It Is Becoming Increasingly Popular To Have A Year Off Between Finishing School And Going To University

It is becoming increasingly popular to have a year off between finishing school and going to university. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this?

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It is true that there has been a rise in the number of people taking a yearlong break after completing school and before joining university. The main advantage of this trend is that it gives sufficient time for a teenager to learn new skills and the main drawback is that this can also be wastage of time if it is not planned carefully.

Taking a year off after the completion of school has several merits. To commence with, it gives an individual enough amount of time to concentrate on enhancing his skills. In addition, an adolescent can invest this time to prepare for engineering or medical entrance examinations which are difficult to clear without adequate preparation. For instance, as per recent research by Times, only 20% of the students who cleared the IIT exam in 2018 were freshers and the rest of the students were one-year droppers. Moreover, a student can master skills like communication, foreign languages and also learn sports such as cricket, tennis, football and several others in this one year.

On the flip side, the main disadvantage of this phenomenon is that if planning is not done properly then this can be just wastage of the time. Instead of taking a year gap after finishing school, a person can take admission in college and get a job after completing his college studies. As a result, this will save him one year and will also help him to gain hands-on work experience which is more vital than theoretical knowledge. For example, a recent study revealed that 60% of the students who took a year off before joining university had done nothing fruitful and thus it was a total waste of time.

In conclusion, although the decision to take time off before enrolling into a college is good for those who are very serious about their career, proper planning is essential to avoid wastage of time.

Model answer 2

There is no doubt that the trend of taking a year break after the completion of school and before starting the college courses has become more popular. In this write up, I will highlight the benefits and drawbacks of this new development / approach.

To start with the positives, a significant advantage is that students can explore the possibilities and get prepared for the future assignments. For instance, during this time children can learn new languagues, or they can enrol in a course which can provide them the extra credits. As a result, the candidates will have an edge over their competition, and get admitted to the desired college. Moreover, teenagers nowadays are interested in travelling to other nations prior to commencing another phase of their life. This is because some of them might be interested in doing some voluntary work and others might find it refreshing to gain knowledge about the diverse cultures.

However, taking an year off can have some disadvantages too, the most obvious one of which is the loss of track due to the long gap. For example, some students may fall into the trap of bad influence and they might start using drugs, alcohols ,and other harmful substances. This will definitely sabotage their future. Furthermore, youngsters may be diverted from their path, if they start earning their livelihood. Such an environment is likely to curtail their interest in further education. Children are the future of the nation, and such mishaps can affect the entire nation’s progress.

In conclusion, although having a year  gap can broaden the horizons of the students by providing them a better vision of the society and various cultures, it can also deviate them from the right path and their jeopardize their future.

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