Band 6+: It is becoming increasingly popular to have a year off between finishing school and going to university. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this?

Nowadays, an increasing number of students, graduating from a high school, prefer to take a gab-year before entering the university. Honestly, this action has its benefits and drawbacks. From one point of view, plenty of them lose the desire to proceed their studying while realizing that life without education exists, and they are able to spend the money they must pay for a semester on something else. But, from the other point of view, it gives graduators more time to decide, who they want to be in the future and eventually choose the specialty.

Recently, I have watched the results of survey which was done in the USA last year. It has shown that 87% of those who finish the school and take a gab-year refused to continue their studying, as they understand that it is not for everyone, and they can live without it. Apart from that, the tuition fees are increasing year by year, which makes students lost the motivation to study, as they can allocate this sum to their interests rather than education. As the result, it causes the problem that many people are not educated there and do not see any obstacles for building their future career without it.

However, such a trend is not evident in many European countries, because almost all the students understand the importance of high education by observing the tendency of educated people’s success. It is a chance for them to decide accurately who they intend to be, as having a year off gives them an opportunity to think all pros and cons of this or that profession and make the final decision. Moreover, they have a possibility to loosen up a bit and glean some motivation during this time. Therefore, they are frequently full of energy at the beginning of the first semester at university.

In conclusion, taking a year off university has its both sides. On the one hand, students lose motivation to apply for university, as they start to realize that they can live on without it and save up their money. And, on the other hand, it is a good option for those who are not sure about their future career, because they have a period to think and choose what they want to do in this world for sure.