Straight after graduation, the majority of seniors head off to college. Determined to get their education done, very few consider taking a gap year. But why not take a year off?

Imagine you have an entire year to do whatever you want. Would you catch up on all that missed sleep? Hang out with friends? Finally watch the entire season of that great tv show you just didn’t have time for? While this all sounds great initially, within a few weeks the routine will grow old and soon you will find yourself sitting at home board.

Okay, so maybe sitting at home isn’t sounding so luxurious after all. Instead, imagine yourself in another country. Perhaps in a jungle? In the midst of a mountain range? In the safari? The place doesn’t matter. What matters is what you are doing. In that country, you are helping people, all sorts of people. The young, the old, the sick, and the healthy. Imagine yourself teaching at the local school, helping the farmers tend their fields, build homes, or even administer medical attention. It sounds like an adventure, right?

You wouldn’t only be helping other people grow. You would also benefit from the experience. Through visiting a different country, you learn a new language while expanding on your communication skills. Teaching, you improve your leadership skills. By helping a farmer or doctor, you learn useful and worldly skills. All of this not only benefits you as a well rounding a person, but it also proves applicable to your college education. And plus, you gain amazing stories to tell when you get home.

Still thinking about taking a gap year but not sure how to fully seize an opportunity like this by yourself. You may want to look into the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps consists of a group of people who work on projects all over the world to improve the human condition. They have all sorts of projects in practically every corner of the globe.

But do I qualify for the Peace Corps? Well, most seniors are 18-years-old and that’s the minimum age requirement for volunteers. But what if you need to save for college? Being a volunteer, the ticket, room and board among other things are paid for. Also, volunteers can qualify for student loan assistance.

If you are thinking of the Peace Corps, there will be an information table at University Wisconsin Milwaukee, at Alumni Union Ballroom 2200 E. Kenwood Ave.Milwaukee, WI, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on May 9th 2013. However, there are plenty of other ways to help the world during your gap year, not just joining the Peace Corps. Whatever you do during your gap year, make sure it’s a year to remember.