Jariwala

Shivam Jariwala
Ms. Caruso
UWRT 1103 029
14 Apr. 2016
Defensive Paper
Transition is a hard and confusing time for most people especially high school graduates
heading to college. Its a chapter in ones life where they are free of their parents reign of power
over them and are independent for the first time. The transition for most is hard and some
students never fully adapt till a year or two into college which can cost both time and money.
Instead, a student should take a gap year.
My research about a gap year started off by deciphering what a gap year was. It is quite
simple; a gap year is a period of time which an individual has a formal break from education.
Students are burnt out from formal education during their high school years and are in a trance of
just getting good grades. The motivation for actualy knowledge is gone for many students. In
addition to the lack of motivation, the pressure from college doubles the mental strain students
experience. Eric Hollenberg, a current junior at Harvard University, described college as a
pressure-cooker (Hollenberg Par. 9). The combination of the mental strain and the new
environment, creates a breeding ground to blind followers. A gap year presents the opportunity to
relieve stress and prepare the mind for the difficulties of college. According to Andrew J. Martin,
a professor and researcher at the University of Sydney, stated that a gap year better prepares
young adults for the self-directedness and maturity needed to make the most of further
education (Martin 561). The mind of a young adult is prepared to face the struggles an
institution will present when they take a formal break from college. My product, a pamphlet

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targeted to high school students applying for college, is to help students realize that taking a gap
year is very beneficial for them. On the second page of the pamphlet, I chose to specifically talk
about why college is not for everyone and instead focusing on their life more. I believe that the
first step to help a student realize that a gap year is beneficial is to let them know that there is a
problem in the first place. The continuation of school, work, and stress is not meant for everyone.
In order to make the wording friendlier, I also physically made it appealing both comfortably
(with a baby powder blue and a dull gold color) and professional (with a grey background).
To attract more students, I added a section of personal growth and career development.
The American Gap Association found that 92% of students that took a gap year gained some sort
of life experience and grew personally. 85% of the students that took a gap year traveled around
the world and experienced new cultures (American Gap Association Par. 6). To be successful
in college, one needs to find a common ground in their life with what they are passionate about
and would like to pursue as a career. Andrew King, a researcher at the Department of Sociology
at Kinston University in London, UK, conducted a research where he linked certain trends to
participants that took a gap year. King was able to link some participants experiences with
developing or restoring confidence, maturity and/or independence, which they believed was
necessary for gaining entry to [a] university (King 346). The experience from their gap year
allowed them to create a clear plan of action for college and resulted in wasting less time and
money at the institution. More so, 90% of students that did take a gap year returned back to
college within the next year (American Gap Association Par. 2), and some of the students that
did not take a gap year often ended up wasting their time at the university or institution and
further fell behind compared to their fellow students. To create a sense of growth and attraction, I
included two diagrams on page three of the pamphlet to illustrate to high school students that a

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gap year is not terrible. In addition, I included a testimonial from a high school friend that took a
gap year and explained how he was able to grow as a person, and is now confident to tackle
college. Allowing the student to see data and testimonials gives evidence rather that facts and
reasons. The goal of the pamphlet is to have the students relate more to themselves and make a
decision rather than seeing how many reasons they can agree upon.
One of the specific topics I focused on my pamphlet was the idea of going abroad and the
correlation with self-growth. William Fitzsimmons, Marlyn E. McGrath, and Charles Ducey, all
heads of Harvard University, elaborated that many students in foreign countries that are required
to take a period of time off experienced a climax in their lives; as a result, students felt that the
values they learned from their experience were priceless (Fitzsimmons, McGrath, and Ducey Par.
14). The climax may range from discovering ones self to having a realization about ones life. A
key example I used in my pamphlet was a testimonial from my friend, Dakota Brewer. He
explained that his year off climaxed when he went to a video-game convention where his passion
for game design and computer programming really ignited within himself. At that moment, he
knew he wanted to become a game designer. Joseph OShea, a researcher at the Department of
Education at Oxford University in the UK, conducted a research about gap years. OSheas study
of volunteers going abroad on their gap years showed that they: learned about various sociopolitical issues, experimented with different religions and attended local religious services,
greater appreciation for community, friends, and family life, a greater understanding of culture
and trust amongst others, intellectual development and decision making, and a greater
understanding of personal identity through a range of intense emotions over the year (OShea
568-572). A gap year helps with the evolution of ones self by giving the experiences in life to
actually question and deal with personal issues. The time to deal with personal issues would have

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been obsolete if a young adult went to college. I used a quote from OShea in the pamphlet to let
potential gap year students know that the time off has the potential to grow ones self. Also to
illustrate the responses from many students, I included a diagram and a graph to show the
response rates of students that took a gap year. Hopefully, this intrigues the students to start to
question themselves and see if taking time off to deal with personal issues or explore themselves
is the wisest option.
A gap year may enhance a young adults personality by becoming more diverse but also
enhances ones resume. A students character develops more by allowing them to discover who
they are, travel and experience the world, and grow as a person. According to Anna Claeys, a
writer, 65% of HR executivessaid volunteering abroad made an application stand out
(Claeys Par. 10). With todays economy, the job markets are extremely competitive. By
becoming more unique, it allows an applicant to stand out. For example, volunteering abroad
shows an employer that the applicant is diverse and able to work under foreign conditions. It
allows a student or applicant to have a unique stance because of their diverse resume. Sue Heath,
researcher and author of the British Journal of Sociology of Education, explained in a recent
research, on processes of social closure within higher education and the graduate labour market
draws attention to the continuing importance of the successful mobilisation of various forms of
economic, social and cultural resources in order to gain distinction within these highly
competitive markets (Heath 91). To make the point of having a unique resume, I included a
competitions and standing out section on my pamphlet to let prospecting high school seniors
know that gap years provide a competitive stance in the job market. A gap year shows an
employer that the student is diverse, and culturally and socially literate meaning that they can
interact with humans fairly well.

