Some students prefer to take a gap year between high school and university, to work or to travel.

one year gap from study

In this day and age, instead of embarking on higher education, there is an increasing tendency for high school seniors to have a long-year break for working or traveling purposes. In this essay, both the merits and drawbacks of this trend will be discussed.

One of the most salient positives that deferring university enrollment can bring to the gap-year takers is the chance to enrich their life experiences and broaden their horizons. In other words, formal schooling just mainly focuses on academic background, which may lead to the lack of practical skills such as time management, negotiation skills, or interpersonal skills. Hence, entering the workforce or traveling to other cultures can afford students an opportunity to build and enhance these skills, which also gives them a competitive edge when pursuing college or working after their graduation. Another reason that taking a year off would be advantageous is that it would enable students to discover their hidden talents and strong points. As a result, it makes them easier to opt for a major in college and afterward identify a suitable career path.

However, there are multiple downsides associated with the gap-year option, one of which is the high risk of losing studying momentum. To be more specific, there is no denying that school leavers may consequently deteriorate their ability to perceive theoretical knowledge because they got used to the practical ones outside the college. Therefore, from the gap-year takers' perspective, pursuing college may become dull and be hard to resume. Furthermore, youngsters intending to take a year off, if do not have a clear plan of action, are likely to waste an enormous amount of valuable time and fall behind their friends. For example, they can spend an entire day on Netflix, Youtube, or other online platforms because they are disoriented with their journey whereas their old peers are expected to not only complete the first year at university but also develop either academic fields or practical skills through social clubs in college.

In conclusion, delaying tertiary education for one year to work or travel is a promising option that can change youngsters in an advantageous way; however, they need to have an efficient plan to avoid detrimental effects.

The writer is asked to provide his opinion on the given topic with a yes or no answer. Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? Yes or no? Pick one side to defend. This is a more complicated comparative essay to write due to the advanced formatting basis. This should be written in the following reasoning paragraph format:

Sentence 1: Claim an advantage
Sentence 2: Offer an opposition based on a disadvantage reason of the same topic (advantage)
Sentence 3: Give an example of why it is a disadvantage rather than an advantage
Sentence 4: Expand on the disadvantage based on the example
Sentence 5: Transition to the next topic

The current presentation tries to justify both topics. A discussion format that runs counter to the true discussion presentation needs, based on the original prompt presentation.