So beneficial is youth-taken a gap year that numerous of them take it for their study plan. There are several benefits and consequences from this notion which I will explain below.
To begin with, I will talk about the advantages. The skills learned outweigh the disadvantages. It is essential that the independence and assertiveness that a student will acquire, in areas such as time management and interpersonal skills. It is the fact that these skills lead to greater career success later in life, thus canceling out the costs involved. Another merit is that there are many examples of young people using gap years to achieve something significant, whether in voluntary work or in a sector of business that interests them.
On the other hand, there are also disadvantages to taking a gap year. Firstly, the cost involved in areas such as air fares, accommodation and living expenses. All this money has to come from the student’s family, or even from borrowing to be paid later. Secondly, it is often said that gap years take a young person’s focus away from studying, and allow them to get involved in distractions such as traveling. This can make it hard to adjust to university life, damaging the student’s performance. Lastly, there is a concern over the safety of young people if they are traveling to remote places. Being kidnapped or mugged is a poor start to an academic career, after all.
To sum up, my own feeling is that a year off can indeed be a useful activity, with the experience leading to improved skills that are invaluable in the future. Of course, this is provided that the year is planned carefully and used for something genuinely worthwhile.