The developmental period of taking a gap year in the United States is becoming a more widespread phenomenon. In many European countries, this idea of taking a gap year is much more popular than the United States. Although more students are deciding that taking a gap year before college, will in fact be more beneficial for them and the career in which they hope to pursue. Students are considering taking a gap year between high school graduation and college enrollment to primarily focus on things other than academics. Students should take a gap year because it gives them the ability to enhance and recharge after high school. Taking a gap year gives students a period of self discovery, and it gives the students an opportunity to discover themselves and what the want to do for the rest of their lives.
Taking a gap year, has many positives and negatives. Many people develop many different attitudes towards this subject, some leaning towards the positives of taking gap year and some leaning towards the negatives. Knoll, forms a positive tone on the subject, leaning towards taking a gap year, rather than not. Knoll says, “Students take a gap year for a number of reasons. Some are just academically burnt out and need a break. Some are unsure of which direction or career path they want to pursue. Others want to travel, study abroad, volunteer and do things they may not necessarily have time for later in life. Still others take a year off to work and save up money in order to afford college”(Knoll). The author takes the side, as to why students should take a gap year, and makes the reader aware of the positive reasons as to why a gap year would be beneficial for students. The positive, impactful tone, the author augments, makes the reader take the positive side as well. Providing a large list of positives, students have a better understanding of how taking a gap year will benefit them in their future, or impact them negatively.
Traditionally, students take a gap year to immerse themselves in a community of volunteering, and nonprofit work, as well as study abroad opportunities, job opportunities, and a chance to rest and take a break. Students take a year or so, to ultimately figure out what they want to do with their lives. One of the biggest benefits of taking a gap year is that people make whatever they want of it. Whether it's finding the right major or program for college, a paying job, and internship, a volunteer position or a combination of all of these things, a gap year is ultimately based off of what you make of it. Depending on how structured or not they gap year is, students will have more or less opportunity to develop a plan for their future. “ Gap year programs abroad can be more or less structured and include more or less travel, but they almost always allow you to customize the experience in some way. And with so many short-term gap year programs abroad, you can mix-and-match to get the perfect year for you!” (Stine). Gap years can be very beneficial in that, students can form them to their own personal needs. Taking a gap year can be very flexible.
Taking a gap year, is like dumping a box of locks onto the floor and randomly selecting one, you'll never know what you'll get until you make the most of it. Gap years come in all different shapes and sizes, but one thing is true about each and everyone and that is, gap years allow for a time of self discovery, and they give more of a chance to learn about the roles people take in this world, and how they affect others. “‘Taking a gap year is a chance to step off the treadmill, leave your comfort zone, explore your values, and test your assumptions,” said Abby Falik, “It’s a chance to figure out what gets you out of bed when there’s no alarm clock, and to practice becoming your best self when you’re a world away from home.’” (Safier). A gap years serves as a time where individuals learn about themselves, and the role they play in society.
Taking a gap year, helps students discover themselves, and learn things about themselves they didn't already know.
Taking a break after a rigorous thirteen years in school, the most important being the hour in high school, allows the students to be focused, but furthermore it helps students become more relaxed and recharged. The most exhausting years of school are those of high school, needing to present yourself with high expectations, as well as college applications, taking a break, gives the brain time to take in a generate all the information, one has heard throughout their four years in highschool. “Supporters say a gap year can be a great way for students to recharge their battery, mature, find clarity in their life and gain valuable experience, in essence giving them an edge over other students” (Knoll). Taking time to ultimately let everything soak in, and determine what people want to pursue with their lives, taking a gap year is a very beneficial option one can take. Students who take a gap year, are able to return to the classroom, with more vigour and a better sense of excitement to learn. Th time off, allows them to take a break, and rest, to ultimately return to college, with more enthusiasm, and eagerness to learn.
Maturity,or having or showing the mental and emotional qualities of an adult, often takes time for some teens to develop. Taking a gap year, allows students teens to become more self reliant, ultimately making them more mature and ready for the workforce. Having more time to work, helps students become more aware of what it's like to have a job and everything it entails. Taking a gap year, student more often than not, are sought after by employers, due to their prior experience in the workforce as well as the larger amount of experience in the workforce, than students who take the traditional route. Taking a gap year, individuals become more familiar with themselves, and they are more likely to get to know themselves outside of the school
setting. “ To your potential future employer, you have gained experiences such as planning your year out, working as part of team and making yourself understood in a foreign environment. These all showcase how you are adaptable, push yourself out of your comfort zone and deal with stressful situations in a mature way” (McWhirter). Working and becoming a more self dependent person, makes you more liable in the workforce. Taking a gap year, individuals are more likely to join the work force, and provide for themselves, rather than have everything done for them. Having built a stable impression of being mature, and sophisticated, employers are more likely to see that, and conclusively hire the more mature individual.
