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Talking about "gap-year" - traveling or working [6]
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: student should take at least one year to work or travel before they go to university.After graduating from my high school, i went to university directly. I had worked very hard to prepare the Chinese college entrance exam, where is full of ambitious competitors. I was more than happy to accept the offer from the university I expected, and studying in the college, I have equipped with lots of knowledge and skills. So, I take going to the university after high school for granted. However,one day, a friend of mine, spending one year traveling all over the world instead of going to university, told me that what he saw and what he learned from the travel would benefit him a whole life. With the precious experience he knew exactly which area he wanted to specialized in. Many students all over the world having the same experience, the so-called "gap year" becomes a very popular topic these days. This makes me wonder, should a student take at least one year to work or travel before they go to university? As for me, although there are many benefits for the "gap-year", traveling or working a year before going to university is not suitable for most students.
I admit that traveling and working can make our experience abundant and thus may, to some extent, help us realize what we really want in a further career. However, the "gap-year" is not safe for the students who have little experience about society. Since we are protected by schools and parents in high schools and we concentrate mostly on our study tasks, we care little about the way the world runs. Countless terrible cases and bad guys in every dark corners nowadays, I can imagine the innocent and pure students turn out to be the targets, especially when they are short of money to sustain their travel or survival.
Some people would say that, the shortage of social experience makes the "gap-year" seem even more valuable and necessary just as a weak sick person should exercise to be strong. Only after getting involved in the society can students really understand where they truly want to specialize. However, the "gap year" doesn't necessarily contribute to our further development. We have to admit that, with little specialized knowledge, the work we get cannot be very good. How can a job as a waitress in coffee shop contributes to the dream of being a great astronomer or a engineer? Traveling around world always means spending money, which in most cases, from our parents. How can spending money on fun, enjoying sunshine in the beaches or shopping sumptuously in a exotic country helps us understand the whole story of life? Before learning how to earn money, we spend money traveling for a whole year! That is really ridiculous.
Going to the university directly from high school doesn't mean students don't have chances to relax, to experience a different life, or change our direction of our life. My university always providing opportunities of internship, I have worked in one of the lab doing research on WiPi, a advanced project about internet. Instead of serving coffee, I am supervised by professors and graduates, both of whom are very smart guys and the experience working with them is very helpful for my further study and career. Plus, lots of information fulfilling the campus, each piece of news challenge your recognition and shape your awareness. In the university, you tend to gradually realize who you are, and who you want to be. You can change your majors at any time as long as you see the direction you want to step to clearly.
Thanks to a smaller world, we can choose a life-style we appreciate instead of always obeying the old boring tradition. However, the tradition of going to the university directly is not over time, since it protects us from the negative side of the society and also, provide us with a space to perfect ourselves. Considering all factors listed above, I believe that most students should go to universities directly after high schools.