GAP YEAR: PROS AND CONS

In some countries, young people are encouraged to work or travel for a year between finishing high school and starting university studies. Discuss advantages and disadvantages for young people to decide to do this.

The discussions about having a break from studying after graduating from high school, for certain, cannot be regarded as new, but a large number of people, especially schoolchildren and educationalists, still express their deep concern about this issue. To make it clearer, one still has yet to come to an agreement on whether or not students should take a gap year.

There are two main reasons why taking time off at that age is at the top of student’s agenda. The first obvious advantage lies in the fact that it allows a young adult to have a broader view of life and better personal resources to draw on while spending some time earning a living or travelling to other places. Furthermore, it can be generally accepted that the practice of working and gaining life experiences is able to help him or her to be more independent, which is a very important factor in academic study and research, as well as giving them an advantage in terms of coping with the challenges of student life.

However, there are certainly dangers in this decision. Young adults may end up never returning to their studies or finding it difficult to readapt to academic environment. They may think that it is better to continue in a particular job, or to do something completely different from a university course. Another argument worth bringing into the equation can be the fact that it may cost a huge sum of money to cover the daily expenses.

On the whole, while young people should be encouraged to broaden their horizons, there are some stumbling blocks that need to be put into consideration. Thus, before taking a gap year, schoolchildren should make a plan on how to spend their time properly.