Essay Sample on Gap Year

When entering university, students will start a new life, a new journey to live independently and experience themselves, preparing solid foundations for the future. All students in countries around the world share the same difficulties when they have not been mentally prepared for new challenges at university. It takes some time to adjust to the new life. If this journey is to go smoothly, many students have to be better prepared both mentally and physically to go through these frequent problems in the university environment. A lot of students are taking a gap year before going to university. Some students need to prepare for a more secure college year or relax after high school. However, taking that one year off can impact students before going to college both positively and negatively. 

Economically is the first positive impact that students take a year off before going to college. This is the problem that every student encounters. In addition, they have to carefully save money, they also have to spend it, and calculate it right to have enough expenses for the month. Students often face many difficulties when balancing study and part-time work. Many of them are quite worried when they have to deal with a lot of homework that is many times larger than in high school. Also, many students with difficult family circumstances lack the will to rise. After a year of challenging work, they come back with a little money in their pocket, they spend it comfortably, and have money to take care of their families. So, students and even parents are willing to agree to let their children leave school to work to earn money to support their families. According to the article "The Pros & Cons of a Gap Year After High School" by Stine Jane, she mentions that “College is a big investment. An extra year to prepare can help you earn money if you spend the year working. It can also give you time to apply for scholarships or other aid that can help make your tuition more affordable.” Besides the advantages that the university environment brings, new students also face many difficulties when going to university. Some of it is a matter of paying tuition fees. Because compared to the tuition fees when studying in middle school and high school, university tuition fees are always much higher. Especially when students study at private schools. Although many families have already started saving for their children's college education, paying tuition before each school year is still a big expense. Even for families that are not too rich, university students will soon have to find part-time jobs to cover part of their tuition or living expenses. At the same time, they also need to make good academic efforts to win scholarships or financial aid packages. Second, students need time to figure out what they want to do and major because they do not rush into a major and change it later. Many people fall into the situation of completing four years of university but do not know what job they are suitable for, and what career they will do in the future. A career is something that will follow them all their life, if people choose the wrong career, they will not only feel discouraged and disoriented, but then it will also take a lot of time to reorient themselves. As Stine Jane said” More and more students are taking five years or longer to finish college, perhaps because they are initially enrolling in programs that are not a perfect fit. A gap year can help give you the time and experience to choose the college and program that is best for you, which makes it time well spent!” When people study and pursue a career that they do not like, they will not be able to focus on that job, even later when they go to work, it is difficult for them to devote themselves to the job and the company. This will bring very unpredictable consequences; life does not go as you expected. So, some people take a gap year to choose a career that suits their personality and interests. Lastly, taking a break is a positive impact on students before going to college. It is an opportunity for students to "take a break between rounds" after a long period of hard study, to get rid of normal repetitive activities. As Andrew Martin points out “taking a 1-year break between high school and university for travel or work appears to motivate students for study when they commence university”. Students can participate in volunteer activities, and new projects, and challenge themselves with the working environment. Also, travel to other countries or immerse themselves in a hobby that they did not have time for before. Many students spend their gap year traveling with a group of friends. Accordingly, students can freely participate in backpacking trips or join local tourist attractions together. From there, not only entertainment, but it can also help them find more beautiful local tourist attractions at cheap prices, bringing many special experiences. Thus, a machine, if worked too much or for too long will also be damaged or reduce productivity. Also, when studying and working, people are like a machine, so people need a period of "maintenance" or rest after a tiring time chasing money and knowledge.

In contrast, there are many negative impacts for students who take a gap year, such as finishing college late, finance, and losing momentum. The Gap Year will distract students from their long-term plans. Once they have a clear direction for the future: after graduation, what will they study, what will they do? What are their goals for each stage? Then thinking more about the Gap Year might be superfluous. If the gap year is not clearly planned in advance, it will not bring much value to the future. Make students waste a useless year compared to their peers. Also, it may be difficult for some of them to return to their studies after a long break. Finishing college late is the first term of negative impact for a student who takes a gap year. Students will be slow in learning compared to their peers. As the Indeed team points out “Taking a gap year means you'll likely finish college at least a year later than if you went to college right after high school which can delay the pursuit of your career and salary.” This reason may sound a bit simple, but it is actually a psychological barrier that not everyone can overcome. When students spend time on personal work, the most obvious trade-off is time in the race against their peers. For many people, this can be a negative feeling that is difficult to overcome. When people watch their friends immediately move on to college, they may feel like they are falling behind them. Also, the sight of their friend graduating from school and going to work while the student is still busy reading books can be an uncomfortable prospect for many of them. Second, finance is another negative impact. Gap year costs are not cheap, so students who want to Gap year, they must be prepared financially. As the Indeed team gave advice to a student who wants a gap year “whether you decide to travel abroad or volunteer without a steady income, gap years tend to cost a lot of money. You have to consider potential flights, housing accommodations, program fees, and food.” The gap year also requires certain financial conditions because the purpose of the gap year is often discovery and experience, not money. Not everyone has the privilege to have a gap year. For example, recent graduates have to work full-time because their parents cannot afford to support them. If the gap year comes with a large financial burden, it can be quite tiring, distracting, and ineffective. Moreover, a study by Cecilia Clark, found that students who graduate early are more likely to find jobs that make more money than students who graduate late “That gap will perpetuate and compound for late graduates throughout their careers.” It can also be said that the Gap year gives students many negative financial opportunities and the ability to get a job with a high income. Finally, losing momentum is the last negative impact for a student who takes a gap year. Students spend too much time on activities outside of school, they will not want to go back to study. If after the year off from school to run projects and make their other activities go too smoothly and with lots of fun memories, students may want to spend the rest of their time on them instead of plodding around the dry lecture hall. As Weyhaupt said. “Your study skills could suffer if they are not used for a year.,” “Many parents fear that students who defer for a year will not go to college.” “Students who decide to take a gap year could also lose academic momentum.” Students who take a gap year might forget how to hold a pen and forget the knowledge from the old year. So, what if they completely cut off their studies for a year? It is almost certain that they will have a challenging time getting back to their studies the first time around. This could be true for those students pursuing the natural sciences, economics, engineering, or any subject that has complex theories and techniques that they do not use outside of the classroom. Their study skills may have deteriorated, making it difficult for them to adjust to academic life.