However, taking a gap year, does come with its share of negatives. With a gap year, comes the potential of high costs and a challenging time receiving financial aid. Volunteer programs, as well as travel abroad programs, can be beneficial in that it provides a student with a vast amount of experience on their own, but these programs do more often than not come a cost, and high one at that. These programs often cost thousands of dollars, which can quickly add up if a student plans on taking more than one volunteer travel opportunity. Also, taking a gap year, does not mean college will not be a plan for the near future. College, is an extremely costly expense, so spending thousands of dollars on these volunteer and travel abroad trips, students will more often than not be in debt from paying off those loans, as well as student loans. “ Although programs can help with planning your gap year, they can also be pricey. Volunteer programs, for instance, are rarely free. They often cost thousands of dollars, especially if they involve international travel.” (safier). These costs of embarking on many of these trips, will add up over time leaving no money to pay for a college education. The additional expense of these
programs being the negatives, will likely overestimate the positives of taking an opportunity to travel and study abroad.
The big negative of taking a gap year, is that it will put students a year behind their graduating class. Although a year may not sound like much, in all reality it is. Being a year behind, students fall back because they forgot basically how school is. They forget how to study, they forget the basics of a school day. Along with that students fall behind their classmates, because they will want to spend a lot of their time leisurely, like they had the many months prior to beginning college. Students will break away from their ongoing routine of thirteen years, and they will ultimately be playing catch up with their other classmates. Individuals will lose the want to study for tests, work on projects and get their work done in a timely manner, because they will no longer be used to the limited amount of time they have. Taking a year off, students will be more accustomed to the not, of having a desired amount, even extra time to get things done. There will be no rush once in a gap year, and once these students enter school, they will no longer be used to the workload. “The combination of freedom from responsibility and leisure time is much harder to manage over time” (Griffith). Having developed this sense of freedom and leisure time, students will no longer be used to the rigorous workload their professors will be implementing on them.
Determining what will be the best for the future, and making the correct decisions to ensure a person meets all the goals they hope to in life, always comes with challenges. Having endless amounts of options, and opportunities, a person is encouraged to decide what they will be doing in the future, with the help of other peoples unbiased experiences. “ Regardless which side of the debate you are on, one thing both sides agree on is a gap year needs to be well thought
out and thoroughly planned with set goals”(Knoll). The author makes sure to develop an unbiased voice, to ensure she does persuade the reader one way or another. Instead, she provides both positive and negative aspects to taking a gap year, and she explains that regardless of a person's final decision, they need to take into account that it will take time to decide what will benefit them the most in their future. The author develops a sense in that, if a student doesn't know what they want to do right away, or they haven't figured out exactly what they want to accomplish or do in life, that taking time to figure it all out is okay.
The decision of taking a gap year, or going to college immediately following high school graduation comes with a long and arduous thought process. Deciding between these two things, can be one of the most monumental decision a students makes in his or her life, and they will have to decide using the many pros and cons of taking a gap year. The phenomenon of taking a gap year, mostly popular in european countries, has become a more widespread decision in the United States. Taking a gap year allows students to discover themselves, become more mature and ready for the workforces, allows students to be flexible with their future,and it allows students to be more relaxed and ready to work while taking a break from the rigorous thirteen year workload. Along with that taking a gap year could lead to debt as well as an unwillingness to study and learn. Taking a gap year, has many pros and cons, students just have to be willing to decide what the best choice for them will be.
Works Cited Griffith, Susan. Taking a Gap Year . Vacation Work, 2007
Knoll, Michelle. “A Gap Year: Weighing the Pros and Cons.” 1 Aug. 2012,
www.rasmussen.edu/student-life/blogs/college-life/a-gap-year-weighing-the-pros-and-co ns/ .
McWhirter, Jenny. “Gap Year Statistics to Broaden Your Mind.” The Leap: More Than Just a Gap Year , 16 Feb. 2018, theleap.co.uk/gap-year-statistics-broaden-mind/.
Safier , Rebecca. “Read These 8 Gap Year Disadvantages and Benefits Before Taking Time Off.”
Student Loan Hero , 31 Jan. 2018, studentloanhero.com/featured/gap-year-disadvantages-important-pros-before-college/.
Stine, Jane. “12 Gap Year Benefits Your Future Self Will Thank You For.” GoAbroad.com , 9 Feb.
2018, www.goabroad.com/articles/gap-year/gap-year-benefits .