It is becoming increasingly popular to have a year off between finishing school and going to university. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this?

In many countries, youngsters are often encouraged to take

an

Suggestion

a

year

off, to work or travel across the world, before embarking on their formal

university

education.

This

recent trend,

also

known as “gap –

year

”, has numerous merits and a few demerits, which will be discussed in

this

essay.

To begin

with, the biggest advantage of taking sabbatical to explore the world is that it gives them an opportunity to discover their

career

interest.

Such

trips are not only fun

,

Accept space

,

but

also

gives them a chance to socialise

,

Accept space

,

engage in volunteering, and understand global issues and global culture

.

Accept space

.

This

helps them to discover their real passion which is the foundation stone for a fulfilling

career

.

For instance

, data from Harvard

University

, 2010, pointed out that

drop-out rate

Suggestion

the drop-out rate

from

Suggestion

for

university

courses is around 10 percent less in those children who chose the course after taking a “gap

year

” in comparison to those who headed straight to

university

after the high school.

In addition

to

this

, working for a

year

before starting

university

reduces the financial burden of higher education to an extent. As the advanced studies are costly in most countries, working for a

year

helps them in saving money so they have to borrow less money and are under less financial debt, when they start higher studies.

In contrast

to above viewpoints, the most significant disadvantage of

such

a break is that it can be a distraction from

further

studies. Some students find

such

breaks so relaxing and enjoyable that they decide to shun

further

studies permanently.

Although

the incidences of

such

cases are few, the effects can be disastrous for their

further

career

.

For instance

, a 2010 report from Florida

University

revealed that 1 in 100 students, who take “Gap-

year

” never go

for

Suggestion

to

advanced studies and struggle throughout their life to make the ends meet because of being unskilled. To conclude, the break of a

year

taken before pursuing

university

studies helps students to discover their

career

interest and

also

allows them to consolidate financially.

However

, for a minority of high school graduates it can lead to an end of an academic

career