Gap Year Benefits

Have you ever questioned whether or not you are prepared to attend college? If your answer to that question is yes, then you should consider taking a gap year. A gap year is described as a year off of schooling between high school and college. Taking a gap year is more beneficial than going straight to college after high school because you will strive to do academically better, you will be better prepared for real world experiences, and you will be able to figure out exactly what you want to go to school for. First, taking a gap year before college is more beneficial than going straight to college after high school because you will strive to do academically better. By deciding for yourself when the right time is to go to college, you will …show more content…
According to Christina Schoefer, a writer for California Magazine, “Recent figures show that less than 40 percent of college students complete their education in four years; the rest drop out or get their degrees five or six years after starting college, with the costs increasing accordingly.” Taking that extra time off before college provides you with the incentive to not be a part of a dropout statistic. Considering all of the previous mentioned opportunities, you are bound to come to college with a better idea of what you would want to major in. As Jean Chatzky, a financial journalist, quoted in one of her articles, “’Students come back with a clearer sense of purpose about what they want to study and do for a career.’” With this being true, taking a gap year can reduce the overall time spent in college once an individual taking a gap year decides to enroll. In a survey conducted by the National Gap Association, 105 college students who took a gap year, “The median time to graduation for gappers was 3.75 years, with an average of 4.07 years…. (14). Overall, a gap year would end up saving you time and