Preview

Viewpoint: Gap Years Are Good For Students By Chris Kelly

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
235 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Viewpoint: Gap Years Are Good For Students By Chris Kelly
Chris Kelly’s article, “Viewpoint: Gap years are good for students –and for schools” published in USA Today offers countless examples as to why taking a year off before college is beneficial for students. Kelly starts the article by using former president Barack Obama’s daughter, Malia Obama, as an example of a great student taking a year before college to get herself ready for the next stage of her life. He continues his claim by expressing that while in the past colleges have frowned upon taking a gap year, colleges today are actually suggesting students to take a constructive year off to get themselves mentally and physically ready before attending a university. Colleges believe students who do this come to college more ready to succeed

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    For certain colleges do not offer what students need specifically for their academic path at the time they are available; do not have them at all. This causes students to “[Take] longer, since they register for fewer courses then they need to stay on track,” which illustrates the difficulty with managing the students’ courses and daily lives (Marcus 144). In which, affects mostly the students who are working part-time jobs, and work schedules are not flexible; making them unavailable for classes. Having to go extra years in college just feeds the students’ stress.…

    • 813 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Imagine someone being 17 years old with a few months left until high school graduation and on their own with the future to think about; that person was me. I decided that I was going to wait a couple of years before I went back to school and I really wish that I wouldn’t have. If I wouldn’t have waited, I would already be done with my degree and making good money. Students should attend college immediately after high school to better their education, achieve independence, and earn higher wages.…

    • 571 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In recent discussions of “The College Dropout Boom,” David Leonhardt made some interesting points on the works of society and it’s modern day views on education. Many of the ideas he presented were controversial to me, considering my previous perspective of social status’ having nothing to do with someone’s chances at graduating college. However, there are many ideas in which he presented that I agree with, such as the belief that obtaining a college degree doesn’t necessarily promise a well-paying job. Growing up in a household where nobody has ever earned a college degree, I can say personally that it is extremely important to have one, regardless of the immediate outcome. It’s better to be safe than sorry.…

    • 777 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Each year in late spring to early summer thousands of young people graduate from high school and are looking forward to attending college. Some have chosen their colleges, are already packed and ready to go off to school and accomplish their dreams. Others are late bloomers, just starting to look at their opportunities after high school graduation. Whichever type they are, they all have one thing in common, they are dreaming big and are ready to go and tackle their future because they all know their options are limitless. However, on the contrary there are thousands of students that graduate each year, that albeit they may have dreams just as big as their former classmates will never know what it is like to attend a college or even to visit college campuses.…

    • 1419 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    When an average high schooler walks into senior year, the students are quickly bombarded by school counselors discussing which four year college they should apply too. At my high school, it was never second guessed whether the student would be attending college but was assumed. Most people have misconceptions that if they do not get a degree, they will unable to obtain a job and have an overall unsuccessful life. In Charles Murray’s, “Are Too Many People Going to College” and Freeman Hrabowski’s “College Prepares People for Life”, the two author both discuss the education system we have in place, however, Charles Murray provides a more convincing argument that college, contrary to popular belief, is just not for everyone.…

    • 1548 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Being a first generation college student is something that I take great pride in being. The panelists from yesterday radiated pride and responsibility, in upholding their name as a first generation college student. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to them, however, it was hard for me to identify with some of their feelings and attitudes about attending a four-year university. It felt odd for me, as many of my classmates could empathize with how the panelists felt, whereas I, coming from a different background, had trouble pulling from my experiences to understand their previous circumstances.…

    • 547 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    College is a daunting subject for students everywhere. From the moment middle schoolers move on into high school, graduating is the sole widespread focus, and the question of “what will you do afterwards?” begins to be asked. Though many may take a gap year, others will begin to work or continue to work their high school jobs, almost all students will have the same debate: whether they will go to college or not. This has been an ongoing topic for generations, and the variance of opinions regarding college attendance are incredibly diverse, spanning from some people thinking that it’s useless and causes needless debt, to others who think it’s an absolute necessity and good jobs cannot be acquired without it. However, due to the complex and varied debate subject, one must first understand the basis it has stemmed from.…

    • 981 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Transitioning To College

