College is an institution of higher learning that rewards students with a degree. A degree is supposed to provide students with a greater choice when it comes to job opportunities and better-paying jobs in the working industry. Going to college also provides students with many personal and interpersonal skills. It gives them time students to mature as they figure out what they want to do in their first years of higher education. Most high school students endeavor to join college once they graduate. Some students choose to join college straight away after graduating, while others decided to take a gap year.
Understanding the Gap Year: A Definition and Growing Trend
What is a “gap year”? A gap year is generally described as a year-long break taken before enrolling into college by students who just graduated high school. After spending eleven or more years in school, some students feel like the urge to take some time off from the books. Some colleges are now advising students to take a gap year before enrolling for their classes and the number of high school graduates taking a gap year before going to college is growing every year. In Europe and Australia, it is not uncommon to see students taking a gap year before they go off to college.
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The Debate on Gap Years: Pros and Cons
Many people argue that taking a gap year is a waste of time while others say that it allows students the time to grow and develop other skills. Depending on the student, taking a gap year can either benefit or set them back. When a student decides to take a gap year, they fall one year behind their high school peers who joined college immediately after graduating. This means that most of their high school friends will graduate and start earning a living before them. Students who are undertaking programs that require post-graduate education such as health care professionals may also be setting themselves up further behind in their respective careers.
Challenges and Considerations of Taking a Gap Year
A gap year leaves students with a lot of time on their hands. This means that careful planning is required in order for them to make the most out of the time they have acquired. Planning can be difficult and overwhelming for some students as there may be many decisions to make. Taking a yearlong break puts a halt on academic learning for most students. This discontinuation from learning may cause students to lose the good study patterns they had developed while they were in high school. Going back to school would mean that they would have to refresh the academic skills they had acquired. A student who has been working, earning money and living a life free from academic activities may lose the discipline they once had while they were in school or they may decide to relax and not see the hurry of going to college. Some students find it easy to jump right back into a school routine, while others find adjusting back to the school system difficult. This in turn affects their academic performance as they try to adjust.
Traveling is a common activity undertaken by many students when they choose to take a gap year. Depending on where the student goes and how long they intend to be there for, taking a gap year to travel and explore the world can be very expensive. Careful planning is required so as to have the necessary funds and avoid running into debt. This will not be an easy task, especially for first-time travelers. If a student intends on traveling it would require them to start planning for their trips before graduating. This is because planning to travel especially overseas can take months to prepare. Students who start planning their trip after graduation tend to waste a lot of time especially if they are doing it all on their own. If the student is traveling alone, they also need to do careful research on where they’re going. Being safe and staying away from danger is important, especially for a student who is looking forward to attending college.
The Financial and Social Implications of a Gap Year
Planning is very important when it comes to taking a gap year. Students who don’t set out a proper schedule of what they will do during their break tend to become very unproductive. This large amount of free time may allow some students the opportunity to get themselves into activities that may affect their lives negatively. It is very easy for an unplanned student to get sidetracked during their gap year and end up being away from school for more than just one year. Taking a gap year is not a good idea when you do not have any set goals that you want to achieve during this period of time. Students may also be required to explain their gap year between high school and college by an employer when looking for a job. Depending on what the student did during that time such a question can either be a good or bad thing.
There may also be consequences to a student’s financial aid if a gap year is taken because active enrollment is required by some financial aid forms. Taking a gap year and having a job that pays significantly can also decrease a student’s financial aid eligibility because of the extra income. Some students may also be affected by the loneliness that might come with taking a gap year. While other students are making lots of college friends in their first year, students who choose to take a gap year may end up spending most of their time by themselves especially if they are planning on traveling alone. Students who choose to apply for gap year programs such as volunteer work might find themselves spending more money than they intended because most of these programs are not cheap especially if it involves traveling internationally.
Maximizing the Benefits of a Gap Year: Planning and Goal Setting
Students with a proper plan and set goals for their gap year may benefit a lot from it. A lot of pressure and workload from high school is put on students so as to maintain good grades. Graduating high school and taking a gap year may relieve some of this pressure from the students’ minds. This will allow students to be more relaxed as they focus on other aspects of their life. They will also have time to reflect on all the academic information they had learned throughout the years. Allowing students to relax their minds will help build up their hunger to learn and acquire more knowledge. This will in turn be represented by academic results when they join college.
College is getting more and more expensive and some students put themselves at a disadvantage by joining college straight away without a clear path of what they want to do. A large number of students end up changing their majors while still in college. This is due to various reasons, for example, a student taking a major in Journalism may realize that he loves working with cameras but does not enjoy learning about public relations which is a part of journalism. The student may now decide that they would rather be a Film major where they will get to work with cameras even more but without the hustle of learning about public relations. Taking a gap year can help a student discover their passion and not waste money paying for college courses that they later regret taking. A gap year provides students with the time to decide what they really want to do with their life. Many students realize they made the wrong career choice deep into their college education and they might not be able to change because of the expenses. Taking a gap year to think about your career can avoid this.
