First, what needs to be established is the distinction between higher education and university. Blake Boles, author of Better Than College, writes about the distinction between the two in his book. He emphasizes that college is a path to higher education that, essentially, is a prescribed path to success, but does not guarantee higher education. He also writes that: “higher education is first and foremost the ability to self-direct one's life. Those with a higher education can define their own vision of success and pursue it, even in the face of difficulty” (Boles 4). There is a common misconception that college is the path to higher education that leads to success. This is why parents are hesitant to support their children in taking a gap year. They fear that their children will not be as productive or responsible with homework. Contrary to this popular idea, gap years require more, if not more, responsibilities. However, in his book, Blake Boles answers the question of how to pursue higher education without college: “instead of following someone else's curriculum, self-directed students begin by asking themselves what fascinates and drives them. Their journey begins and ends - with self-knowledge. Instead of attending classes full time, self-directed students assign themselves tasks that they find interesting, enlightening, and challenging” (Boles 5). With the absence of the responsibility of turning in homework, preparing for presentation, comes the responsibility of building your resume. This leaves time to pursue activities of interest. Instead of relying on professors to instruct how to proceed with learning, one should make an effort to network with people in the field of interest. They must seek mentorship to replace the guidance provided by a professor. This requires a significant amount of responsibility, which becomes very achievable as one understands its value