gap year

Can You Overcome Skipping A Year Of College? Ever since I was young the first thing my parents told me was to do good in high school so I can get into a good college. That without college I would not be able to live a happy and successful life. My parents had a hard child hood and have done everything possible to be where they are today. My parents have become very successful and are doing everything and anything possible to give my brother and I everything we want. My parents have always told me to never give up on my dreams and that I would become successful. College is a huge part of our lives and what we take out of college will make us what we want to be, as long as we put hard work into our grades. Everyone thinks that attending college is going to make them successful and give them the money they want. The hardest part of college is starting college itself because of the fact high school is so different and we are not in the real world. Europe has decided to do a gap year to help the students have a better transition from high school to college. A gap year is self-explanatory, the student is said to take off 3-24 months after high school before they continue on to college. There has been word that this gap year transition is now taking place in Miami as well. I believe the gap year just depends on the student that is going to start a new chapter in their life. Some believe taking off one year will help and some will disagree with this decision. What do you think about the gap year? There has been organization’s that are going with the gap year and offer volunteer work and even offer pay to some of the students. I understand why some of the students believe doing the gap year will help, they get jobs which help them pay for their college experience but also holding off that one year not only keeps the student behind but also gets them off the studying habit. I think its amazing how there are organizations out there that are willing to help those students that take part in the gap year, but what about the parents that need the job more than the student that just wants to take a year off? Students can still try to get financial aid no matter when they decide to start college, even if the student does the gap year. Reading about the gap year has shown me why I am lucky to have my parents there pushing me to start right after I graduated from high school and why not to take time off.
The first article that caught my attention is “Obstacles on the Route From High School to College” written by Chester E. Finn, Jr. He gets right to the point when he says “For most Americans, the transition from high school to college today is as chancy and vexing as crossing a bridge over a river where builders on one bank have ignored what those on the other are doing. Only the fortunate will be able to make it across.” (Finn) We are all aware of how hard college is and how many different changes there are. Finn goes on to say the differences between college and high school. I agree with the points Finn made throughout the article as everything that he states is true. What Finn left me wondering was is the gap year the right move? Billy Neville a student who went and tried the gap year becomes a successful student and shares his transition to college and how the gap year helped him, In “More Are Taking a Rain Check on College; ‘Gap Year’ Is a Chance to Learn, Give, Grow” written by Ian Shapira. Billy Neville was told by his mother to just go out and enjoy the first year after graduating high school and that he should take off one year. When I started reading this article I was a bit surprised that the parent is the one telling their child to not go to college for an entire year. Billy Neville was a smart student, got accepted into Miami University of Ohio. Billy went ahead and took his mothers advice and turned down going to college to do the gap year. Some of the universities believe that a gap year is actually a really good idea. Ian Shapira went out of his way to ask other colleges what they think of the gap year and just like Miami University of Ohio plenty of other schools agreed that the gap year is a good idea to make the student mature during this time. This article says a lot of the good reasons as to why students should join in the gap year, but what I am curious about is what bad can happen from taking off one year? How can taking off a year possible corrupt a student? The next article I found is called “ Cons of a Gap Year” written by Nick Plett. He get straight to the point of how it is suppose to be after high school, “The general assumption is that graduating students are ready to go directly to college for the next four years and possibly to graduate school after that.” (Plett) I agree with what the writer is saying because that is how my parents raised me. The author then goes to say, “A gap year at this stage in a student’s life is dangerous for one very important reason. The student may not want to return to the rigorous schedule and academic stresses of student life after enjoying the independence of life in the “real world.” (Plett) I agree because this long time off can truly effect a student and break the habits they already have. Students that take a year off become interested in other things and are not going to want to start studying and doing homework again. Plett goes on to say how those that graduate and go explore the world are not ready yet nor as experienced to just take off a year of college. Many wonder what can possibly happen during the transition of high school and college. “Gap Year: Transition from High School to College. Time Off or Time On?” written by Marianne Rubin, states how this time off is a good idea for the student. The article mentions that the student is now responsible for their own actions and learns how to manage their own money. I agree a lot with what Rubin says, I had to learn that I can not rely on my parents for everything I need that I am now living in the real world and have to handle things on my own. If I need help with anything my parents are still there to help me with what they can, but this is no longer high school, everything has changed. Rubin believes this time off makes students become more independent and mature especially if the student takes off the year and travels on their own. If a student does a gap year and travels they have more time to choose their major, instead of wasting their time being confused about what they want to do with their life. Rubin is very open-minded and has plenty of good points throughout the article. I believe students should be given the time to think thoroughly of what they want to be in life and should have the opportunity to experiment what it is they would like to do with their life. Rubin does a good job in the article explaining why students should take a gap year and the advantages of taking this time off. Rubin does a good job helping me further understand, why a gap year can be a good idea. What I was now wondering is how students transition from high school to college. In conclusion, all the articles I came across left me questioning a lot in the beginning but now I have a clear understanding on this issue. Even with all the positive feedback I saw about taking off a gap year, I still believe going straight to college is the smarter decision. The high school to college transition is still very hard for students but can get easier with the right help. I think the gap year is a waste of time to just be lazy and have fun. This break only slows down the college process and makes the student lazy. Students that are thinking of the gap year should definitely look into dual enrollment just cause it will help them a lot more. Everyone has their own opinion to this situation, it is clear with all the different sources I read and all the different opinions I came across on this topic.

Works Cited
Finn, Chester E. "Obstacles on the Route From High School to College." The Chronicle of Higher Education Vol. 52, No. 27, 3 Oct. 2006. ProQuest. 23 Mar. 2014.
Ian Shapira - Washington Post, Staff Writer. "More are Taking a Rain Check on College; 'Gap Year ' is a Chance to Learn, Give, Grow." The Washington Post Aug 05 2007: 0. ProQuest. 23 Mar. 2014.
Plett, Nick. "Cons of a Gap Year | Mhsglobe.com." Mhsglobecom RSS. Nick PLett, 23 June 2009. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
Rubin, Marianne. "Hispania, Vol. 91, No. 1 (pp. 225-226)." JSTOR. Gap Year Transition from High School to College: Time off or Time On?, Mar. 2008. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.

Cited: Finn, Chester E. "Obstacles on the Route From High School to College." The Chronicle of Higher Education Vol. 52, No. 27, 3 Oct. 2006. ProQuest. 23 Mar. 2014. Ian Shapira - Washington Post, Staff Writer. "More are Taking a Rain Check on College; 'Gap Year ' is a Chance to Learn, Give, Grow." The Washington Post Aug 05 2007: 0. ProQuest. 23 Mar. 2014. Plett, Nick. "Cons of a Gap Year | Mhsglobe.com." Mhsglobecom RSS. Nick PLett, 23 June 2009. Web. 23 Mar. 2014. Rubin, Marianne. "Hispania, Vol. 91, No. 1 (pp. 225-226)." JSTOR. Gap Year Transition from High School to College: Time off or Time On?, Mar. 2008. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.