Students who choose to take a gap year may decide to work and save some money for their college expenses such as paying for textbooks and accommodation. Those who move away from home to work during their gap year put themselves at an even greater advantage when compared to their high school friends who joined college straight away. Students who experience life outside academic work, especially in the workforce put themselves one step ahead of college students who have never had a job. This is because a lot of admirable traits such as communication with people, organization and management of one’s time can be acquired while on the job. This experience is something that employers look for and having it puts the student at an advantage over the other candidates with no work experience. Working will also allow students to meet different people while on the job. This can give them a chance to develop an important network of contacts that may use later on for job opportunities. Students who get to work away home gain maturity when they take on responsibilities such as paying bills. This allows them to see what they need to do to survive in the world outside school. Students with such experience go into college with a different mentality from others because they know what to expect when completing their college education. This will help them stay on track and not get caught too much with the fun that comes with being a college student.
Apart from being prepared and knowing what you are going to do before going to college, students who take a gap year will also acquire a better-looking resume than those who don’t. The experience gained is very important, especially to the employer. Whether a student worked at a fast food restaurant or did volunteer work outside the country it will show the employer that they have more to offer than just academic knowledge. A good example is when a student chooses to take on volunteer work. This is one of the most fulfilling things a student can do, giving back to the community. Depending on the type of volunteer work they decide to undertake, students have the opportunity to make a good impact on the lives of others, animals or even the surroundings near them. They may gain qualities such as leadership that can be applied to future aspects of their lives that involve activities outside academic work or even cooperate work. They may also gain other skills that broaden their perspective on life, others and themselves.
These changes occur when the student gets to understand the people and culture around them better. Working with people of all ages and from different walks of life makes the student more diverse and improves their social skills, which in turn builds up their personal confidence which they will take with them wherever they go. Students who plan ahead may be lucky enough to a job at a place their career path may lead too. For example, a student who would want to study medicine may get an unpaid internship at a laboratory in a given hospital or medical institution. Spending the gap year working there will not only give them experience in their potential career path but it will also give them insight on whether that is the career they want to pursue.
A gap year can also be used for academic improvement. Students who did not do well in high school can use the gap year to take programs or courses that may help them get into their desired college. Other students may choose to sharpen their skills further in their respective career fields. For example, a student who wants to be major in Information Technology might choose to spend his gap year attending programming classes so as to earn a certificate that may allow him to apply for certain jobs while still in college. This will allow the student to practice what he is learning even further, putting them at a great advantage when compared to other students.
The Transformative Power of Travel During a Gap Year
Traveling is a very popular choice for many students who choose to take a gap year. The late teens and early twenties are considered to be the prime years of life by many. This is because most people at this age tend not to have a lot of responsibilities such as taking care of children, working or paying bills. Most people graduate from college and start working right away, but before they know it, they are consumed by life and cannot even find time to go on vacation. Although most students generally don’t have a lot of money, planning ahead before they graduate high school can enable them save up money for their gap year travel before joining college. Taking summer jobs or working on weekends are some way they can make money.
As a young person who has just graduated high school having the opportunity to travel whether with friends or a lone can be a very exciting adventure. Students can participate in various activities while traveling. Those who took Spanish or French in high school may choose to visit countries that predominantly speak those languages. A student who studied Spanish can visit Spain, Mexico and numerous countries in South America. Interacting with people from Spanish-speaking countries will improve their communication skills in that language immensely and they will be able to pick up on certain parts of the language that are not taught in the classroom.
Travelling will help students step out of their comfort zone by exposing themselves to new cultures. Seeing how people behave, and live and what their value can shape someone’s personality and their way of thinking. For example, if a student chooses to visit Asia during their gap year, they may come across villages where people live without electricity or running water. The children may not have video games or any toys from the stores. Yet, these people may seem to be very happy. Students who may choose to go volunteer in third-world countries may see how many people struggle because of poverty. Such experiences are humbling and allow someone to appreciate the little things in life that they take for granted.
For those creative students, traveling can allow them to cite see, taste different types of food, experience foreign cultures and take videos and pictures of their trips. Some participating in such activities may find to be very inspiring. Since traveling isn’t cheap, students can choose to work part-time while they also travel. Nowadays more and more people are taking on online jobs because they provide a bit more flexibility than office jobs. Students can also choose to find jobs in the country they’re traveling too, thus immersing themselves deeper into their culture. Travelling also allows students to widen their circle of friends. Students can learn a lot from meeting people with different backgrounds and from all walks life. Students can be able to build lifelong friendships and amazing memories through the people they interacted with.
Students who lack proper preparation may find that taking a gap year may put them off focus in their educational path. This is because a lot of time is available and students who are not able to manage this time well may find themselves engaging in activities that don’t benefit or add value to their life. Taking a gap year opens up many opportunities and goals for students to achieve. A lot of self-development takes place when a student goes on a well-planned gap year. Students will also gain lifelong memories of friends and places from traveling. Good planning allows the advantages of taking a gap year to greatly overweigh the disadvantages.
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