How does this look as a gap year essay? Taking a gap year and going to plan a startup or something..

anything else but books

I was an average student throughout my school, and I was not much about grades, but about progression. My family didn't like how I was strolling away from my education when I finally decided that I was taking a gap year and going on to plan a startup or doing anything else but books.

Furthermore, I was unsure about what I would go on to be, I wanted to discover more about my interests and future options. The 15 years that I spent in classrooms couldn't actually help me decide what I wanted to do and what I wished to achieve.

I wanted to do something on my own, something that most teens would not do in Nepal. I wanted recognition. So, I went on and planned a startup and am working on it during my gap year. So I got the perfect reason to skip a year off my education - personal growth.

These few months that I've been off school has really been fruitful for me. The sole factor that I've learnt to talk to different people in different manner has been a really helpful skill and will remain an asset till the very end. The methods of coordination with people I've been working with, and changes in attitude that had to be brought in to deal with my producers and customers has taught me that life doesn't exist just within four walls of a classroom. And I'm really happy that I chose to take a year off!

I know your purpose but I think you should know your readers more. They want to hear about your detailed plan, why your started that business but not others, what difficulties you've faced along the way. That tells them all about your purpose of gaining personal growth outside traditional classroom setting.

And I still don't understand why "not books"? what's its role here?

Hope that you have more fun in proofreading!

Sujhan, the first thing you have to change with this essay is the tone of disinterest or lack of interest in a formal academic education. Rather than saying "anything but books", you could instead say that you wanted to take a break from academic learning and try the school of real life instead. That way, your reason for taking a gap year becomes deeply personal and less of a rebellious statement that might not go over well with the reviewer.

Talk more about the start up that you started during the gap year. I understand that it is still an ongoing activity but I am sure that you have had some pretty clear experiences that will help the reviewer understand why this gap year is important to you. Explain the following in relation to your gap year:

1. What personal experience spurred your desire to take a gap year?
2. What is the name of your start up? What does the name mean either in your language or to you personally?
3. What is the mission / objective of this start up?
4. What has the start up accomplished so far?
5. Do you think you will continue to run this start up after you start your college studies?
6. What are your hopes for the future of your start up?
7. How has this gap year helped you find a direction for yourself both personally and academically so far?

These questions are designed to help you create a more interesting and informative gap year essay. Don't try to take a short cut in the discussion of the gap year because you need to show that you somehow continued your learning experience, in an informal manner, during this period of time. It should not just be about personal growth because personal growth can be achieved even if you are enrolled in school. Leave your family out of this decision because that story makes you sound almost defiant and disrespectful of your parents concern for your education.