Some people think high school graduates should travel or work for a period of time instead of going directly to study at university. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of both approaches. Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience

In recent

years

, it has been more common for high

school

students

to travel to other countries or work for several

years

before studying at

university

.

Then

, more high

school

graduates are eager to know the advantages and disadvantages of having

gap

years

. In the following, I will offer my view on

this

issue. The

first

advantage is earning different

life

experiences. No matter at high

school

or

university

,

students

primarily concentrate on their learning. They spend most of their time at

school

, attending lessons, doing homework, or preparing for examinations.

Hence

, their

life

experience

is very limited. Comparatively, travelling around the world or working for a period of time may provide these teenagers with another

life

experience

. Travelling to other countries allows them to interact with people of various colours, languages, or cultural backgrounds. Getting into the job market gives them a chance to cooperate with people of different ages, dealing with specific assigned tasks. These are all

life

experiences

school

teaching cannot offer. With more

life

experience

, there is a

second

advantage.

That is

, these high

school

graduates may have a more clear goal in their

life

.

School

teachers and parents basically give their

life

goals in high

school

. And obviously, the purposes are having good examination results and successfully getting into the

university

. They do not really have their own targets. With more

life

experience

, they become more mature to think about their

life

and are able to find out what they really want, which can be being a kitchen, running a marathon, or living in a foreign country.

However

, there are

also

disadvantages of having

gap

years

.

Firstly

, learning knowledge is more efficient at a younger age. Scientific research demonstrates that a younger human brain is better at absorbing and digesting knowledge. Having

gap

years

means that high

school

students

need to study at

university

at an older age. In

this

way, they cannot learn the most updated knowledge at their best status.

Secondly

, in the job market, every

second

is important. Having

gap

years

means that

students

may need more time to graduate from the

university

. If they get into the job position earlier, they may have a few

years

of working

experience

more than their peers. These few

years

can be crucial for their future career, allowing them to get a promotion faster than the others. In short, there are benefits and drawbacks of having

gap

years

before studying at

university

. On one side,

students

can earn alternative

life

experiences and

thus

have a clearer goal in their

life

. On the other side,

this

action may be detrimental to their learning efficiency and their future career.