It appears support for a Gap Year, otherwise known as a Foundation Year, has migrated from England to the shores of the United States.  MASA recently took 29 high school college counselors on a seven day tour of Israel to visit MASA post-high school programs and get a taste for what the

country has to offer.  It was also a chance for the counselors to catch up with former students now participating on a program in Israel.  Cleveland Ohio native Eileen Blattner, after seeing a few of her former students, commented, "coming here and seeing the effects the program has on those who are doing it, the level of maturity they are now showing (since being here) is just incredible."  She later added, "I want to do anything I can in Cleveland to promote MASA."

Due to the level of personal growth undergone during a Gap Year program, more and more educators are arguing that the experience is extremely beneficial to an individual's time in university, allowing for a more qualified selection process as well as a more mature approach to their four years.  Additionally, participants of Gap Year programs are finding themselves to be more competitive in the eyes of university selection committees. This has resulted in a growing trend of participants re-engaging in the application process and being accepted to universities that had formerly rejected them. 
 
However, those like Lee Buckman from West Bloomfield Michgan, stress that a Gap Year program should not only be viewed through an academic lens. The gap year experience in Israel, "helps our kids become better people and better Jews, not just better career oriented students."  Elizabeth Pleshette a college counselor from New York noted that Israel is also an attractive destination for non-Jews, particularly when it comes to fields of peace, politics and international relations.  Others urged MASA to develop programs that allow participants to experience professional fields in Israel's high tech industries as well.  "Really," one counselor noted, Israel is a "wonderful place for everyone."