Why Taking a Gap Year May be a Good Choice for YouBy Claudia Barnard and Victoria Gibbs After high school it can feel like one’s life choices are already laid out - attend college, join the military, join the workforce, or none of the above. However, there is one other option that has been deemed somewhat unpopular in American society - taking a gap year. Taking a gap is typical for high school graduates in other countries - but what exactly is a gap year? A gap year is when a student takes an entire year, most commonly between high school and university, and devotes it to either traveling, volunteering, working, or just relaxing. In countries like Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Japan and the United Kingdom, gap years are custom - sometimes they are even encouraged as a way for students to uncover their personal and career interests before spending their money on secondary education. Gap years have existed, or have been coined, since as early as the 1960s, though the United States has always been an exception to this practice. Its popularity, however, has recently been growing. The American Psychological Association says that on average teen’s stress levels are a 5.8 on a 10 point scale - higher than most adults. It only makes sense that American students may tend to feel burned out and tired of the classroom setting after 13 years of schooling. Taking a gap year allows students to relax, take a breath, and perhaps figure themselves out. Taking a gap year can be very helpful to people. It allows students to find out what they really love before deciding a major. After all, does anyone really know what they want to do with the rest of their life at seventeen? Since the majority of graduates that take a gap year spend it traveling, they’re given the opportunity to truly experience the world, classes and schedules aside. The American Gap Association said that 92% of people decide to take a gap year so that they may “gain life experience and/or grow personally.” The second biggest influencer is that students want to travel the world and experience other cultures after being confined to one location for the majority of their lifetime. The third reason to take a gap year, and perhaps the most significant, is that students simply want to take a break from the being on the “academic track.” Seventeen straight years of education is a lot to ask of someone. Overall, taking a gap year allows high school graduates to gain more life experiences and figure themselves out, which in the end may result in a more beneficial college career.
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Elena Caputo
Hi! My name is Elena, and I'm a senior at Wilson and one of the Editors of the Editorial section. If you have any questions or ideas or if you want to write, email me at [email protected]! Olivia MonosHello! My name is Olivia and I'm a junior this year, and one of the editors of the Editorial section! I'm really excited to write for the Paw Print again this year!
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