In some countries young people are encouraged to work or tavel for a year between finishing high school and starting university studies. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages for young people who decided to do this.

Many young

people

around the world take a

year

off between finishing high school and beginning

university

to travel.

Although

this

can have many advantages for young

people

such

as gaining real-life experience, it can

also

mean falling a

year

behind academically. In

this

essay, I will discuss what I consider to be the benefits and drawbacks of taking a

gap

year

.

To begin

with, taking a

gap

year

after graduating high school can be beneficial before embarking on

university

studies. Whether it be to travel or work,

this

would allow young

people

to become independent and learn more about themselves and their career choices.

For example

, travelling allows young

people

to grow through experiencing and overcoming challenges. Work experience provides real-life skills that will help with the theoretical knowledge they will gain in the

university

. Even if the job is unrelated to future aspirations, learning how to deal with customers, cooperate with colleagues and take on responsibilities are all valuable tools for any student and worker.

However

, for every positive, there is a negative. One flip side of taking a

gap

year

is being a

year

behind academically.

This

means starting one's

university

program a

year

later and

thus

graduating a

year

later than one's peers.

In addition

, there might be some financial drawbacks, some scholarships,

for instance

, do not allow students to defer, so the decision to take a

gap

year

might be at the loss of a grant, which may mean long-term debt. In conclusion,

although

taking a

year

off can bring about significant financial and personal benefits, despite the potential problems in terms of academic progress. As long as the individual is aware of their future direction, a

gap

year

can be an extremely rewarding experience.