Gap Year Advantages and Disadvantages for Young People
In some countries, young people are encouraged to work or travel for a year between finishing high school and starting university studies. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages for young people who decide to do this.
Read the original writing alongside its overall assessment. Open a full review for criterion explanations and sentence-level feedback.
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Response 01
260 words
In various nations younger population is being motivated to take a gap year in order to gain some work experience or travel around before they start with their further college education. In this essay we will be focusing on advantages of this situation as well as the disadvantages that come along.
To start with the advantages, younger education today is more motivated to gain a global experience. They do not want themselves to be restricted to the local area experience they are being provided with, rather they want to explore the world and try learning about the work culture and other aspects. Now as we know it is quite important to have knowledge about the field one is going to work in, work experience will definitely help them grow and flourish in that area as real life scenario can be much different than what is being taught in books.
Moving on to the disadvantages, though it is important to gain some knowledge of the real world and travel around, it is also important to get done with your university education in order to land the perfect job depending on the course one opts for in university. Secondly, some people are not mentally strong to live apart from their family and might end up getting homesick. Which can ruin their whole idea of the gap year.
To summarize, taking a drop year has certain advantages it also has some possible drawbacks which should be taken into account before making the decision as these years most certainly makes up for our future.
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Response 02
305 words
Taking a “gap year” off between high school and university has become a popular option among many young people. This time off provides a break after many years of formal study. Some students use this time to travel around the world, others volunteer and still others begin working. The idea behind each of these activities is to do something hands-on and refreshing, which enables young people to learn more about themselves and their place in the world around them.
The benefits of taking a year off are plentiful. On a personal level, students who travel away from home develop their independence and self-confidence. On a cultural level, they learn about viewpoints, traditions and perspectives different from their own. Professionally, students get a taste of diverse workplaces, which might inspire a possible career interest. Intellectually, they examine their own beliefs and ideas in relation to those of others in a new environment. All these advantages combine to make a strong case for taking the one-year break.
Nevertheless, there are also dangers involved in taking such a long break. Academically, the main drawback is that students can get sidetracked from their studies. A year is a long time and students could lose the good study habits and sense of discipline they had when they were in a formal academic structure. If they begin working, they could also be deluded into thinking that they’re making a lot of money. They could lose the benefit of college or university education and the chance to earn a higher income all their lives.
In conclusion, whether to take a year-long break or not is an individual decision. Each young person should consider his or her motivations carefully and decide on what’s most desirable. Time is a precious resource and people of all ages, including young people, should treat it with respect.
Estimated band7.5
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Response 03
402 words
There is a growing trend towards taking a gap year before entering tertiary education among school leavers in certain parts of the world. While it is true that such practice is not without its disadvantages, I would argue that the benefits of going to work or travelling before one embarks on college far outweighs these disadvantages.
On the one hand, people’s concerns about delaying university are largely justifiable. To begin with, if a person opts to travel, there is the question of finance. Most high school graduates are unlikely to be able to fund their travels, and as a result, must ask their parents to pay for all the expenses of the trip. This is obviously undesirable, especially for families in developing nations, who have more urgent needs to address rather than travelling. Should they decide to go to work, there is a high chance that they would just end up doing part-time work with meagre pay. In addition, these jobs often provide employees with little exposure to professional working styles and skills, so most fail to gain any substantive benefits from them. For instance, my friend spent a summer working at a fast-food establishment in Hanoi, which he said was a complete waste of time because he could not acquire any new skills, nor could he procure any significant savings from the salary.
On the other hand, notwithstanding the described issues, I believe abundant advantages accrue to taking a year off before college. By going to work, youngsters can obtain valuable working experiences. The merit of this is they can put their study into perspective when they take university courses later. For example, an accounting major can better imagine how accounting theories and standards are applied in a corporate context if he has previous experiences reading financial statements and handling transactions as a cashier. By travelling, one has the chance to acquire useful life skills by living independently, especially if he journeys to a foreign country. I can personally vouch for this, as during my 3-year stay in America, not only did I materially improve my English, I was also able to learn how to live on a tight budget and manage personal finance.
In conclusion, it is my genuine belief that taking a gap year before enrolling in a university is a rewarding experience and definitely an option worth contemplating for those who are about to graduate from high school.
Estimated band8.0
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Response 04
312 words
Before college, many young people are advised that a year of working or travelling may be a good option. This essay will suggest that experience gained and money saved are the biggest advantages of this, but delaying careers and reducing motivation to study are the primary disadvantages.
The main advantages of a gap year are learning more about the world and earning money. For students who have just finished secondary school, working or travelling for a year will allow them to learn what life is like outside of the education system. Also, third-level education is very expensive, and many students decide to work for 12 months and save money before they begin their studies. The average student at a UK university requires over £10,000 per annum to survive, and many drop out because they cannot afford to stay.
Despite these advantages, students lose a year that could have been used to advance their future careers, and they often get used to working or travelling and don’t want to return to a life of study. As job markets are very competitive, an extra year of experience can make a massive difference when applying for jobs, and those who took a gap year are at a disadvantage. Moreover, some decide to bypass university altogether and go straight into a job that is beneath their capabilities or may not offer the same prospects their future career might have. For instance, jobs in the service industry are easy to get without a third-level education, and many gap students fill these roles only to be stuck in them for the rest of their lives.
In conclusion, taking a break from studies can be advantageous if it allows people to accumulate savings or learn more about the world. However, they should also be careful that it does not delay the start of their careers and lead to disillusionment with education.
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Response 05
291 words
It is quite common these days for young people in many countries to have a break from studying after graduating from high school. This trend is not restricted to rich students who have the money to travel, but is also evident among poorer students who choose to work and become economically independent for a period of time.
The reasons for this trend may involve the recognition that a young adult who passes directly from school to university is rather restricted in terms of general knowledge and experience of the world. By contrast, those who have spent some time earning a living or traveling to other places have a broader view of life and better personal resources to draw on. They tend 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 taking time off at that important age. Young adults may end up never returning to their studies or finding it difficult to readapt to an 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. But overall, I think this is less likely today, when academic qualifications are essential for getting a reasonable career.
My view is that young people should be encouraged to broaden their horizons. That is the best way for them to get a clear perspective of what they are hoping to do with their lives and why. Students with such a perspective are usually the most effective and motivated ones and taking a year off may be the best way to gain this.
