To take a year off between high school and college is sometimes a conflicted choice for American students. Though Malia Obama did it, gap years aren’t widely practiced in the US education system. Yet some say taking a gap year to explore, learn, and pursue your own interests before heading off to college and a career can be instrumental in helping students transition from childhood to maturity. Lizzie Scott, a former PCH Tutors student and now tutor herself, decided to take a gap year before heading to Columbia University and a mechanical engineering program and she couldn’t be happier with her decision despite the uncertainties of the year ahead. 

In this perfect hybrid of our “Interview with a College-Bound Student” + “Meet the Tutor” columns, read more about Lizzie’s background, her ongoing gap year adventures, and her future hopes and dreams she thinks will be even better having deferred her college admission.

Where are you from?

Topanga, California. This mountain city by the beach has definitely influenced me a lot in who I am because I really like nature, I’m passionate about environmental issues. In college, I’m going to study electrical engineering/sustainable development so I can focus my research on renewable energy and technologies. 

How has where you are from influenced your desire to study renewable energy/technology?

Pretty much every year we have to evacuate during fire season. When I was younger it was not so bad, but it gets hotter and hotter every year and fire season starts earlier and earlier. Of course, not to get political, but there are always two sides to a story. Some people say it’s climate change and others try to excuse it with “we need better forest management.” Yes, making sure your property is clear of dead bushes is great, but there is no way this spike in intensity of wildfires is purely bad forest management. I live in what’s considered a high-risk area with lots of dry chaparral, but when I was younger we only evacuated once or twice. I’ve seen it get hotter and hotter every year - this week it was 110F at my house which is insane; I live 10 minutes from the beach. I used to think 90F was hot at my house. Growing up in this area and seeing change just in my short lifetime has made me passionate about fighting climate change. 

Where did you go to high school?

I’ve been graduated for only three months - I went to high school at Viewpoint in Calabasas. I was super lucky to go to private school for high school - my older brothers didn’t - and I was lucky to be in an environment and around people who were really driven and wanted to push themselves.

How did your high school experience influence what you want to do in college?

I’ve always liked math, it’s beautiful, you can explain a lot with it. I do like writing if I sit down to do it, just getting myself to do it is more difficult. I went to private school in part because I really wanted strong math classes, and when I was in 10th grade they started offering an engineering course so I took it. It was exciting; I worked with Arduino which was super cool and used real electronics! It’s like a little computer chip attached to essentially a platform, what is called a breadboard, and you can make anything you want on this breadboard. Imagine it as a working table for electronics. It’s great for simple intro experimentation with electronics, and then you can hook up to a computer to program it. I highly recommend everyone do it even if you’re not going to be an engineer. I can make lights blink, really cool - like magic. From there I took a summer course at USC for an intro to engineering course, built up my interest and learned a lot more, and definitively said “I do want to do this.” 

Have you always been interested in math and engineering?

It can be intimidating because I haven't always been the strongest at math. I still don’t completely know my multiplication tables - I could have done with a tutor myself in 4th grade to encourage that! So I was a little nervous to go into engineering thinking, there are going to be all these geniuses better than me. But something I’ve really learned is that the best thing you can do is start now. Your whole life you can say “I should have done this 5 years ago”…and if you’re feeling that - about anything - just start now! 

How did you decide to take a gap year between high school and college?

I think it’s so important to get exposure to lots of different things. In high school, I was surrounded by people putting a lot of stress on themselves. I did too, and looking back it was silly. My dad is English, it’s much more of the UK culture to take a gap year. He actually didn’t and he regrets it, but I think it’s something every country should normalize. 

I didn’t take a gap year because of Covid; I was going to take one regardless. Everyone should. In high school, theoretically you’re working hard to try to get into college, or getting absorbed into passion projects. There are so many resources available to you in high school that you should! But that can be draining. After high school, you want to have a moment to pause and figure out if there’s anything else you’re interested in.

College wants you to be perfect and great at everything. So you put that pressure on yourself to be perfect at what you’re already doing and there’s no time to try new things. A gap year is a great time to try new things you couldn't in high school without the pressure of everyone relying on you to get into college.

For example - I ran cross country in high school - I had all these people and things relying on me to show up every day for that. Now that I’m in my gap year, nobody is relying on me to run anymore. I could try badminton or anything else if I want… in my case, I’ve taken up surfing for the first time and it’s igniting all these passions. 

