A college gap year is a break that students take between high school and college (or sometimes during college) to explore personal, professional, or educational opportunities before continuing their studies. Some colleges allow students to defer admission for a gap year, meaning they secure a spot but start later. Many structured gap year programs exist, but students can also plan their own experiences.

Whether the U.S. Department of Education should be eliminated is a long-standing debate with strong arguments on both sides. Some argue that the department adds unnecessary red tape and administrative costs without significantly improving education outcomes. Critics claim that education is not explicitly mentioned in the U.S. Constitution and should, therefore, be left to states under the 10th Amendment. This podcast will give you an overview of what may happen.

FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, is a 1974 federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. It applies to all educational institutions that receive funding from the U.S. Department of Education. FERPA ensures students and parents have control over educational information while balancing the need for institutions to use records for legitimate purposes.