opinion essay gap year

The Gap Year Essay: Pros and Cons

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Looking for a gap year essay example? This argumentative essay describes all the pros and cons of taking a gap year before college.

Introduction

• Pros of taking a gap year
• Cons of taking a gap year

There is an ongoing debate on whether high school graduates should take a year off (a gap year) before joining college. A gap year is a break from formal education and controlled environment that is otherwise monotonous and exhausting. Gap year is common in European countries and also in Australia and it is quickly catching up in America. It is an idea that even the most prestigious colleges and universities are getting fond of and thus encourage high school leavers to try it out.

Gap Year Pros

After completing high school, students tend to suffer from ‘information overload’ and exhaustion (Naomi, 2008). A year off may be helpful to such a person who has had an academic burnout and can use some time out to ‘recharge his or her academic battery’. The gap year will present the student with a chance to refresh his system and get a renewed energy which he will use to face the next phase of education.

Another reason as to why taking a year off is important is the fact that the person is able to build on some self confidence and their maturity level. Even top level universities are encouraging school leavers to take a year off since they reckon that those who do so, bring good values to the institution since they have had a taste of ‘outside life’ and will have a serious perspective towards life.

It is believed that those who take a gap year will be more focused and ready to face the more taxing institution of higher education. It is usually encouraged that students taking the gap year do so in a manner that will help them add some experience in a working environment while earning some money. They may also look for an internship which will help them have a feel of an organization and how it operates thus the student will make their curriculum vitae more appealing (William, 2000).

A gap year also offers chance for the high school leaver to do a thorough university search where he will look for the right institution that offers the course that he wants to engage himself in. The year off presents the school leaver with a chance to find the academic forte that he is most comfortable with. While enjoying a gap year, the school leaver will decide on what he or she wants to major in and this in turn will help them become more focused when joining university.

A school leaver may also spend his gap year travelling around hence broadening his horizon. By travelling abroad, the school leaver may discover new talents, gain new skills, learn new languages and visit various historical sites and this will help him have a diverse and broader perspective of life and thus make him more serious and focused when he gets to university.

Travelling abroad will also help the school leaver mingle with people of different races and cultures, a factor that helps them understand and appreciate diversity. This turns out to be very helpful to the high school leaver since he will encounter a multiracial and multicultural environment in the university and can therefore easily adapt, settle and start learning (Shellenbarger, 2010)).

A high school leaver who takes a gap year has a better chance of handling the peer pressure in the university. Because the high school leaver who was previously under the careful watch of his parents, will now be left on his own and thus the leaver who enjoyed his gap year travelling or being on an attachment will have built his self confidence and hence will tend to fight off peer pressure unlike the school leaver who joins university immediately where he will be hit by the reality of ‘first true freedom’ (World Inhabit, 2007).

Gap Year Cons

Besides the fact that taking a gap year will help to refresh the school leaver’s system, the gap year may also turn out to be disastrous towards the student and his career. This usually happens when the high school leaver fails to plan properly his schedule for the year off. Mostly, the high school leavers will waste a whole year and may not gain any helpful experience.

A mismanaged gap year may turn out to be too expensive to the high school leaver and, hence, deplete resources leaving him with insufficient funds to join university. Taking a gap year may result in a higher university budget as tuition fees tend to increase annually. William (2000) notes that “engaging in a gap year may result in the student missing a slot in the university especially in courses that are competitive”.

Also taking a year off may at times make the student lose momentum on studying and this may cause him a drop out of college or take a longer time to complete his course than expected. A gap year may lead to the high school leaver being demoralized by trailing his fellow classmates during the whole year (Sanjou, 2008).

A person who takes a gap year may fail to develop good skills and habits that may affect and help in his career and consequently fail to fit in the taxing university environment. A high school leaver who takes a gap year may enjoy real freedom having a time of his life and may find it very difficult to come in terms with reality that may end up by failing to join the university (Eunson, 2008).

Taking a year off may consequently lead to a delay in the beginning of a person’s career which means that the person will start earning at a later stage in life than he was supposed to. Also there are companies which plan trips for the school leavers thus reducing their level of self responsibility and thus don’t help build self confidence since they plan everything for the school leavers who should instead be doing things on their own to help build their confidence (College Confidential, 2010).

A high school graduate should consider the options he or she has when choosing whether or not to take up a gap year. The individual through numerous consultations with his parents, school counselors and sponsors should weigh between the pros and cons of taking up a gap year or not.

Ultimately, the decision lies in the high school leaver’s hands. This means that should the school leaver decide that he needs a break from academic pressure, he should ensure that he spends his gap year productively in a manner that will help boost his career path. A year off that is well spent by the school leaver can help boost a person’s confidence and maturity level. He will have a broader perspective of life and hence will give the university the seriousness it deserves once he gets enrolled.

Many universities in Europe and currently in the United States have come to appreciate the importance of taking a year off. Reports made by a number of university deans show that most people who take a gap year before joining university usually have a higher degree of seriousness, maturity and understanding than those who join university immediately after high school.

College Confidential. (2010). Pros and Cons of Gap Year . Web.

Eunson, B. (2008). Communicating in the 21st century 2nd edition . New York: John Wiley.

Naomi, G. (2008). The college gap year. Advantages and disadvantages of taking a gap year. CA: Sage.

Sanjou .G. (2008). Taking a year off is advantageous . New York: John Wiley.

