The spring ’07 speaking lineup at Claremont has already included Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman. In a month, Bill Clinton will be visiting.
Side benefit of a gap year: it makes you more ready / excited to go to college.
A gap year is such a damned good idea. I wish I had come to Japan when I was sixteen instead of heading straight to college. Not only would I have learned Japanese faster, I would have grown up a lot more! Definitely something more Americans need to consider. It’s amazing how much you’ve gotten done during this year, too.
oooh, Scalia is supposed to be an amazing speaker–funny, wry, well-read; even if I don’t agree with his method of interpreting the Constitution, I’d love to see the gadfly live…
Ben,
I fully agree with the benefits of a gap year. For me, it has not only allowed me to grow as an indivdual, and experience things professionally, but most importantly it has shown me what I will gain from a formal education and has made that an attractive option (which was assuredly not the case a year or two ago).