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 .

In many parts of the world nowadays, high school graduates are encouraged to take a
year
off to work or travel, before getting involved directly in their formal
university
education. In
this
essay, I am going to discuss some merits and demerits of the gap-
year
plan. On one hand, opting for taking
this
one-
year
pause is undeniably bringing many advantages to an individual’s
life
when it comes to a personal career choice in the long term.
Firstly
, being an averagely 18 -
year
- old teenager, a high school graduate can hardly truly know what exactly the major he or she may want to pursue. In
such
case, students need to try on various jobs in order to find out the most suitable one for them to learn as their profession in the
university
.
Furthermore
, rich
life
experience
can
also
make you fully prepared for
a
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university
education. We have to admit that the gap
year
has the potential to teach youngsters much more valuable
life
lessons which can never be acquired in school.
This
is especially true if you decide to spend your time travelling around, where you will undoubtedly gain abilities to live and work independently, and of course,
experience
different cultures. These precious attempts are great blessings for your upcoming college
life
.
On the other hand
, the one-
year
gap program is not for everyone for its possible negative impacts.
To begin
with, it won’t be a wise decision for students who are weak at self-discipline, because it can turn out to be a serious waste of time after all. The initial purpose of taking a
year
off is for earning
experience
or money in
life
, but without a determined heart and a strong purposeful sense, you can, eventually, put yourself at risk of losing the academic momentum,
thus
sadly losing the vision of academic pursuits.
Besides
, travelling around for a long period of time can indeed infuse us much unforgettable
experience
though, depending on your destination and duration, it can be very pricy. If you make the budget planning properly, a gap
year
trip can possibly trap you into a financial dilemma, which might take you years to pay off. In conclusion, taking a
year
off before
university
entry bears pros and cons. Whether to take it or not largely depends on personal situation. For the best of our future, we should rethink seriously before making the decision on
this
issue.
Submitted by Esther on

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Topic Vocabulary:
  • Cultural immersion
  • Life experience
  • Work ethic
  • Career readiness
  • Self-discovery
  • Delayed gratification
  • Intellectual stagnation
  • Financial implications
  • Social dynamics
  • Academic trajectory
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