Perhaps it is turns into gap years (instead of just one year). A gap year is a great to find yourself and narrow what it is you want to spend money on, which is particularly important these days when it costs 200k US just to get a degree.
To be fair, all Mormon men who serve missions technically have a gap of two years.
Some people go into the military for this, but that’s a very personal choice.
It used to be that college was a great place to figure out what you want to be and do, but that is far too expensive now. Instead, I suggest traveling abroad and getting out of your own culture and comfort zone.