Why Students Should Take a Gap Year before College - Essay Example

of the English of the Concerned 21 April Why should take a Gap Year before College Opting for a gap year before college happens to be an acceptable tradition in a number of West European nations (Haigler & Nelson 22). However, taking a gap year after high school, before continuing with the college education is a practice that is not that popular in the United States of America. Thereby, many students in America happen to be doubtful as to whether a year off before college will be really good for them. One reason for the ambiguity associated with the choice of a gap year before college is the immense peer pressure and parental expectations, urging the students to straight away opt for college after finishing the high school (Haigler & Nelson 57). Yet, there do happen to be many discerning students who take time to sort out their priorities in life. Such students do prefer to think in a more serious and concerted manner as to their expectations from and outlook towards a college education. In that context, taking a year off before college allows such students the time and the space to ponder about their future goals and aspirations in a more serious and dedicated manner. This allows them to step aside for sometime from the usual societal and academic trends, to chalk out their future course in consonance with their own values and needs. Hence, a gap year before college could indeed turn out to be fruitful and beneficial. Thereby, students should take a year off before college to gain maturity, build real world social skills, and reinforce the selection of their major. Ralph happened to be one of such student who was typically bothered by a sense of purposelessness, as he finished the high school. There was a side of him that eagerly desired to join college, as most of his friends were doing. But, there was also a facet of Ralph’s personality that wanted to spend some time sorting out his priorities and expectations from life. Luckily Ralph’s parents did not press him as he decided to take a year off after high school. Since long Ralph had been thinking of traveling to Spain. This gap year facilitated Ralph with the requisite time and opportunity. Ralph did some research on the social networking sites and joined a group of American gap year students visiting Spain. The six months that Ralph spent in Spain completely changed him. Ralph not only ended up becoming a more mature and independent person, but he also gained a reasonable level of proficiency in the Spanish language. In Spain Ralph learnt to appreciate cultural diversity and learned to get along with people from different cultures and different walks of life. While doing an array of jobs to finance his stay in Spain, Ralph did acquire much financial literacy and acumen. Ralph realized that he had a special talent for the foreign languages and thereby decided to pursue this aptitude more seriously on joining college. When Ralph returned back to the US, his friends and family were amazed to notice the independence and confidence that marked his new personality. No wonder, the gap year had done much good to Ralph. Luckily, there are many students like Ralph who believe that after dedicating almost 12 years to academic pursuits, they need to take a year off to recharge themselves and to gain maturity. Though, academic achievements are of immense importance, yet this is also a fact that one also needs to learn from the school of life. Many a times the students remain so engrossed running on the academic treadmill that they totally get severed from the wisdom and values inherent in the real life. Thereby, they tend to develop an outlook towards life that happens to be utterly theoretical. They fail to develop a sense of maturity by facing the challenges inherent in the real life. Therefore a gap year is indeed an ideal opportunity to get off the academic treadmill and to experience life as it really happens to be (Griffith 20). Gap year allows a young person the opportunity to mature and grow up while studying in the school of real life. Students can use the gap year to place themselves in a variety of new situations and circumstances (Griffith 20). Some may choose to travel, while others may choose to volunteer with some local or international philanthropic organization. Many students may use a gap year to explore their interest and abilities in the field of arts and crafts. Then there may be individuals who may decide to learn a new language or to pursue sports. The crux of the matter is that taking a year off before college allows a student to get involved in activities that one may never be able to opt for while pursuing a regular academic life (Griffith 16). No wonder, a gap year is indeed a gateway to gain maturity and practical acumen. The offbeat course opted for by a student during a gap year many a times requires one to push oneself into new and strange scenarios and to interact with people from different walks of life. This simply could not be expected from a regular academic life. Thereby, the varied experiences that a student comes across during a gap year before the college, facilitates one with varied facets of the real life, an opportunity that could go a long way in polishing and honing the practical abilities and worldly skills of an individual (Griffity 71). After finishing the high school, there happen to be only a few young people who have a realistic idea as to what they expect from life and the things they expect of their future academic pursuits. In that sense, proceeding head on into a college life, without developing a pragmatic sense of direction and purpose may indeed turn out to be chaotic and confusing. In contrast, taking a year off after high school to stand aside, refresh oneself and engage in activities that allow one to experience life from a different perspective could go a long way in discovering a sense of direction and purpose based on practical conviction and engagement. Thereby, the maturity and mellowness acquired by a student during a gap year may make one truly appreciate the opportunity to pursue a college education. The sense of focus and confidence acquired through work, travelling and skills acquisition undertaken during a gap year eventually makes a young person more enthusiastic and passionate about gaining a college education (Griffith 45). The students who avail a gap year usually develop an enhanced appreciation about the multiple facets of a college education, are they academics, extracurricular activities or the social side of the college life. Not only the gap year students have a better idea of their innate strengths and weaknesses, they are also in a better position to make the best of their talent and aptitude. Thereby, taking a year off after the high school may help one acquire skills, insights and experiences that may prove to be priceless and valuable. The other amazing thing about a gap year is that it facilitates a young person with the much needed time and space to get out of the regular rut, to develop real life skills that one may never get a chance to