argument and said, "There should be no rush to go anywhere. The colleges and universities will all still be here in a year. But students, on the other hand, will be amazed at the changes and transformations that take place inside of them in that same short year."