Taking a Gap Year Many students rush to college right after high school because that is what most students do these days. Taking a year or two off between high school and college can be more beneficial than most parents may think. It is also referred to as a gap year. Instead of pushing your children into going to college right after high school, more parents need to encourage their children to take a break from school to give them time to become more mature and also time to focus on what they want to do with their lives in the future.
I hope by reading this paper you will understand how a gap year can be more beneficial to students rather than heading off to college right after high school. There are so many advantages to taking time off. Some students spend their gap year investigating into a career they may be interested in. This gives them time to decide if a certain career they like is really something they can picture themselves doing forever. By taking more time looking into a career, students can get a chance to see all of the advantages as well as all of the disadvantages of the career.
By doing this research, students can save themselves a lot of time and parents can save a lot of money instead of going to college and switching their major over and over again. Other students may decide to just take a break and travel around the world to see what is all out there, or maybe even get a full time job to save up some money. All of these choices are going to benefit students because it will give them time to mature and clear their mind to make a wise decision about their future.
Eighteen is a very young age to decide what your career will be for the rest of your life. By taking a little time off could make a big difference on whether you will be satisfied with your career forever. Now a gap year might not be the best idea for everyone. Those students who know for sure what they want to go to college for should go ahead and go to college right away. Only the students that are not clear on what they want to do in life or just need a break should consider taking a gap year.
Also students who think that the gap year is a great time to be lazy and veg out on the couch are wrong. This year should be a time to do something gutsy and adventurous in order to find out who they are and where they want to be in life. For those of you wondering how to plan for a gap year should first apply to the college of your choice while still in high school, instead of waiting until the year off. Then after you are accepted, you should ask for a deferral.
It also might be beneficial to check into AmeriCorps or other volunteer programs about helping with the costs of it. If that isn’t a possibility, it might be smart to sit down with your child and agree on a budget. By doing this, you can work together on a cost-conscious plan. If all those choices still do not work, you could consider having your student work half the year to save up for traveling and then travel for the remaining half of the year. I hope after reading this paper you will be more open to the idea of taking a gap year before attending college.
There are so many decisions to make about your future career and what you want to spend the rest of your life doing so whatever it may be, the decision should be chosen very carefully. You are the only person that is in control of your future so follow your dreams and reach for the sky. Works Cited Chatzky, Jean. “If Your Kid Wants to Find Himself, Just Say Yes. ” Money 34. 12 (2005): 40-41. Piddock, Charles. “Taking Time Out. ” Career World 33. 3 (2004): 6-9.
