It is true that an academic gap year after graduating from school is becoming the most common decision. Taking a year off would help teenagers to choose a profession and a major they want to study as well as properly prepare for exams. However, there will also be some drawbacks.
One of the main benefits is that teenagers can thoroughly think about what they want to do in the future. Consequently, they would enjoy their profession and classes at university and would not burn out from tasks and lectures they are not fond of. Another advantage is that they would have enough time to prepare for exams and get high score, which could help students get scholarships and even free tuition. For example, nowadays many students in Kazakhstan are studying a major that they did not initially want, only because they were limited in time and could not decide which path would be right for them. Moreover, some students’ score was not high enough to get into desired university or to get scholarship. As a result, most of them are not working in the field of their degree or even drop out after few years.
On the other hand, some students may lost interest in studying and getting degree due to work and income. For instance, most teenagers who decided to take year off between finishing school and going to university start working in order to help their parents or to save up money for university. However, due to busy working hours or good salary they eventually decide to give up on education. Another drawback is that these students may stay behind their peers in career path. Consequently, it could make them feel unmotivated and even give up on.
In conclusion, although taking an academic year off is beneficial for teenagers to find their passion and get into dream university, they may lose their time and interest. Therefore, going to university after graduation from high school should be prioritized to ensure equality between peers and maintain attraction to education.