Exploratory Essay
October 23, 2014
To Gap or Not to Gap?
As you walk off the high school stage, diploma in hand, the dreams you have had regarding the four years at college become more vivid. Attending college classes, sporting events, partying with newly made friends and freedom away from parents are all things you have thought about and will now have an opportunity to experience. You think you have your career and all that will happen at college all planned out, don’t you? Parents and students think they are ready for all of the changes and challenges taking place when a student takes the giant step from high school to college, but sadly most of the time they’re not. Moving from a high school of 500 to 2000 students to colleges …show more content…
The question is should students take a year off between high school and college to better understand themselves, carefully chose a college that meets all or most of their requirements and provide the student with an opportunity to learn more about themselves and what they may want in the future. Many students make hasty decisions, are overcome by the immediate transition to college and become increasingly stressed year after year contemplating if the decisions they have made will be beneficial to them in the long run. Below you will find my reasoning as to why students who take a gap year before entering college from high school may be more successful and have a more rewarding experience than students who don’t. Although many post and pre-graduates may disagree with this paper, I would ask they read it carefully and think …show more content…
According to Author Jan N. on Students.org, “after being in school for a couple years, [students] can feel burnt out.” Why rush into another four years of education immediately when you can take some time to achieve some goals of your own, learn more about yourself as a person, volunteer, travel, if possible or maybe even get a job? Getting a job can not only help you begin repaying off the debts to come, increase your learnings about life, but can also help you to acquire a taste of a career path that may interest you. By taking a gap year, some students may even learn new skills, find interest in a new career path or generate a better sense of