Dec 19, 2007 23:08
Taking a year off. Some people use it to travel. Some, to find themselves. Others, to work and make more money for college. Does it make you less likely to go to college? Or does it prove a good exploration of self to make one yearn for college and learning more? I personally agree with the latter.
Twelve years of schooling (not including kindergarten). Give three years to learning the basics. Give another three to mastering them. Give yet more years to discover what one is truly not suited for. Give the final years to focusing on grades, after-school activities, and socializing. What are you left with? One knows nothing about oneself. One gets lost in jumble of activities, focused on getting them somewhere. Well, what if that somewhere is not where one wants to be. A year off to explore the world and explore oneself may prove to most beneficiary.
Growing up with structure as a constant may not be growing up at all. Some people may need to take a thousand dollars hop in their car (or on a plane). And just live until the money is spent up. One may not realize that they are happiest without (or with) someone telling them what to do. Or one may find an incredible true calling that they never knew existed. Whilst others may be even more firm in their original beliefs. But, one never truly knows until they tried.
Public school education, is a wonderful and diverse place. However, it throws people from all different backgrounds together. Child A may have had a growing college fund all Child A’s life. Where as Child B’s family may be struggling to make it as it is, much less have thought of thorough plans for Child B’s future collegiate experience. Sure, Child B can get scholarships and federal aid, that would be a start usually a small start. Yes, student loans, they build ones credit history and one can differ payment until after graduation. However, if Child B doesn’t get the perfect job directly out of college, then Child B is in debt up to their eyeballs.
Exactly what ever said that students headed for collegiate halls may loose interest or intellect by taking a year off. There may be some students that take a year off and find that college was never their true calling. In which case why would one want to force them into something that is obviously not for them. And who says that students who take off a year forget everything they learned in high school about note taking, good composition writing , and other scholarly skills. On summer breaks do the school children forget everything they’ve learned. For if they did, they most likely never truly understood it in the first place. Basic core study habits are like riding a bike, the biker (who may not have ridden for a year) doesn’t forget the skills of riding, they just may be a tad bit rusty at it.
Overall the overwhelming evidence points that there may be nothing wrong with taking a year off before starting off with the rest of ones life. In fact there are several benefits such as getting to know oneself better and making more money to pay for such astute education. That everyone may want to take a year off before attending college.