Did you already apply for college, or will you be doing that during your gap year?

I’ve been accepted at Columbia in New York for engineering. Since my dad is from the UK, I am a citizen and citizens can apply easily for college a year in advance - you just tick a box to indicate you’re planning to defer. Here in the US it’s trickier - I think you’re supposed to call an admissions officer and tell them you’re planning to defer. But I waited until I was accepted. They sent the acceptance letter with the question at the end: “Do you plan to defer?” Now I’m relaxed, I have a place to go next year, and I’m not spending the year worrying so now I can explore different things.

One of the main concerns we hear in the States about taking a gap year is that you’ll you’ll forget everything you learned in high school and be behind once you get to college or you’ll have so much fun you never want to go back to school. Do you worry about that?

I started tutoring this summer and it’s great to do during a gap year. It’s true that a lot of families worry that “If my kid takes a gap year will they get off course and not remember anything they learned or not want to go to college?” So with tutoring you can stay in touch with what you learned, to teach you have to become an expert in it - you have to become a short-term expert in what you’re tutoring and any subjects you were maybe unsturdy in during high school are solidified for college through tutoring because you’ll be teaching it (and practicing for yourself) over and over. 

How would you describe yourself as a student? 

In high school, I put a lot of pressure on myself and was a little bit of a perfectionist, but that ruined me a couple times so I’ve gotten better at being less perfect, which became a goal of mine. Once I had to write a long essay for history class and I was determined for it to be a new idea, as if I was writing some dissertation. Finally my teacher was like, “That’s not what I was expecting from you.” From then on I decided to be less stressed about being perfect. I was pretty driven in high school but not great at time management because I tend to get really absorbed in whatever I’m doing, I don’t like to move on to the next thing until I am done. I’m working on time management and striving to be less perfect is helping me do all that. 

What is a subject you had once struggled with but have now come to love?

I’m a classic example: I used to be terrible at math. In elementary school we were graded with 1-4 scales with 1= best, 4= worst. My friends would get all ones, I got twos and threes and fours, and didn’t care that much, especially in math. I didn’t even - still don’t, really! - know my multiplication tables. In 6th grade I had a math teacher I really liked and that made me passionate about math. I still struggled, though. In algebra, I didn’t understand that equations correlated into graphs for probably two years. But a big help was Jake’s tutoring. I think we were one of the first families to use Jake, back when he was a Pepperdine student. He helped me a lot to realize that when you look at a problem it can feel overwhelming but if you take a breath and have confidence in yourself you can solve it. When I was applying to be a tutor he asked me: “What type of student would you want to teach?” For me it would be someone who lacks confidence. When you’re confident in tackling problems, you get better. In just gaining confidence to solve problems I went from struggling with math to planning for a math-based career. 

As a recent student-turned-tutor this year, how have you developed your own teaching philosophy?

I really love the PCH tutors mantra/philosophy of experimentation. You can understand so much more deeply by asking yourself questions and sitting w an idea. When I’m stuck on something, I like to sit with it and think of all the different possibilities.I’ve been revisiting a lot of math principles when I’m teaching; I want to make sure I’m fresh on skills and I realize there is so much I still don’t know even though I’ve been in math classes for a really long time now. 13 years of math is quite a lot, especially because I was considered to be advanced math and there is still so much I don’t know!

I am experimenting and questioning and I have so much more to learn and understand. A lot of students question when they’ll ever use math, and why do they have to spend all this time learning principles. It’s because math isn’t just “how do you add two things together?” It’s not just math skills, but studying math gives you skills in tackling a problem you’ve never seen before. Will you use the formula of a line? Probably rarely, unconsciously, at least. But it’s more about how you tackle a problem. If you’re looking back at yourself ten years ago, what were you like and you probably have grown a lot more, the way you’ve grown... is that the facts you know? Not necessarily. You have grown because of skills in problem solving and a lot of that comes from all those math sets you did. It’s not just about adding, it’s about understanding new problems.

What did your parents or teachers have to say when you decided to take a gap year?

I’m lucky - when I announced that I was doing it, my parents totally went with the flow. My dad always wished he did one, and mom is also supportive. I’ve kinda always discussed it - but for a while I wasn’t sure I actually would and didn't think it was realistic. But then at some point I just came to the decision and my parents were supportive. They see firsthand the pressure kids put on themselves. It’s a great break and I’m thankful to not be starting college right away. 