acquire through a college education (Martin 564). Thereby, it has been found that the students who go for a gap year before college do tend to develop an array of personal, financial and interpersonal skills. College education is certainly of immense importance. It furnishes a student with the theoretical knowledge and the academic and extracurricular exposure that enables one to develop a wholesome personality. However, a college education could not act as a substitute for the real life experiences that require a young individual to acquire and develop skills by engaging directly with life. A college education may teach a student about leadership and introduce one to the varied approaches towards and theories of leadership. Yet, this knowledge in itself may never make one a successful leader unless one gets a chance to test and apply this knowledge. Herein lay the relevance and importance of a gap year. A gap year allows a student the chance to come across many mature and successful people who have emerged to be leaders in their profession. It allows the young people to watch and observe leaders as they work and operate in real life scenarios. Thereby, when the students go back to college after availing a gap year, they are in a better position to understand and relate to the leadership values being taught to them (Martin 572). In contrast, the students who directly join a college after school may lack in the practical experience and skills required to make sense of the knowledge being imparted to them. Their approach towards life happens to be a bit more theoretical. The other thing is that a gap year before college helps the students develop a sense of autonomy and independence. The very fact that they decide to take a year off after school, helps them develop a sense of responsibility and accountability towards life. It helps the imbibe the fact that they are the actual navigators of their life, and what they end up being will eventually depend upon their personal values and efforts. Hence, a gap year before college helps the young people shed off the psychological baby fat retained from the school days, and allows them to act and think like independent, autonomous and mature people. The other thing is that the activities undertaken during a gap year require the young people to build on a range of skills like the ability to get along with people from different cultures and walks of life, developing teamwork skills and abilities and acquiring the capacity to manage the financial aspects of one’s life (Martin 574). Thereby, when such students enter the college life, they are certainly better equipped to manage their academic and career pursuits in a more responsible and mature manner (Morgan 31). The other amazing thing about availing a gap year is that it reinforces a student’s selection of major. It is a fact corroborated by commonsensical observation that there are many students whose choice of major happens to be totally severed from their innate aptitude, abilities and acumen. Hence, such students are not able to develop a sense of interest, commitment and sincerity towards their academic pursuits because they are not able to relate to them in an intimate and personal manner. What happens is that many students after finishing the high school decide to join the bandwagon and most of the times their choice of a major is influenced by the peer pressure and the parental expectations they come across. However, taking a year off before college allows a student to think and ponder and discover one’s academic focus before going for a degree program (Hulstrand 50). A gap year provides a student with the time and the opportunities to discover varied fields of specialization and to directly interact with people related to such courses. A gap year allows a student to avail appropriate counseling and the expert advice needed to select a major (Hulstrand 51). Besides, during a gap year the students may pursue a range of diplomas, informal courses and online programs to find out as to which subjects and courses they really find interesting. A gap year takes away the element of haste associated with the choice of a major and makes the entire decision making process very relaxed, well informed and realistic. No wonder, the students who come to college after taking a year off tend to be more pragmatic and realistic when it comes to selecting a major. Hence, such students stand a better chance of succeeding in their academic and professional life. There are people who are averse to the idea of a gap year and believe that taking a gap year before college derails the academic life of a student and makes one loose one’s academic focus. Some people even go to the extent of evincing doubts that the students who take a gap year before college may never return to college. In a realistic context such doubts and fears are misplaced. The thing that needs to be understood is that the benefits that a student garners from a gap year depend upon the fundamental motivation that made one avail a gap year before going to college (Spenader 384). If a young person takes a year off after school to gain experience and maturity, to develop real life skills and to better understand one’s academic interests, the chances are that one will immensely benefit from this academic break. Eventually, is it academics or a gap year, the advantages that a student accrues from them are ultimately dependent on one’s sense of sincerity and commitment. Therefore, taking a year off before college is bound to yield many advantages, provided the young person availing this break is sincere and responsible in one’s intentions. It would not be erroneous to say that the concept of a gap year is certainly a benign addition to the American education system. After dedicating almost twelve years to a hectic school life, students do need a hiatus before making a transition to an equally demanding college life. Students do require a break from their regular academic life to gain maturity, to acquire varied real life skills like leadership, teamwork and financial and emotional intelligence and to focus on their future academic choices and interests. Hence, a gap year before college furnishes an opportunity to achieve all such goals and objectives. Thereby, students ought to consider availing a gap year before college. Works Cited Griffith, Susan. Taking a Gap Year. New York: Vacation Work Publications, 2005. Print. Haigler, Karl, and Rae Nelson. The Gap-Year Advantage. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2005. Print. Hulstrand, Janet. “Time Out: The Gap Year Abroad”. International Educator March/April 2010: 50-51.Print. Martin, Andrew J. “Should Students have a Gap Year? Motivation and Performance Factors Relevant to Time Out after Completing School”. Journal of Educational Psychology 102.3 (2010): 561-576. Print. Morgan, Tom. “Gap Year Adventurers Can Prosper in Job Hunt”. Daily Post 20 August 2009 :31. Print. Spenader, Allison J. “Language Learning and Acculturation: Lessons from High School and Gap-Year Exchange Students”. Foreign Language Annals 44.2 (2011): 381-386. Print. Read More