A gap year is taken before continuing your studies; it is common to do this after graduating high school. During the year off, many people use that time to travel or work. The White House announced on Sunday that Malia Obama will attend Harvard University, but instead of starting this fall, Malia will attend after her gap year. With gap years becoming a popular topic, I was compelled to give my experience on it. Since the 1980’s, more and more students are taking gap years after high school. Each student’s gap year is different; one student might volunteer with a program such as United Planet and others may travel the world.
I did not start college immediately; I waited nearly two years and I’m so glad I did. Of course, I wish I was already graduating, but waiting was the best option for me. During my time between high school and college, I was able to travel freely and work as much as I wanted. While my friends were starting their freshman year of college, I was working over 40 hours a week. I wanted to be financially stable and decide where to settle down for school first. As a college student, stability is crucial. If you are miserable in your surroundings and you’re unable to pay for costs, your performance in school can be greatly affected.
I can pretty much guarantee you that if I were to start immediately like my friends, I would have student loans with little to show for it. On the other side of things, I know several people who took time off and never went back. Perhaps they simply decided college wasn’t for them, or that they wanted to gain other experiences first. Unfortunately, some of those people had no choice in the matter, whether they needed more income or if a family member was ill and needed help. There are so many unexpected events can happen whether we like it or not.
When we are younger, we are pressured to decide where to attend college and what career path we will take. Many people say, “Don’t worry, you’ve got time.” But how much time do we really have to start making decisions? How many people really know what they want to do with their life before 18? Life throws you curve-balls that can always alter our agenda. I turn 22 next month and for once, it’s not giving me any anxiety. Typically when my birthday is coming up, I start to feel anxious on how little I’ve accomplished and recognize how much I have yet to do. I have a pretty respectable plan, and I’m feeling good about it which is really relieving.
When I inform others about my ideas for the future, a lot of the times, I’m given a response similar to, “Things can always change.” Well yes, of course they can. But this is the group of people who pressured us to have it all decided years ago! No, I don’t have every detail set in stone. But, the essentials are taken care of and that’s what is important to me. Time in between can be a really great idea for some. In my experience, taking time off in between high school and college paid off because now I know exactly what I want to do as far as my career and goals.
