Our Gap Year Abroad program for college-bound high school graduates is the perfect way for young people to spend half a year or one year exploring an immersing themselves in another language and culture. Not only do students who study abroad gain proficiency in another language and come to understand a foreign culture at an intimate level, but they also learn how to adapt to unfamiliar environments, meet challenges, and interact with people of different backgrounds. The skills that Lotus participants acquire and the experiences they have in China prepare them well for college life and beyond.

Lotus Gap Year Abroad students get a chance to live as a member of a local Chinese family in Beijing while attending intensive Chinese language classes.
Although afternoons are free for exploring the city, studying, or hanging out with friends, students may also choose to participate in part-time internships and volunteer events. Since Lotus is a registered non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, those who volunteer while in Beijing can earn community service credit. Participants interested in exploring more of China may cap off their program with one of our different exciting travel options (see Study and Travel),

Sample Itinerary Six-month Gap Year Program

Week 1-20

• Daily breakfast and dinner with host family
• Daily intensive language courses at BLCU
• Afternoons free to explore, study, and bond with classmates and host family
• Weekend activities: excursion to the Great Wall, visit the Lama Temple, volunteer at senior center, hiking at Badachu
  

Week 21-23

• Earn community service credit by volunteering to teach English at a school for children of migrant workers

Week 24

• Lotus guided "China Spotlight Tour" to the cities of Shanghai, Xi'an, and Chengdu