In contemporary society, there has been an ongoing trend of students delaying their higher studies for a year in recent years. While this trend is not without any advantages, I suppose that its downside would be far more significant
On the one hand, it is undeniable that taking a gap year can potentially exert positive implications on individuals as well as society. First and foremost, students tend to have more time to travel and immerse themselves in alien cultures. Thus, they can enrich their life experiences and home practical skills. For instance, when living abroad, students tend to pursue an independent life and pick up new foreign languages which is a precursor for positive developments in terms of self discipline. Secondly, given the freedom to do various things, students can seek for great job opportunities or enroll in vocational training courses, therefore, they can identify a suitable career path. The perfect exemplification for this situation is that most high schools nowadays provide inadequate career guidance, leading to the state that many students spend a year to get a deeper insight into their ambitions and dreams which could give them a chance to find their callings.
On the other hand, students who take a year off also face many challenges. Firstly, they can fall behind and face peer pressure, therefore, losing their confidence and get academic performances due to long term break from their colleges. Moreover, they cannot save up a lot of money or cultivate relevant job skills because jobs available to high school leavers are mainly entry-level ones that neither pay well nor teach them anything substantive.
In conclusion, students should take it into consideration when taking a gap year because not only does it give substantial benefits but also brings some unexpected adversities.