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Overall, a gap year for some students may be due to financial reasons because they would
pay more for tuition and thus falling deeper into debt. Within the past 10 years, college cost has
increased drastically. The Delta Cost Project estimates that tuition fees have increased by 110%
since 2000 (Schoen). Today, many institutions compete to attract students to go to their school.
This means that there is an increase in building top facilities, maintaining the building and
facilities with the latest, next generation technology, and individualizing the school through
sports, environments, and much more. As a result, students pay more to attend higher institutions
to having access to their respective schools resources. In turn, many students are becoming more
conscious approaching to college. Mikyong Minsun Kim, researcher from the George
Washington University, and Jangwan Ko, researcher from Sungkyinkwan University, stated that
the tuition for college has accelerated beyond inflation and incomes of families (Kim and Ko
816). Taking a gap year provides a financial buffering for the family allowing them to save, with
an extra source of income from the student, to pay for college the following year. Though this is
a very important point, but including this in my product would not be beneficial. A student
already knows his or her financial position and reiterating the problem may shy them away from
the idea of a gap year. Most people are drawn to a point that presents positive impacts and
emotions. Taking a gap year for the sole reason for not affording college distastes the idea of a
gap year. Instead presenting the concept of taking a gap year as an academic and career
improvement appeals to the students thoughts rather than making money.
Having a gap year presents opportunities that would not be available if a student went
directly from high school to college. An interesting gap year, like working interning at a
company or traveling the world, creates a stronger resume compared to ones peers. Employers
sometimes support the idea of a gap year because it provides a more diverse applicant. More so,

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it allows a student to discover who one is. Showing these possibilities through an advertisement
pamphlet (placed in a high school guidance or advisors office), provides the best attraction for a
student. Most high school students are pushed to rush into college and seeing a pamphlet telling
them to wait gives the idea that one does not have to rush into college. As a result, a more
appealing and successful advertisement. Overall, after learning new views on gap years, I am
confidently able to conclude that with a gap year and a clear vision afterwards, taking a gap year
is beneficial to a student.

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Original Work Cited

"American Gap Association." Gap Year Data. American Gap Association, n.d. Web. 17 Feb.
2016. <http://www.americangap.org/data-benefits.php>.
Claeys, Anna. "10 Ways a Gap Year Can Improve Your Career." Gapyear.com. Gap Year, 04 Dec.
2013. Web. 17 Feb. 2016. <https://www.gapyear.com/articles/209867/10-ways-a-gapyear-can-improve-your-career>.
Fitzsimmons, William, Marlyn McGrath, and Charles Ducey. "Should I Take Time Off?" Should
I Take Time Off? Harvard University, 2000. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.
<https://college.harvard.edu/admissions/preparing-college/should-i-take-time>.
Hollenberg, Eric. "The Unexpected Gap Year." The Unexpected Gap Year. Harvard University,
11 July 2014. Web. 18 Feb. 2016. <https://college.harvard.edu/admissions/hear-ourstudents/student-blogs/unexpected-gap-year>.
Jean. "Why I Wish I Took a Gap Year Before Starting College." Why I Wish I Took a Gap Year
Before Starting College. UNCollege, 31 July 2015. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.
<http://blog.uncollege.org/why-i-wish-i-took-a-gap-year-before-starting-college>.
Knoll, Michelle. "A Gap Year: Weighing the Pros and Cons." A Gap Year: Weighing the Pros
and Cons. Rasmussen College, 1 Aug. 2012. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
<http://www.rasmussen.edu/student-life/blogs/college-life/a-gap-year-weighing-the-prosand-cons/>.
Schoen, John W. "The Real Reasons a College Degree Costs So Much." CNBC. CNBC, 16 June
2015. Web. 18 Feb. 2016. <http://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/16/why-college-costs-are-sohigh-and-rising.html>.

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New Work Cited

Heath, Sue. Widening the Gap: Pre-University Gap Years and the economy of Experience.
British Journal of Sociology of Education. 28.1 (2007): 89-103. Print.
Kim, M.M, and J Ko. "The Impacts of State Control Policies on College Tuition
Increase." Educational Policy. 29.5 (2015): 815-838. Print.
King, Andrew. "Minding the Gap? Young People's Accounts of Taking a Gap Year As a Form of
Identity Work in Higher Education." Journal of Youth Studies. 14.3 (2011): 341-357.
Print.
Martin, Andrew J. "Should Students Have a Gap Year? Motivation and Performance Factors
Relevant to Time Out After Completing School." Journal of Educational Psychology.
102.3 (2010): 561-576. Print.
O'Shea, Joseph. "Delaying the Academy: a Gap Year Education." Teaching in Higher Education.
16.5 (2011): 565-577. Print.