Gap Year Penn Post-Gap Year

The first step to getting connecting and transitioning to life at Penn after your gap year is to join Penn's Gap Year Association. This group is dedicated to supporting these students and helping them find resources, connect with upperclassmen, and build meaningful relationships. The Association is also a space for incoming first-year students who are considering taking a gap year to learn more.

Additional Recommendations:

  • Build on Your Experience - Seek out student groups and clubs that relate to your gap year experience. Whether you want to practice your language skills, engage with arts and culture, or continue your engagement with a particular country or region, Penn has student groups for practically everything.

  • Engage Through Your Coursework - Search for classes or reach out to faculty whose work aligns with your interests. Attend office hours – even if you're not taking a class with that particular professor!

  • Go Abroad Again - Penn Abroad offers not only traditional semester study abroad options, but also short-term abroad experiences including Penn Global Seminars (courses that integrate a travel component during breaks in the academic year) and the Global Research and Internship Program (8-12 week-long summer internship placements overseas).

  • Share Your Story - Aside from being featured on the Gap Year Experiences website using the form on this page, Gap year returnees are invited to share their stories on the Penn Abroad Blog. You can submit a blog post on our blog submissions page. Kept a blog during your gap year? Submit your best post and it could be cross-listed on our site. Penn Abroad is always looking for ways to highlight Penn's global community. 

Gap Year Experiences Survey

Recent gap year returnees are invited to share their experience by having their bios on our website. Complete the following survey to take the next step. Once your information has been reviewed, you will be contacted with additional details. For questions please contact goabroad@upenn.edu.

Full Name
Penn School(s)
Personal Pronouns
To be used in public communications such as email and on social media, as needed, for events, introductions in newletters, other communications that may feature students. 

Profile Information

Describe a way your gap year related or prepared you for your coursework, major choice, and studies here at Penn. (150-400 words)
Share why you chose to take a gap year, and any advice you have for other students considering a gap year or coming to Penn post-gap year. (100-200 words)
What are 3 to 5 highlights from your experience on your gap year.
Any information you would like to share? Links to a blog you kept or social media accounts?
Upload up to 5 images of your time abroad, with at least one photo of you in your host destination.
Maximum 5 files.
100 MB limit.
Allowed types: gif, jpg, png, svg, heic, heif.

I agree to have my ambassador profile and email address listed on the Penn Abroad website so that other students can contact me about my experience.
By submitting this form along with any photographs or videos you are certifying that the submission is your own original work, and does not violate any intellectual property right (such as copyright, or other rights of publication or publicity) of any third party. You are granting the University of Pennsylvania full permission to use, display, copy, publish, distribute, and modify the submission(s) in any form, for any purpose, in any media without my further approval or compensation. Penn Abroad adheres to the following privacy policy. 
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.