Besides tutoring, what have you been doing with your gap year time so far? 

During the summer I took it chill and easy which was so nice. I probably would have wanted to do a little more, but of course Covid made it difficult. I started tutoring and just started surfing mid-July. Always saw kids surfing but never learned and finally decided that if you think it’s too late you should do it anyway!

Any big plans for the rest of your year?

Work at a ski resort as a chalet host this winter! When Europeans want to vacation in the winter, they often rent a big chalet which comes with someone who cooks and cleans for them. I’m hoping to be that person! I have UK citizenship and I can work legally, but because of Brexit, this is the last year I can do that. I slid in right in time. Of course, Covid has meant a few issues as well. But I hope by later this year I’ll be going to cook for people!

In the spring, I’m hoping to go WOOFing with a friend in New Zealand. I’m excited, but NZ has strict Covid rules so if there’s no vaccine by then, maybe not. Next summer I’m going to visit family in Moscow. We have another family friend who runs a travel business so I also want to be a tour guide for them. Honestly, making money and traveling sounds like the best, and I want to use the gap year to do both so that college isn’t so nerve-wracking when I don’t have money. Lots of friends say I can always take one after I work; to me that’s less realistic. Right now there’s a built-in gap in time, but after college I’m going to want to start working right away.

How do you think taking this extra year before your studies might make a difference in how you approach your college education?

I’m taking a course on how to host people, so my parents have been getting a lot of delicious food. I’ve been cooking a lot - today I’m making boba - it’s really fun and I highly suggest it! It’s lots cheaper than buying it at a shop. Doing a lot of resume building: I got CPR certified and got a level 2 hygiene certificate - basically I know how to wash my hands! 

How do you think your gap year will affect your college experience and beyond?

I definitely think it will hugely affect me. Everyone can experience burnout, but because of the gap year rest I think I’ll approach work with more energy. I have also realized I don’t like sitting around at home a lot. Have already tried that, it’s not fun, and it’s re-centered my will and passion to do things.

Have you made any interesting discoveries about yourself lately?

I’ve realized I want to find friends who want to do exciting stuff rather than sticking to the book. A lot of my friends are like “oh no! You’re taking a year off so you’re going to work a year less!” But I disagree. You have the rest of your life. I need friends who want to experience life. And I don’t necessarily think travel is necessary on a gap year, in fact it’s such a privilege and I acknowledge that I have that. But there are so many other things to do and so many reasons why it’s healthy to take a year to experience new things. I like being active and doing things and contributing and I don’t like just binging Netflix forever as much as sometimes I just want to do that. 

Surfing every day has made me more meditative, and to just enjoy where I am right now. A lot of my friends are going off to college and at points I have felt jealous; it looks like they’re having fun while stuck at home right without a lot of friends. But “the grass is always greener” and I remind myself that I am at home where I can be doing and learning whatever I want.

What’s something you love to nerd out about?

I really like the science of cooking and reading about that. So just now when I was making Boba, you boil water and brown sugar, then pour in tapioca starch. But if you pour only a little, like a TBS or so, it will create a non-Newtonian fluid, that when you smack it it acts like a solid. But if you move around the bowl it acts like a liquid. I’m trying to create a dough so I need to add more starch. So right now it’s food science. When i was running, exercise, and ofc electronics. That’s what i want to do. Whatever I am doing I just want to do that all the time, I get passionate about that and like to nerd out and talk about it all the time. Right now it’s surfing and cooking, so you’ll probably catch me talking about that. 

What do you like to do when you are bored?

It is so rare that I’m bored, I kind of wish I was bored more often. When I have any down time, I’ll fill it by watching a video, when I don’t need or even want to do that. I think that’s a product of my generation - we have very little boredom time. When I think back to being little, I would be bored a lot, so I’d just entertain myself all the time and talk with my family a lot. I still love doing that.

Have you read any good books lately?

It’s a long book so I’ve been reading it for a while but The Age of Sustainable Development by Jeffrey D. Sachs. I’m in a book-ish club with some other Columbia students who are taking a gap year, which I highly recommend. Even if you’re taking a gap year you should connect with other people you’re going to be with, so I joined this book club but it’s kinda of turned into a movie club, which is still fun!