A Gap Year: Just Say No

3380 Words7 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Transition between high school and college

You’re coming back from a well needed break from school and you feel invigorated and ready to start. The first few weeks are the hardest to adjust to because your brain hasn’t been used throughout the break. The dilemma with breaks, such as summer break, is that one loses valuable information from past academic courses that are essential to ones progress towards higher education. Imagine a whole year without learning and then coming back to intense rigorous classes at a University. Seniors at high schools over the nation have the opportunity of taking a year off before committing to a college. This is known as a Gap Year; instead of directly enrolling into a University many students feel the need to take a break before starting their education towards their future career. Yes, a Gap Year does sound pleasing and beneficial, but in the long run it can be damaging towards ones future. Students should be aware of the ramification a Gap Year brings, such as, the possibility for enrolling in a graduate school is lower, academic growth is reduced, and social obstacles become present. Before understanding the consequences of a gap year, it is important to understand why people take a Gap Year. Senior year can be tense and come with several unanswered questions. Seniors are given four options when leaving High School. Those choices are either joining the army, going straight to work, applying to college, or taking a Gap Year. In a journal by Sunny Niu and Marta Tienda, “Delayed Enrollment and College Plans: Is There a Postponement Penalty?” explains some of the reasons why high school graduates tend to not go directly to a four year university. One of the main reasons high school graduates are hesitant to attend co... ... middle of paper ... ... index.php/considering-a-gap-year/why-take-a-gap-year>. Holmes, Bradford. "Decide If a Gap Year Makes Sense to You." Us News: n. pag. Print. Horn, Laura, Emily Forrest Cataldi, and Anna Sikora. "Waiting to Attend College." National Center of Education Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2013. . Niu, Sunny, and Marta Tienda. "Delayed Enrollment and College Plans: Is There a Postponement Penalty?" Journal of Higher Education (2013): 1-28. Print. O’Shea, Joseph. "Delaying the Academy: A Gap Year Education." Teaching in Higher Education (2011): 1-14. Print. Wells, Ryan S., and Cassie M. Lynch. "Delayed College Entry and the Socioeconomic Gap: Examining the Roles of Student Plans, Family Income, Parental Education, and Parental Occupation." Journal of Higher Education

Show More
Related

  • Fall Break Benefits

    225 Words  | 1 Pages

    Most students look forward to fall and spring break. It’s a time of rest and relaxation and perhaps for a few, a chance to get ahead on assignments. These breaks are often something that I personally look forward too, furthermore assuming that this is the same for other students as well.

    Read More

  • Penn State Needs to End Paterno’s Time in Power

    1418 Words  | 3 Pages

    Daugherty, Paul. “Paterno is blinded by career’s twilight,” The Cincinnati Enquirer. Gannett Co. Inc. (31 Oct 2003)

    Read More

  • Impact of Concussions on NFL Players

    1757 Words  | 4 Pages

    Melissa, Block. “Sidelined By Brain Injury, Ex-NFL Player Copes with “Desperation”.” All Things Considered (NPR) (2014): Newspaper Source. Web. 4 April 2014.

    Read More

  • Ceasing Senior Year

    750 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Twelfth grade…amounts to a fidgety waiting period that practically begs for decent into debauchery and concludes in a big dumb party under a mirror ball that spins in place like the minds of those beneath it.” Essayist and novelist Walter Kirn, in his article “Class Dismissed”, uses statements such as this to attest his opinion that senior year should be removed in part—if not altogether—from the high school system. Kirn sees senior year as an unnecessary extension to the education of students when time is wasted or otherwise spent causing trouble. So completely does he believe this that he states the following: “… [seniors] rule, not because they’ve accomplished much… but because it’s tradition…” The work force or beginning higher education would be superior choices to the twelfth grade in his eyes. With the possible money saved in absence of grade twelve, there seems to be no issue with Kirn’s opinion. However, as a senior myself, I believe that Walter Kirn has not considered some important aspects of senior year that are more valuable than people realize.

    Read More

  • Linda Lee's Argument Against College

    627 Words  | 2 Pages

    But do kids really belong in college after twelve years of schooling? “The National Association for College Admission counseling has suggested that the practice of taking a gap year is on the rise.” (collegeparents.org) A gap year, is when students take a year off college. What the student decides to do in this case, is completely up to them. This topic is debatable for me. I think that students will slack off if they get that one year off. The gap year is just like a summer vacation, only extended. Students struggle to get back into the habit of going to high school, so I believe they would do the same even if the situation was going to college. A year off may be a good thing for some, just as it probably would have been for Linda’s son. However, I do believe that taking so much time off would be a huge problem for most of

    Read More

  • Say No To Year Round School Essay

    671 Words  | 2 Pages

    Summer is a time where people have gatherings, goof around, take vacations and spend time with their family. Many students are used to having two week winter break, one week spring break, and three months of summer break. Changing this traditional format could lead to negative effects for many students, educators,and families. A balanced school year would not have enough benefits to change schedule.

    Read More

  • Better Than College Is A Path To Better Than College?

