Gap Year in the British Education System - Assignment Example

Gap Year The British education system includes a gap for a period of one year between the secondary and college levels. This is where students take a break for one year after completing their high school education before joining any college institution. This break is yet to be practiced in some other nations, United States being one of them. This gap year has its advantages and disadvantages as well. Many students also have different experiences out of a gap year depending on how well they utilize it. People mostly prefer taking a gap year for reasons such as creating time for self-awareness and trying to handle the academic burn out. This one year gap helps many students in creating some time to plan their lives well and make goals and objectives which they would want to strive for in years to come. Due to so much pressure from school work, this time may not be created in any other way. The holidays students go for are too short to expose them to the real world. This exposure is very much important as far as decision making is concerned. It helps students to connect their dreams and targets to reality. Students are therefore able to make realistic objectives in life. This consequently helps in bringing out the best future for them as they focus on achieving what they already know they can. As for the academic burn out, student prefer taking some time away from the loaded stress associated with academic work. This helps them to keep healthy and fit, free from stress related illnesses that may be brought about by prolonged stress. To avoid prolonging the stress, many students decide to apply the gap year between high school and college levels. It is therefore healthy and greatly advisable for the government of the United States to incorporate this gap into their education system as it has more advantages as compared to disadvantages. This means it is very much helpful as compared to the harms it creates in the academic lives of students (American Gap Association). The gap year has numerous advantages to the students who choose to apply it. One of these advantages is the fact that the gap year helps students cross over to adulthood before joining university or college. The one year exposure to the outside world prepares students for the next level, both academically and socially. Students who have just left high school in most cases lack the sense of maturity and need to be connected to reality. This helps them to differentiate between wrong and right decisions in life. They are made to have insight on consequences of every action they may take. It can therefore be concluded that students are shaped up morally in preparation for a different life in college with all the freedom and away from the parents’ monitoring actions. A gap year is most likely the longest holiday one may ever experience in a life time. No schools will ever offer such a long holiday. After clearing school, no jobs either will ever allow their employees to have such a long break. This therefore helps people to enjoy a long break for once in a life time. If one misses it here at this level, they may never have the chance again. It is healthy therefore to consider this gap year before joining college. The gap year also helps students to freshen up psychologically. The high school level is the most stressful level in the American’s education system. Students from this level may therefore require a break to help in freshening up psychologically. Without this break, students end up experiencing great fatigue by the time they are completing their education in the United States. This is not healthy as they should be fresh and ready with all the energy to serve the nation. It would be very much important and helpful therefore if the government in America would consider introduction of the gap year in the state’s education system. The break may also be helpful in raising money to fund the college education. To some citizens, college fee is quite high depending on what they do to earn a living. One year break helps parents and students in planning on how to earn enough money to support them all through the academic life in the next level. This makes the college life smooth for them with less stress on where and how to earn the fees (American Gap Association) This gap year may be advantageous to the teens in that they are able to learn new skills before joining college. This helps them a lot with handling the future. The skills may be in terms of life skills, or even studying relatively less stressful courses. This is the period where people learn and practice helpful skills such as cooking and many others which they could not find time for during their times in secondary school level. Others may take this time to take helpful courses such as the computer courses that they could not take during the high school period. With these skills, they are able to run their lives with less stress. The courses pursued during this time also help them in attaining of jobs. Having gathered a lot of skills during the period of a gap year, many employers will consider them when hiring workers in their organizations. This therefore builds a foundation for the future of these students. Some students generally love travelling but end up not getting the opportunity to travel due to school tight schedules with less time for holidays. The gap therefore acts as a rescue for these students. They get the chance to experience a life away from their homes and travel to places of their choice. This experience is very important as they learn to live without their family members and do things on their own without the parental monitoring. The United States government should therefore make this opportunity affordable to students by introducing the gap year. Some students may utilize this time in carrying volunteering activities. These activities help to offer them an opportunity to help other people and may be gain blessings and little payments here and there. Without this gap year, they may never find the time to help others as their lives are tightly scheduled for school and job activities after this stage. More so, by offering these volunteered services, the students are able to acquire working skills which are helpful in their future work life. These skills are also considered by employers when choosing who to hire and work with. The skills give an expression to them that the individual will learn the ways of the job and adopt quickly, which later helps in increasing productivity generally. At the end of this gap year, students are able to evaluate their passion for courses in college. When they still feel dedicated to their choice of course, they are guaranteed to be successful in maintaining their passion despite the challenges that come along the way. This therefore is another reason as to why the break is regarded as important before joining college. In case one does not qualify to join colleges of their choice, changes in admission requirements year after year may favor them after taking a gap year. This therefore helps to bring back the joy of achieving dreams in terms of career development and helps to boost self-esteem in students. It means great success in the academic life and creates a nation of citizens who do what they love. Consequently, it has great impact on nation building activities in the nation (Nine80 Digital Media). However, the gap year also has some disadvantages which should be considered though they do not out do the advantages. One of the harms that are created by the gap year is loss of momentum for students. For sure it is helpful as it freshens up students psychologically, but it can on the other hand be harmful as it diverts the students’ attention from class activities. This means that by the end of the break, the student may feel rusty and it pulls back their academic progress. Even as these gaps are helpful, it is good to note that it all depends with the way people utilize them. Some people may not use the gap in a helpful manner as they may spend the time carrying out activities that do not make differences in their lives. To some, it may go as far as engaging in criminal activities. This way, the gap neither does any good to the nation nor helps in the growth of the individual. All this is brought about by the different ways of interpretation by different people. Gap year may also be a waste of time as far as academic excellence is concerned. During this period, the student makes no progress academically. Therefore one is just stagnant while people of their age and level are still moving on. This brings down the self-esteem for some students when this gap between them and their age mates moves on up to the employment level. It pains them to see those that they finished secondary education together attaining jobs and getting paid before them. Delays in joining universities and colleges may again cost one the opportunity to join institutions of their choice. This is due to the fact that admission requirements may change with time. If the requirements increase to a level above one’s achievements, a college they had qualified for the year before may fail to admit them. This brings about the pain of a smashed dream and objective as far as academic work is concerned to many students (Nine80 Digital Media). In conclusion therefore, the gap year contributes a lot in making academic lives of students better. Though it has its disadvantages here and there, the many advantages make it attractive to the United States government. It should be incorporated along the education system for students to enjoy the numerous advantages and for a better academic status of the nation. The country’s level of education system is very vital in growth and development of the economy. The relevant authorities in education sector should consider the steps and plans towards bringing up of qualified personnel with high level of abilities in the way they practice their skills learnt at school in their jobs. This way, production will be boosted and the country will reach greater heights in competition perfection. This may move as far as attracting foreign investors in the nation which will help earning the government revenue. The United States therefore should adopt the British custom of taking a gap year between high school and college. Works Cited American Gap Association. Gap Year Benefits. 2014. Web. 3 May. 2015. http://www.americangap.org/benefits.php Nine80 Digital Media. Advantages and Disadvantages of Taking a Gap Year. 2014. Web. 3 May. 2015. http://www.youthvillage.co.za/2014/01/advantages-disadvantages-taking-gap-year/ Read More