As the three of these gap-year students now settle into life at Whitman, they are all shaped by their experiences in the last 12 months. “It’s pretty easy for me to settle in a new place,” said Popenoe. “I’m not really dealing with the homesickness part that a lot of people are.”

Taking a gap year between high school and college has become increasingly common. Although there is no official poll that tracks the number of students who choose to take gap years nationwide, Whitman students who choose to take a year off seem to support this notion.