The Controversial Issue of the Value of Gap Year in the Life of Students

The value of Gap Year in students' life is a controversial issue. Some scholars hold the view that Gap Year is, indeed, quite important in the students' life, while other scholars hold the contrary view that Gap year is a waste of time and it does not add any value in the lives of the students who undertake it. My research in this topic coupled with my personal experiences on the students who undertake Gap Year, however, have proved to me that Gap Year is quite advantageous to those who undertake it.

In this paper, I have argued and demonstrated that Gap year is a valuable experience to the students who undertake it; I have shown in the paper that the advantages of Gap Year outweighs the presumed disadvantages of Gap Year. My audience in this paper is an Organisation known as the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions officers (AACRAO) headquartered in Washington D.C. AACRAO is a professional organization composed of personnel working in the fields of University and colleges admissions, academic records, and student enrolment services. The organization has various functions including: updating its members on topics relevant to them, advertising and marketing colleges and Universities to the potential students, publishing books, and managing student enrolment.

The functions of AACRAO, therefore, are academic related. The physical address of AACRAO is: AACRAO International Education Services, One Dupont, NW, Suite 520 Washington, DC 20036. Having researched this topic widely, I am convinced that Gap Year is quite valuable for the students who undertake it and it should be recommended for the High School graduates before they join colleges and universities.

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To begin with, Gap Year gives the young students an opportunity to deeply reflect on their lives and to discern on their true purpose and calling in life. This opportunity is especially important considering the fact that during school life in the modern world, students rarely get opportunity to reflect and to discern their true calling in life. This fact is supported by Fitzsimmons, McGrath, and Ducey, in their article, "Should I Take Time Off".

In this article, the three scholars argue that unlike in the traditional times when the students were allowed to be free during holidays, over the weekends and during evening times after school, in the modern times students have virtually no free time. Because of the high levels of competitions in our schools, every parent wants the best of their children and for that reason, parents hire tutors to teach their children on holidays, over the weekends, and also on evenings.

This fact, therefore, means that the young students have virtually no time to sour search themselves about what they really want with their lives. Gap Year, therefore, gives students an opportunity to reflect about the meaning and the purpose of their lives. As a result of having time to reflect and discern on the purpose and the goals of one's life, the students who undertake Gap Year have an opportunity to reflect about their careers and to either change their career, after careful discernment, or continue with the career of their choice. Gap Year experience, therefore, is quite important in self-discovery (Fitzsimmons, McGrath, and Ducey, n.pg).

My own experience has taught me that Gap Year is indeed quite important in self- discovery. My friend decided to join Catholic Seminary and to study for priesthood after undertaking a Gap Year and spending six months in Cambodia with his uncle who is a missionary there. He told me that Gap Year helped him a great deal in discovering his true calling in life, the Gap Year experience gave him an opportunity to reflect about his life and to ultimately change his career, prior to undertaking the Gap Year, he had all along aspired to become a teacher.

Another advantage of Gap Year is that it offers the young students an opportunity to rest before joining college or university. As we have already seen, modern school life is characterized by demanding academic works; rarely do students find time to rest. This fact, therefore, shows that giving the high school graduate time to rest and to be with their families before joining colleges is quite important. Lack of Gap Year can lead to burn out due to the pressure of academic works in school. Giving students time to rest before joining colleges, also, re-ignites a sense of curiosity for learning (American Gap Association, web.).

Failure to give high school graduates enough time to rest before joining can, therefore, be counter- productive because of the disadvantages that come with burnout. For instance, burnout can lead to abuse of drugs as the overburdened students seek solace in various types of illegal drugs (Fitzsimmons, McGrath, and Ducey, n.pg). Failing to give recommend Gap Year for our children, therefore, is risking the students' lives.

Another main reason why Gap Year should be recommended for our children is that Gap Year gives the young students an opportunity to have hands-on experience of various types of work. Unlike the many theories that are taught in classroom, Gap Year gives the students an opportunity to work with their own hands and to have experience of actual work as opposed to theories that they learn in class.

Some of the tasks carried out in Gap Year, especially in volunteering services, are mainly manual work such as cleaning, working in the Garden, or even feeding the livestock. These experiences are quite humbling and they help one to appreciate the value of manual or menial tasks in life (American Gap Association, web). This fact, therefore, shows that Gap Year experience is an integral part of the holistic development of the learners.

Another reason why Gap Year should be recommended for the Young students is that it enhances one's career; Gap Year have often been termed as a “great resume builder" (The Gap Year, web). This is because the recommendations that one gets after undertaking a Gap Year, either in a voluntary organisation or in a salaried work, can easily help one to secure job somewhere else. This is because, as we have already seen, Gap Year experience gives one hands-on experience, and the employees are interested more with practical skills, more than theoretical skills. For this reason, taking a Gap Year should never be viewed as a waste of time in regard to the advancement in one's career.

Gap Year also gives the students a chance to work and to earn their own money that can help them in colleges. This is particularly important for the students who hail from poor families. Rather than joining college immediately after completing High School, students can work for some time and earn money that will ease their financial constraints while in school, this will relieve the parents of the high financial burden that they have in financing all the needs of the students in colleges. For this reason, Gap Year should be recommended for all the young students after graduating from High School.

Having looked at the main reasons why Gap Year should be recommended and made into a policy by the education policy makers, let us look at the main argument advanced by the opponents of Gap Year.

The main argument advanced against Gap Year is the argument that undertaking a Gap Year can make one to lose study morale, leading ultimately to a refusal to go to college by the young High School leaver. The proponents of this view argue that undertaking Gap Year can, actually, disorient one from studies and academic life (The Disadvantages of a Gap Year after College, web.). With the school life being so demanding and boring, and the life outside school being more enjoyable and less demanding, it is likely that those who part in Gap Year may loathe the demanding school life in preference for the less demanding and enjoyable life outside school.

This is especially the case with the students who do salaried jobs in the Gap Year; such students are likely to be lured into discontinuing with their studies by money and the comforts that come with it. The proponents of this view, therefore, contend that instead of subjecting the young High School graduates to such a dangerous risk, it is better for the High School graduates to join colleges and universities straight from High School.

A critical look at the above argument against Gap Year shows that the argument is flawed and incorrect. This is because, first, with a properly structured program for the Gap Year, it is quite unlikely that the young students will lose the morale for studies. Gap Year does not mean that students are given absolute freedom to do whatever they want. On the contrary, Gap Year should be well structured to ensure that the students are always engaged in some constructive activities.

Students can even take simple courses like learning a new language while in Gap Year. With a well-structured Gap Year program, the students' morale for studies will be intensified and re-ignited, contrary to the claim made the opponents of Gap Year. Secondly, although money of course can lure one into deciding not to continue with the studies, it is possible also for the money to encourage one to go to school so as to be able to earn more money. It is actually because of the desire to earn more money that we see many employed people enrolling for the Masters and the PhD degree programs.

For that reason, the risk of losing morale for studies because of money is quite minimal, and with good counselling, even the small number of students who are tempted by money to discontinue with their studies will be helped to see sense in going to college so that they could be able to earn more money. For that reason, this argument against Gap Year is flawed and does not offer sufficient evidence why High School graduates should not undertake Gap Year.

In conclusion, the advantages of Gap Year are numerous and far outweigh the presumed disadvantages of undertaking Gap Year. Undertaking Gap Year actually has no disadvantages. A critical look at the reasoning behind the so called disadvantages of Gap Year shows that the reasoning is based on false premises. For that reason, Gap Year should be recommended for all the High School graduates.

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