    1638 Words  | 4 Pages

    First, what must be established is the distinction of higher education and college. Blake Boles, author of Better Than College, writes in his book the distinction between the two. He points out that college is one path to a higher education that ,essentially, is a prescribed path to success, but it does not guarantee higher education. Furthermore, he writes that: “a higher education is first and foremost the capacity to self-direct your life. Someone who has a higher education can define her own vision of success and pursue it, even in the face of difficulty”(Boles 4). There is a common misconception that college is the higher education path that leads to success. This is why parents hesitate to support their children in taking a gap year. They fear that their children will not be as productive or responsible for assignments. In contrast to that popular notion, gap years require more responsibility, if not more. However, in his book, Blake Boles answers the question of how to pursue higher education without college: “instead of following someone else 's curriculum, self-directed learners begin by asking themselves what fascinates and drives them.Their journey begins- and ends -with self-knowledge. Instead of taking full time classes, self-directed learners give themselves assignments that they find interesting, eye-opening and challenging” (Boles 5). With the absence of the responsibility to turn in assignments , prepare for presentation, comes a responsibility to construct one 's own curriculum. This leaves time for pursuing activities of interest. Instead of relying on professors to instruct one on how to go about learning, one must strive to network with people in the field of interest. They must seek mentorship in order to replace the guidance given by a professor. This takes a considerable amount of responsibility, which becomes very achievable since one understand the value

    Read More

  • Research Essay: Should Students Take A Gap Year?

    1375 Words  | 3 Pages

    Thus according to me looking at all these options, GAP year is indeed a really good option for students. It thus gives them an option to do things, experience it, which they probably won’t do again in their lives. Also different venues get open, choice of their majors, minors, their future becomes clear. The students realise what they what to do, how they are and what is their motto in life. GAP year indeed makes a student educated not only in one way but touches upon several different things.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay About Gap Year

    1185 Words  | 3 Pages

    A gap year is a period, typically one academic year, taken by a student as a break between secondary school and higher education. Many students consider taking a gap year because they are longing to get work experience and be sure of a career path before they make the decision to head off to college. During those one or two years off before heading to college, students have the opportunity to travel the world, work, experience different jobs, or simply take a break from school. Some parents do not agree with their young adults taking a break from school because they worry that their child will not do something productive with their free time. Although students taking a gap year run the risk of becoming inattentive or accustomed to making some quick cash, and not returning to school, there are numerous benefits for a young adults. young adults to take a gap year off before heading to college; for instance, many colleges want students that are mature and have some work experience.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay Gap Year

    1090 Words  | 3 Pages

    A gap year is a time for teens to take off between high school and college. A gap year is used to travel, work, volunteer or study. In general, a gap year has many advantages. This year out of a school is a good time for students to explore the world and gain valuable life skills and experience while learning to be independent. Teens in the U.S. should adopt the British custom of taking a gap year between high school and college in order to gain perspective on personal values and career goals as well as gaining needed life experiences without the pressure and expectations of a school environment. A gap year is a time for students to become independent and learn a sense of responsibility before entering into university life.

    Read More

  • Leave Of Absence In High School

    220 Words  | 1 Pages

    with the impending fall semester coming closer, the realization of student teaching is becoming more real for me and my cohort A few of my classmates are already working in elementary schools or pre k programs and are set for the fall, however, I am not so lucky. I currently work at a high school and this weekend I've come to realize that I have very few options next fall when it comes to student teaching. I did have the idea of applying for the NYCDOE/UFT Paraprofessional Student teaching Leave of Absence Program which would grant 40 days paid leave of absence to complete student teaching requirements. Unfortunately, I had the chance to re-read the requirements again and it is available for the spring terms only. maybe I am reading it wrong

    Read More

  • The Pros and Cons of Taking a Gap Year

    801 Words  | 2 Pages

    A common drawback of taking a year off from school is the lost friendships, being absent from friends. Contact can still be kept through e-mail and phone, but that may prove ineffective after a year off, as friends will have made new friends and have been adjusted to the college life. This makes it challenging to talk on the similar level or about interests and sometimes friends don’t fully reconnect after a year. This can affect a students’ social life and can show in their work when asked to work with others, especially when they are not adjusted to the new social level they are in. And don’t wait till senior year in high school to have a gap year. Start planning as early as sophomore year, because some colleges won’t allowed an accepted student to delay starting their freshman year, until they have a detailed plan on what that wants to do during their gap year (O'Shaughnessy).

    Read More

  • Give Students a Break

    623 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the spring semester, there are two more large gaps between breaks, one of which is also over two months long. Although weekends do help, these are often used for studying and homework and do little to ease the students' stress. Many students begin to dislike their classes because of the stress they cause, and as a result, some put less effort into their studies. Breaks allow students some time off from their classes to relax so that they can come back refreshed. Another reason breaks are important is that they give students time to spend with their families.

    Read More

  • Benefits Of Gap Year Essay

    1652 Words  | 4 Pages

    If the gap year is used in a productive way to work in industry, students often return to us in a very much more mature state. They have better time management skills, they can see the importance of the material that we 're delivering to them and they generally tend to perform very well, if not better, than they would without the gap year. A gap year can be a very good investment for many students. It 's a big risk but taking a year off can turn out to be the one decision that helps you through college it just gives you so much opportunities to become mature or just find out what you really want to do in college. It Can 't hurt you to take a year off infact you actually have an advantage when it comes to getting a job or having money to pay for college and pay off money owed. But with advantages there is disadvantages and they can really endanger your choice of going to college because you might just want to stay home or just lose speed and power of going to school and that 's what most experts say messes students up the majority or the students who decide to take a gap year.Taking a gap year is a great idea and every student should take the time to actually think about making that

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay About Gap Year

    1045 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to “Facts About A Gap Year,” the definition of a gap year is “a break typically taken between high school and college that might include travel, work, study, volunteering, or research.” Several colleges encourage their admitted students to take a gap year before starting their freshman year. Done the right way, a gap year can help students excel, while if a student completely puts aside their responsibilities, it can plummet their success in college. Students who take a gap year after high school not only mature, but also are prepared for college and the rest of their lives.

    Read More

More about A Gap Year: Just Say No

Open Document