    • 778 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In illustrating the downfall of students transitioning to college, one might take into consideration their study habits in high school, their work ethic and the amount of time they put into their classwork. Often times, students are unprepared for high school because they lack the motivation and effort of these things, or sometimes because their mentors and teachers were not interested in their success. By this, I mean teachers have an obligation not to just graduate their students, but to help them succeed. For instance, teachers should help their students pass the SAT by teaching learning strategies or preparing them for the rigorous work and to inform them of the amount of time it takes studying for each subject. However, the academic aspect is not the only importance in transitioning to college. While teachers are a huge factor in our success, parents also have an obligation outside of the classroom to instruct…

    • 778 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Going Back To College

    • 1100 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Maag, C. (2012, May 30). For Middle-Age Students, Is College Worth The Risk? Retrieved September 2013, from http://abcnews.com…

    • 1100 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the article, "Should Everyone Go To College?" written by Stephanie Owen and Isabel Sawhill, in the Center on Children and Families at BROOKINGS. This article discusses the benefits of a college degree. In this section, you may also find many statistics and arguments over attending or not attending college. For the past few decades, a college degree has been argued as a prerequisite to entering the middle class in the United States. Study after study reminds us that higher education is one of the best investments (Owens and Sawhill).…

    • 795 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In conclusion, Students who take a gap year tend to be self-motivated, not afraid of taking a risk, not bound by conventions and open to explore their interests and discover their…

    • 359 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    There are many points about taking a gap year it can be a good opportunity to meet new people and also you can improve on your people skills. Another point is that it can give you time to actually think about the right career you would want to follow up on. Taking a gap year can help you on discovering different aspects in life. There may be a student who doesn’t want to attend college right away that can be a great opportunity for them to travel and get an outlook on the world and figure out what he/she really want to accomplish in life. Me for example I waited 4 years to attend college and it’s been a struggle because I haven’t been in high school since the year 2009 and I’m a little rusty on my academics but it made me mature. Taking this “Big” gap year helped me find myself and what I really wanted to become in life.…

    • 632 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Once you're out of college, you're busy with a new life, a new career and will be wondering when you'll be able to have the time to go on that dream trip to Hawaii. Well it's not going to happen because you don't have something called 'holidays' any more. You'll regret not being able to take the chance to travel to new places, experience a different culture and environment when you were younger. That time should have been used when you had just bloomed into adulthood. That year before college. High school graduates should take a year off before entering college so they can travel. In the future, they will come across financial problems and time management issues that will stand in the way of them.…

    • 433 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Gap Year Essay

    • 1516 Words
    • 4 Pages

    One of the most difficult periods of life for a young adult, is college. Studying for classes, commuting, new expectations, and the list could go on for a long time, but one thing that tops it all is student debt. It is important to pick the right school and the right major, because if not, a lot of valuable time and money is wasted that could have gone into something that was a much better fit. This is where a “gap year” could be a helpful solution in the long run. It may not seem like a great idea at first and can even seem ludicrous that this idea could even save money, but if…

    • 1516 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gap Year

    • 988 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In its most basic form, taking a gap year refers to taking a year out of studying to do something else. Many people take a gap year before starting college or work, but it can be taken at any time. A gap year is also taking “time off with a purpose.” It is not a time to do nothing, but is an intentional time of reflection and discovery before a major transition in life. It’s a chance to take a different route for a while, push yourself in a new direction before continuing on your path to higher education or work. The origination of the gap year concept was born out of the ‘Grand Tour’, an essential part of the education of many young English gentleman in the eighteenth century, which generally involved traveling for up to three years and stopping at cultural centers such as Paris, Venice, Florence and Rome. In the 1950’s, after WWII, youth travel and cultural exchange was viewed as a useful tool to build better global understanding and prevent future war. The first 'gap year', generally occurring between high school and college, actually started in the UK in the 1960's. Since the 1990's taking time out has become a rite of passage for tens of thousands of UK students. The gap year is now becoming increasingly popular with US students. Students today have experienced high to extreme academic pressure since elementary school. Educators and psychologists agree that many students are burnt out and have had very little time to reflect on who they are, what they’re truly interested in and what their life’s purpose will be. A gap year can be a precious time to explore, learn, travel, and experience more of a personal evolution. Perhaps these statistics offer further proof points. According to the College Board, three out of five students who enter a public four-year college don’t graduate within five years. And nearly 30 percent of all students who enter college don't return for their sophomore…

    • 988 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays