After elementary school, we are required to attend middle school and after middle school, we have to go to high school. However, after that we can decide our own path. It is strongly encouraged by high school counselors, parents, and teachers just to go on to college. Most people just continue the linear progression. When college is finally over, we have to make another choice; we can go onto more schooling or enter the workforce. What if neither option sounds good or what if both could be the right choice?
Then, a gap year becomes the best option! Needing a break from long, drawn-out lectures is reasonable. In fact, I think most people are fairly tired of them by the time they are seniors. It's okay, even good, to want more in life and go to medical school, law school, or graduate school, but needing some time off before you take on the next challenge is perfectly acceptable. I know it is scary and your parents might think you will never go back to school, but you have to do what is best for you. So, here is a list of symptoms that can be cured by a gap year.
First, if you are dreading class every day, then maybe you need a break from the classroom. Everyone has one or two classes that they cannot stand and it is a struggle to get there every day, but if it takes several minutes to will yourself to get to every class, then you're getting burnt out. If you hate school, but you always loved one subject like English or Biology and those classes aren't enjoyable anymore, then don't push yourself to keep going and risk losing a passion of yours.
The second symptom is the inability to pay even a teeny tiny bit of attention in your classes. Don't keep wasting your time, when you won't gain anything from it or grow.
Third, the amount of homework and reading you do for class continuously falls until you do none of it.
The fourth major sign is that you are utterly tired and fed up with being unbelievably broke. If you want to get off campus to change up the food you have been eating, but your bank account says $4, then go revive that bank account by getting a real job that actually pays you for a year.
The fifth and final symptom is you are fed up with being stuck in one place and you cannot see yourself being locked down in one location AGAIN for two, four, or five years. You are itching to go on an adventure; do something you will never get a chance to again. You want an experience that will help you mature, grow, and prepare you for life. You are looking for something fun!
Taking a gap year between undergraduate and graduate school can be the treatment you need. Gap years can be what you want to make them. If you want to country hop for a year and work at bars or hostels, go do it. You probably won't get another chance in your lifetime. If you want to go and teach English or any other subject to kids in Thailand, Nigeria, or Guatemala, then go do it! There are dozens of programs that are designed for gap year students that want to teach abroad.
Getting a job or a meaningful internship where you can make some money, have fun, and get real-world experience is another great option. Disney offers a Disney College Program for undergraduates and students that just graduated. They also offer a variety of internships. There are hundreds of companies that do the same thing.
In the end, it's your life and doing what will make you happiest is what matters the most. Take your adventure, revive your bank account, help those who are less fortunate, and travel before you go endure more school.
