Taking a Gap Year

Senior year is a necessary step in completing education. It is the last year of completely free childhood education. The year is designed for choosing a college and receiving acceptance letters. Senior year is the last year to enjoy being a kid that has everything they need to do proctored by an adult. This is the last year to be with all of your friends before starting new journeys and moving on in life. This is a time to enjoy yourself and realize that all the hard work has finally paid off. Skipping senior year is just a waste of happiness. Not only does skipping senior have a negative impact on most students that choose that route, graduation rates are severly hurt as well. After high school if you aren’t super close with someone, you usually don’t see them very often. You may see a old classmate in Walmart or at the gym but that is it. Adult years are the longest years of someones life. There is plenty of time to be an adult, enjoy senior

For some students, the question of what to do after high school may be a burden to even contemplate as it approaches quicker and quicker. The pressure to continue another four (or more) years of education after high school can be overwhelming considering twelve years of schooling has already been completed; why go right back to school again? When’s break time? Some people are simply just not ready for college and they know it, or at least until after they have had a long break or have had some time to recollect themselves. Technically speaking college isn’t for everyone, nor is it necessarily needed for a career. Luckily today, there are many other options that potential career seeking beings can get a head start on such as community colleges and trade/vocational schools. These alternatives to a four year college are considered to be a good start on a job (and maybe even a career). The best benefits of these alternatives involve the cost of attending, the student environment, and the degrees offered.

Taking a gap year will help you make a smart decision in what you want to do the rest of your life. In such a sense I would say that getting rid of senior year and replacing it with a gap year or for lack of better terms an ‘experience year,’ would help out a lot of students in finding a study

As adolescents begin their senior year, the topic of college often runs without hindrance, often causing extreme stress. As the monetary value, as well as the time spent, begins to accumulate in their minds, students often find themselves bound at the wrists figuring out a way to balance as well as afford college living. In many cases, the upcoming graduates are unsure about their career path, almost enhancing their stress in choosing a school that would cater to their needs. It is almost then they begin to ponder whether or not University/college life is for them, which is could be an extremely advantageous shot in a, for example, high achieving family. Whilst college does allow for a plethora of doors to be opened, the lack of time, effort, and money can hinder one 's ability to properly choose a university. Though school can help with the stepping stones of life, they do not entirely ensure a proper future, therefore many may opt out of school; however, with the correct actions, they may turn out extremely successful, which may not have even happened without the release of the burden of school.

Why do students feel like they have to go to college? It is the norm to go to college right after high school because that is what everyone else does. The failure to complete college had been recognized as a personal problem. There are multiple responsibilities when it comes to going to college and some students are not quite ready to attend. Most students go to college for the wrong reasons, whether it is to get away from home or to have fun and party. With all the responsibilities that students have to uphold comes stress and even depression. About 33 percent of college students drop out of college for multiple reasons whether it is family issues, too much stress, full time job etc. Many students lack the funds in order to cover their tuition and other fees. This is one of the reasons why some students decide that dropping out of college is the answer. Attending college strengthens one’s knowledge and opens up their mind to new things. College students should stay in school, however,it is not for everyone. Students should not stay in college if they are not prepared or if they can not handle the pressure.

However it can be argued that the more frequent breaks throughout the year will leave students feeling refreshed and ready to continue learning when they get back. In the proposition detailed above, students will have a series of breaks throughout the school year, with the longest being three weeks over the winter holidays. This gives ample amounts of time for families to vacation and celebrate together and hopefully leave the students feeling refreshed and ready to learn when they get back. It was also indicated by administrators that “renewed motivation and continuous injection of new ideas maintained a higher level of enthusiasm than [students] had experienced in their previous traditional calendar schools” and that they fully believed this was a critical factor in improving student performance throughout the year (Shields). It should also be noted that the vast majority of jobs offered globally do not have a summer break, and by shortening summers from 13 weeks to 7, students will be more prepared to enter the work force once out of school, and should have an easier time transitioning into the year round life as opposed to students used to taking 10 to 13 weeks off at

Due to the three month break teens often spend much of their time taking a vacation or working. Many of the ‘’older students might suffer financially because during this time they would normally secure full-time summer employment during a traditional summer break.’’ (Pearson, p. 6) There also wouldn’t be as much quality family time spent that students can simply get from vacations. ‘’It would have been extremely difficult to have family time together.’’ (Wildavsky, p. 18) Which many won’t get after their high school lives considering how busy their college and work life can

This article was another one of my pieces that was very informative. The article was made by NAFSA: Association of International Educators, which is the world’s largest nonprofit association that focuses on international education and exchange programs. They focus a lot on helping students plan and take their gap years. This article has both information on personal peoples’ gap years and statistics on gap years. I think that NAFSA is very qualified to speak about Gap Years because their whole business rotates around them. Holly Bull, president of the Center for Interim Programs (CIP) speaks throughout many of the articles. The CIP is another program that assist students in their gap year, making Holly Bull a great person to rely on for further information about gap years. Another person repetitively mentioned throughout the article is Ron L. Witczak, assistant vice provost and director of study abroad at Portland State University. They give a lot of insight for gap years

After graduating high school, no one prepares you for college. Most kids when they are finished with high school don’t even fantasize about going back to school. I have always wanted to go to college ever since I was a young kid. I also had dreams of myself going to college, but in my dreams, everything was picture perfect. In reality, college has been very challenging for me. No one tells you about the adjustments and complications that you would have to face to become a successful college student.

By taking this time off to explore what life has to offer, this decision has made several students feel more mature as young adults. They were able to understand who they have become, and able to handle pressures in life that came along such as basic stereotyping, patience with others, and feeling more mature than their peers when they return to college. With using a year in between school and college, one can defer their application to college and go figure out what type of person they will become. Some get upset with going to college that first year and by taking the year off, most students come back with some life changing skills that enable them to have the traits, skillset and firsthand knowledge to deal with the first year of college situations such as parties, ethics, and alcohol. Most students feel that by taking this time off, it helps in their growth and not just mentally, but spiritually. One female even lost faith during her first year as a result of her experience. After hearing of the rape of one of the orphans, she recalled her religious doubts: “How can God let this happen?” (Shea, J. pg. 570). Many colleges are allowing more students to apply for a gap year. “In 2009, Princeton University launched a fully subsidized international volunteering gap year option for incoming undergraduates to encourage an international perspective and

Most times, students end up living a life they didn’t want after high school. With no degree, students may find themselves working at a labor or hardworking job making little money. College students are usually better off in their life with an efficient job and a healthy family.

Before I start I would like to give you a little background on Gap Year.

Though there are many advantages to taking a gap year, there are just as many disadvantages. People may find themselves unwilling to go back to school, they may lose opportunities for scholarships, or they might not have enough money to support the activities they replace school with. Even their social life could be affected. With all of these negative aspects one may ask, why would anyone risk taking a gap year?

Various disadvantages, moreover dangers, have to be taken into consideration about the gap year. The notion of going against the social norm and/ or breaking tradition, to a higher degree in the US, can be difficult for adolescents to overcome. As Killen notes

Most students are not over the pressures of being a senior in high school. That’s why the gap year should be taken to release all the stresses of high school. Most students cannot take being stressed out so decide to wait. These students are not capable of attending college due to their mental stability. Being a college student directly from high school could take a great toll on a person physical and mental state.