Jariwala 1

Shivam Jariwala
UWRT 1103 029
Ms. Caruso
1 March, 2016
Take a Gap to Success
High school just ended and now one is headed off to college. Starting college is a
stressful, and for most people, a scary transition in life. It is a chapter in peoples life where they
are free of their parents reign of power over them. But is it the best option to jump directly into
this transition blindly? For me, it was a scary and new environment. The transition for most
students is hard and most are never fully adapted till a year or two into college which can cost
money. Instead, a student should take a gap year.
To decipher whether one should take a gap year, one must know what a gap year is.
Michelle Knoll, a writer with more than fifteen years of experience for local media and other
various organizations, described a gap year as simply a break from education (Knoll). 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 actually obtaining 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). The combination of the mental strain and the new environment,
creates a breeding ground to blind followers. In turn, some college students never find who they
truly are.
To find oneself, one has to experience anything foreign to him in order to understand
something outside of his life. The American Gap Association found that 92% of students that

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took a gap year gained some sort of life experience and grew personally. About 85% of students
that took a gap year travelled around the world and experienced new cultures (American Gap
Association). To be successful in college, one needs to find a common ground in his life with
what they are passionate about and what he would like to pursue a career in. The downside is
that taking a gap year puts the former student in a setting where he loses the feel of school
(Knoll). The result of the loss of motivation leads back to the lack of will to further ones
education. They say students who work[s], may start to enjoy making money as opposed to
spending it on tuition. Often those students lose sight of the fact that further education is an
investment that actually increases their earning power (Knoll). If there is no clear plan after the
year off, then there are some complications that start to arise such as what is next. Do I even
want to go to college, or is it better just to save the money? Those that chose to return to school,
90% of students that did take a gap year returned back to college within the next year
(American Gap Association), some of the students often ended up wasting their time at the
university or institution and further fell behind compared to their fellow students. In turn,
students ended up paying more for tuition and therefore fell deeper into debt.
Within the past ten 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 etc. As a result,
students pay more to attend higher institutions to having access to their respective schools
resources. In turn, many students are becoming increasingly conscious in regards to approaching
college. Ben Kim, a graduate from the University of Notre Dame, argued that him not going to

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college wasnt the reason for is unsatisfaction of his college years but rather spending the money
(Jean). If a student knows what he would like to do, their time spent in college initially will be
better spent, along with time and money, which could be saved.
Although most students are financially conscious, the gap year presents an opportunity to
allow themselves to find an interest and passion they would like to pursue. As a result, their gap
year resulted in a strong positive impact in the students academic performance, which resulted
in a higher graduating GPA (American Gap Association). The question I came across was why
does ones academic performance increase with a year of no school. The answer was quite
simple: students tend to be successful because they are mentally prepared to approach college.
Coming out of high school, most students are academically tired and putting the mind to rest,
allowing for adequate time to cool. The American Gap Association stated that taking a gap year
allows a student to identify and eliminate interests to best direct a major study that results in a
deeply invested college-to-career futurere-ignit[ing] a sense of curiosity for learning
(American Gap Association).
It is clear to me now that gap years do present a positive impact in a students life. A gap
year develops ones character by allowing them to discover themselves, allowing them to travel
and experience the world, and grow as a person. What I wondered next was whether jobs favor
an applicant taking a gap year? According to Anna Claeys, a writer, 65% of HR
executivessaid volunteering abroad made an application stand out (Claeys). 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. A diverse resume, either from going abroad or

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interning at a high end corporation, usually cost money. The downside to taking a gap year for
some is that it cost money to be effective gap year. Some students in the transition stage from
high school to college are saving money and trying to minimize expense. Taking a gap year,
without any unique and extravagant experience, could be time wasted. But gap years can also be
a very helpful stage in a students life. So why doesnt the education system support the concept?
Even though the United States doesnt influence the idea of a gap year, the United Kingdom
does.
In the United Kingdom, students are highly encouraged to take a gap year. In other
countries around the world, students are required to take a mandatory break from education. This
may be due to military service, key programs for free education, and so on. William
Fitzsimmons, Marlyn E. McGrath, and Charles Ducey, all heads of Harvard University,
elaborated that many students in those countries that require to take a period of time off
experience a climax in their lives; as a result, students felt that the values they learned from their
experience were priceless (Fitzsimmons, McGrath, and Ducey). Most of the students saw the
value of further education and had a clear vision for their academic course to his career.
Overall, I realized that taking a full year off from college has both benefits and cons. A
gap year can make one lose his rhythm of learning and gaining the rhythm of making money. In
reality, the former student is actually hindering themselves in the long run because further
education would provide a more successful career. On the other side, employers sometimes
support the idea of a gap year because it provides a more diverse applicant. Having an interesting
gap year, like working interning at a company or traveling the world, creates a stronger resume
compared to ones peers. More so, it allows students to discover who they are. After learning

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new views on gap years, I am able to conclude that with a gap year and a clear vision afterwards,
taking a gap year is beneficial to students.

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References
"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-agap-year-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>.