Why Your Child Should Take a Gap Year
In Europe“1.2 percent of U.S. college freshmen deferred admission to take a gap year in 2011” (Baker). A gap year is a year that a student takes between finishing high school and starting university. This year can be used for whatever a student wants it to be used for, whether that be fishing on a trawler in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, digging wells and erecting schools in South Sudan, or maybe farming in Nebraska, the choice is theirs. Many studies have shown that gap years create cultured, well rounded and more academically motivated students. America needs young graduates right now, this is common knowledge. The problem is, these graduates have little to no idea of how the world works, because they …show more content…
My view that Americans should embrace the gap year is no different. Although the vast majority of research papers I have come across when writing this paper have been in favor of the gap year, I did find one research paper that suggested that taking the time off does have a negative impact on degree completion. Dr. Phillip Parker, an award winning educational psychologist from the Australian Catholic University in Sydney concluded that “there is little evidence that individuals who took a gap-year would, on average, have had significantly different outcomes had they attempted to enter university directly after high school” (Parker). The issue with Parker’s paper is that its limitations completely discredit its findings. For example the “Finnish study found no difference in growth in goal commitment, effort, expectations of attainment and strain, or in actual university enrollment in those planning to enter university directly versus those who plan to take a gap-year.” And the “Australian study found no difference in growth in outlooks for the future and career prospects, and life satisfaction between gap-year youth and direct university entrants” (Parker). Parker is saying that his study didn’t actually find any difference between those who took a gap year and those who did take a gap year. That is completely different from claiming that taking a gap year had a negative impact on those students’ academic careers. Parker …show more content…
They believe that their child may go around the world spending all of their time partying and all the while actually setting themselves up to make less money later in life. This needs to change as there is evidence that suggests that students who take gap years make more money after college than those who went straight to college. “We show that graduates who delayed their education enjoy a premium relative to graduates who completed their education with no interruptions” (Ferrer). This piece of research finds that even though gap year students did delay their studies, they do actually earn more after college than those who didn’t go to college. This should adequately put to rest those fears of a gap year being a black hole that sucks up money and gives nothing back. Think of a gap year as an investment into your child’s future. By putting money into this adventure, you are giving your son or daughter an advantage that the majority of their competitors in the work place will not have, they will know how to deal with people, and have confidence in their own work, which will in time return the investment in the form of higher wages and a better standard of living for them and hopefully for
In Europe“1.2 percent of U.S. college freshmen deferred admission to take a gap year in 2011” (Baker). A gap year is a year that a student takes between finishing high school and starting university. This year can be used for whatever a student wants it to be used for, whether that be fishing on a trawler in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, digging wells and erecting schools in South Sudan, or maybe farming in Nebraska, the choice is theirs. Many studies have shown that gap years create cultured, well rounded and more academically motivated students. America needs young graduates right now, this is common knowledge. The problem is, these graduates have little to no idea of how the world works, because they …show more content…
My view that Americans should embrace the gap year is no different. Although the vast majority of research papers I have come across when writing this paper have been in favor of the gap year, I did find one research paper that suggested that taking the time off does have a negative impact on degree completion. Dr. Phillip Parker, an award winning educational psychologist from the Australian Catholic University in Sydney concluded that “there is little evidence that individuals who took a gap-year would, on average, have had significantly different outcomes had they attempted to enter university directly after high school” (Parker). The issue with Parker’s paper is that its limitations completely discredit its findings. For example the “Finnish study found no difference in growth in goal commitment, effort, expectations of attainment and strain, or in actual university enrollment in those planning to enter university directly versus those who plan to take a gap-year.” And the “Australian study found no difference in growth in outlooks for the future and career prospects, and life satisfaction between gap-year youth and direct university entrants” (Parker). Parker is saying that his study didn’t actually find any difference between those who took a gap year and those who did take a gap year. That is completely different from claiming that taking a gap year had a negative impact on those students’ academic careers. Parker …show more content…
They believe that their child may go around the world spending all of their time partying and all the while actually setting themselves up to make less money later in life. This needs to change as there is evidence that suggests that students who take gap years make more money after college than those who went straight to college. “We show that graduates who delayed their education enjoy a premium relative to graduates who completed their education with no interruptions” (Ferrer). This piece of research finds that even though gap year students did delay their studies, they do actually earn more after college than those who didn’t go to college. This should adequately put to rest those fears of a gap year being a black hole that sucks up money and gives nothing back. Think of a gap year as an investment into your child’s future. By putting money into this adventure, you are giving your son or daughter an advantage that the majority of their competitors in the work place will not have, they will know how to deal with people, and have confidence in their own work, which will in time return the investment in the form of higher wages and a better standard of living for them and hopefully for