Gap/Bridge Year(s)

The Pre-Professional Office and Life Design Lab (formerly Career Center) can assist students in finding ways to use the gap/bridge year productively, whether it be through employment opportunities, additional courses, volunteer work, graduate degree study, or research. This page reviews many great websites and resources to help you research and pursue meaningful gap/bridge year experiences. The focus on this page is on not post-baccalaureate or masters degree programs to enhance undergraduate academics. Rather, the focus here is on securing research, other employment, and volunteer/service opportunities.

Selected Overview Resources

• GapYear and Short-Term Post-Graduate Opps (Yale University Career Services)
• PDF Document: International Internship and Gap Year Opportunities (Calvin College)
• Idealist.Org (database of volunteer opportunities worldwide; the website also maintains job and internship boards) and their Idealist Guide for First-Time Job Seekers

Selected Volunteer Organizations

• Americorps.org (program participants work with nonprofits, schools, public agencies, and community and faith-based groups across the US.)
• City Year
• FEMA Corps (members travel throughout one of five regions in the United States completing service projects relating to disaster preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery activities.)
• TNTP Teaching Fellows (TNTP Teaching Fellows is a rigorous alternative certification program that recruits and trains talented career changers and recent college graduates to be outstanding teachers in high-need schools across the country.)
• Global Health Fellow (Fellows work with high-impact health organizations in yearlong paid positions. Throughout the year, they engage in intensive leadership development and community building, striving to embody our leadership practices as they work to address health inequities across the global health field.)
• Partners for Public Service
• Bridging the Gaps
• Philadelphia Health Corps
• Strong City Baltimore – Americorps VISTA
• New York City Cares
• Match Corps / Match Education
• Habitat for Humanity
• Congressional National Hunger Fellows
• Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation
• Families USA (Villers and Wellstone Fellowships)
• Take the Fight (“Teach for America” for healthcare)
  (see the TTF Facebook page)

Selected Research Opportunities

• NIH-Postbaccalaureate IRTA
• JHU Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP)
• ClinicalTrials.gov

Finally, if you were work full-time job in public service, you may qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Go to this site to learn more about, (a) What is a Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program?, (b) What must I do to have any remaining balances on my Direct Loans forgiven under the PSLF program?, and (c) What loans are eligible for forgiveness?