We know that it is college application season time. We as Independent Educational Consultants discuss with our students a variety of options for college lists the usual: a few schools for the reach, target and safety schools. Make sure your external testing plans are in place and complete before December, school visits… check, Letters of Recommendation – you have asked those teachers and they have kindly said yes, you have started your college essays and determined if you are going to apply Early Action, Early Decision, Regular Decision. A lot to juggle, a lot to do. But, what if; you decide to take a different route to Higher Education? And that is perfectly okay, you still have to do the above. Let’s talk about one option that is unique and a stand out.
The ‘new kid on the block’ is Verto Education. Verto Education is an organization providing “affordable and innovative way for students to incorporate travel into their four year college experience.” And when they say affordable, they mean it. Verto offers is unique in that it offers international, academic travel experience while partnering with colleges giving full credit to students in order to graduate in four years. The cool thing about these partner colleges, is that students can make application to one or more of these colleges/universities from around the world and as long as the students meet requirements, they can seamlessly enter after their abroad travels. There are a variety of schools, along with a variety of abroad programs ranging from $12,000 USD (including credits, not including flights) up to (approximate) $20,000 USD, depending on location. Who gets a semester of college for that price? Who gets experiential learning included with college credit for that prices?
Each location abroad is themed (brief overview):
- Costa Rica: Spanish Immersion/environmental studies/sustainability
- Costa Rica/Dominican Republic: International Development Work, Public Health
- South Pacific: Fiji, New Zealand and Australia: Relationship between humans, Ecosystems and societies
- Southeast Asia: Thailand, Laos and China: Understanding of issues in international business, global corporate ethics, international financial systems and international development.
Partner Universities: University of Oregon, University of Tennessee, University of Vermont, Bucknell University, Pace University, High Point University, College of Wooster, University of Bristol (in the UK), Cornell College, Butler University, James Madison University, Springfield College, Macquarie University (Sydney, Australia), Mills College, Merrimack College, Portland State University, University of Auckland (New Zealand), Lewis and Clark College, DePauw University, Naropa University, Lynn University, Saint Michael’s University, University College Dublin (Republic of Ireland). This list will continue to grow, and certainly the international aspect of this is quite appealing.
While not a Gap Year program per se, it reaches to students who would like to start with a Study Abroad experience and matriculate into university life with a simple plan. Contact Verto Education for more details:
And of course, reach out to World Student Support to discuss options.