Chris Whittle: Prepping For A Global Gap Year

In September 2024, Baret Scholars will get its foundational batch of 180 students, who will be able to explore their passions and purpose across seven regions of the world through its gap year programme. BW Businessworld’s Arjun Yadav caught up with Baret Scholars ’ Executive Chairman Chris Whittle to discern the need for such gap year programmes in contemporary times. Excerpts: 

Q: The Baret Scholars is a programme that talks about taking one out of one’s context and into the world. Give us a perspective of what this means and the inspiration behind this programme. 

A: I grew up in a small village in the south of America and was lucky to study abroad in Czechoslovakia during my university days. But then I had an opportunity to spend an entire year circling the world, and it changed my life in ways that I didn't understand then. But as I went through my life, that year was one of my most important ones, and it took me out of my microcosm bubble.  

Q: Another interesting statement that we pick up is that this is an intense experience and not a course. How do we set apart Baret Scholars’ gap year programme from similar programmes being provided by other organisations? 

A: Most of the programmes are short, centred on one region of the world and are not educationally weighty. At Baret, we have created a global gap year programme that covers seven key regions of the world. We consider it a fifth year of college, as if you had a master's in international affairs before your bachelor's. 

Q: What went behind designing such an extensive gap year programme?  

In the old days, knowing your country was enough. It isn't anymore. To be culturally literate today, one must holistically see the world. When that happens, one is going to be better at their work, college education and life due to being exposed to all the key cultures of the world.  

Q: This is an expensive programme. Tuition stands at $64,500, fee at USD 30,000. Will it be really worth the expense for the enrolling participants? Also, this is an elite price point, so how do participants from diverse economic backgrounds get to participate in it? 

A: This programme costs what a fifth year of college at a leading US university would cost. In terms of how a parent or a student justifies that, it ensures that they get the most out of their college experience. This programme ensures that their first year is good and they get the most out of their college experience. They sit beside fellow students who bring different perspectives and are more competitive.  

On how we represent all spectrums, we have $2.5 million in scholarship funds that we spread across the world to recruit students from different economic situations, similar to the way colleges and universities do. 

Q: What do you look for in the applicants when selecting the final participants for this programme? 

A: They should be genuinely excited about the programme and understand why it is important. We are looking for students who will bring something to this one-year experience. We want a cohort with many skills, ranging from technology, music, art, or film. We also look for responsible students. This is a long journey with many different cultures.  

Q: How do universities view such gap year programmes? 

A: I'm going to give you an important data point. A few days ago, Harvard University sent out its acceptance letters. In those acceptance letters to their students, they encouraged a gap year. The point is that Harvard knows students do better in their college experience if they take a gap year. In some parts of the world, gap years are viewed for students who didn't do well. This programme is not about that. It's for the best students to do even better. And it has a long tradition. In the 1600s, in Europe, you were not viewed as having completed your education until you did something called the Grand Tour, which was to visit the capitals of European countries. This programme is a modernised Grand Tour that goes far beyond Europe.  

Q: Tell us about the team of the 15 accomplished professionals selected for the programme? What is their background, how were they selected and how crucial will their mentoring be? 

A fellow is 10 to 15 years older than the student, and each comes from a specialised field. Think of these fellows in an Oxford or Cambridge setting as tutors working with the students across the year. They each have 12 students that they watch over, and then each month, they do a fellowship of 10 days in their specialities in each region. 

Q: New Delhi will be the base city for the participants for some days. Tell us about India’s significance in this entire programme and what’s in store for the participants in the India leg? 

A: A student cannot be culturally literate today without an understanding of India. It's the largest country in terms of population, having just passed China.  It's one of the fastest-growing economies on the globe. It is a massive part of the future of the next century. And a student who doesn't know India does not know the world. There was no way we could do this without being in India. We chose Delhi because it's the centre of government, has enormous cultural institutions, and is a crucial place.  

Q: When this course ends in May 2025, what are some of the things that the students will be taking with them as they enter the next phase of their career? 

There are a couple of things that I see. One, they will go into their college experience, not stumbling into it but with a plan to get the most out of it. Two, they'll have an incredibly new set of friends from around the world and friendships. The longest friendships often occur when someone is involved in an intense experience. Three, they will have something on their CV for life. Fourth, they're going to understand the world even better.