As students face the uncertain reality of the upcoming school year because of COVID-19, many are considering taking a gap year.

The pandemic has drastically changed the way many have envisioned the upcoming school year, leading to a much larger number of high school graduates to reconsider how they want to continue their education.

“The best numbers that we have suggest about 40,000 students take a gap year every year,” says Julia Rogers, the board of chair of the Gap Year Association. “It’s kind of shocking to even say, but we could see an exponential growth.”

Rogers says that a gap year can be designed to accommodate any restrictions the pandemic has placed on students and is a good option for students who had hoped to have an on-campus college experience this fall.

“A lot of students aren’t just paying for the education or the degree, but they’re paying for that campus experience, which is going to be highly disrupted this year and a gap year essentially buys those students some time,” says Rogers. “And then you’ll have a better probability of starting a more traditional college experience next year.”

Rogers says that students taking a gap year should consider engaging in some meaningful activities, including, investigating national service opportunities, volunteering, and looking at career exploration. That can be in the form of internships or even job shadowing. She says that if used productively, a gap year could have a positive financial impact.

“The average student takes six years to graduate with a four-year degree…We see gap year students performing better academically once they get to college and actually graduating sooner than traditional students,” Rogers says.

Rogers says that most importantly, students should stay flexible during the pandemic, be open-minded and take advantage of any scenario that presents itself in the upcoming school year.