Shellenbarger, S. ( 2010). Delaying College to Fill in the Gaps . Wall Street Journal.

William, F. (2000). Time out or Burn Out for the Next generation. New York, NY: McGraw Hill/Irwin.

World Inhabit. (2007). The Advantages and Disadvantages of Taking a Gap Year. Web.

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IvyPanda. (2018, October 17). The Gap Year Essay: Pros and Cons. https://ivypanda.com/essays/gap-year/

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Taking a Gap Year | Band 8 Essay Sample

Essay topic

In some countries young people are encouraged to work or travel for a year between finishing high school and starting university studies.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages for young people who decide to do this .

Band 8 essay sample

In many countries, youngsters are often encouraged to take an year off, to work or travel across the world, before embarking on their formal university education. This recent trend, also known as “gap – year”, has numerous merits and a few demerits, which will be discussed in this essay.

To begin with, the biggest advantage of taking sabbatical to explore the world is that it gives them an opportunity to discover their career interest. Such trips are not only fun , but also  gives  them  a chance  to  socialise , engage in volunteering, and understand global issues  and global culture . This helps them to discover their real passion which is the foundation stone for a fulfilling career. For instance, data from Harvard University, 2010, pointed out that drop-out rate from university courses is around 10 percent less in those children who chose the course after taking a “gap year” in comparison to those who headed straight to university after the high school.

In addition to this, working for a year before starting university reduces the financial burden of higher education to an extent. As the advanced studies are costly in most countries, working for a year helps them in saving money so they have to borrow less money and are under less financial debt, when they start higher studies.

In contrast to above viewpoints, the most significant disadvantage of such a break is that it can be a distraction from further studies. Some students find such breaks so relaxing and enjoyable that they decide to shun further studies permanently.

Although the incidences of such cases are few, the effects can be disastrous for their further career. For instance, a 2010 report from Florida University revealed that 1 in 100 students, who take “Gap-year” never go for advanced studies and struggle throughout their life to make the ends meet because of being unskilled.

To conclude, the break of a year taken before pursuing university studies helps students to discover their career interest and also allows them to consolidate financially. However, for a minority of high school graduates it can lead to an end of  an academic career .

(357 words)

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Should you take a gap year? Here's what experts say

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many to rethink their long-term plans, like committing to multiyear college programs — especially since forced virtual learning has not led to an overall reduction in the cost of schooling . Instead of enrolling as normal, some students and parents are researching gap year options. In fact, according to Gap Year Association ’s executive director Ethan Knight, the search-programs function on the GYA website has gone from 500 searches per month to 2,300 in the time of COVID-19. The Gap Year Association is a nonprofit dedicated to making quality gap years more accessible to more young Americans.

A gap year is more than taking time off to work, pay for school or take an extended vacation. The Gap Year Association defines a gap year as: "A semester or year of experiential learning, typically taken after high school and prior to career or post-secondary education, in order to deepen one's practical, professional and personal awareness.”

TMRW x TODAY What I learned from graduating from college in the middle of a pandemic

Why take a gap year.

Concerning gap year programs, two of the most notable limitations caused by the pandemic is the ability to travel internationally and to participate in large-sized, in-person service opportunities. However, this hasn’t slowed down interest in gap-year programs.

When asked about the pros and cons of taking a gap year, Katherine Stievater, founder of Gap Year Solutions said, “In normal times, gap years have been growing in popularity because they offer students a chance to take a break from the traditional academic cycle. Sometimes students are burned out after 12 straight years in a classroom, and the stress of balancing academics, extracurriculars, college applications and social pressures. Other students need some more time to mature before the relative independence of college life. And sometimes students have known about gap years through friends or family members and have long had a plan to take the time off to travel or experience new things.”

Tiffany Waddell Tate, CEO of Career Maven Consulting , has found that identifying one’s core values is a major reason to take a gap year. This includes gaining clarity on academic and social areas of interest prior to beginning college or making a career pivot.

Dr. Corinne Guidi, an educational consultant at Bennett International , said, “[Gapping is] an opportunity to go against the grain for a bit while keeping their future educational plans in sight. Deciding what to do during one's gap year should not be stressful or overwhelming. Instead, I always encourage students to reflect on things they enjoy and notice what excites them as they are researching possible jobs, internships or even virtual experiences.”

For those worried about whether the cons outweigh the pros, Stievater said, “You will hear people try to come up with the downside of gap years, but honestly, they ring pretty hollow. For example, some will claim that deferring college pushes out the time to start a job, which reduces lifetime earnings. However, any calculations like this fail to consider the high percentage of students who don’t complete college at all or take up to six years to graduate. Studies have shown that college students who take gap years transfer less, have higher GPAs and graduate on time.”

While there are many good reasons to take a gap year, especially during uncertain times, it should be known that it’s wiser to move forward with enrollment if your top-choice college doesn’t offer deferrals or if you qualify for substantial grants or loans since some financial aid institutions don't offer deferrals or won't have funds later. This is pretty common for student athletes.

Gapping options during the pandemic

Gapping has never been a one-size-fits-all situation, and right now, gapping has taken on a slightly different look.

Knight shared some novel ideas for options, like parents allowing their college-age children and peers to live for an extended period in an Airbnb without their parents. Some programs have this model with a putative RA to provide programming and supervision.

Other novel ideas include: doing an outdoor conservation corps or outdoor experience, getting certified as a contact tracer or volunteering online or through a toll-free hotline and taking career-focused online certificate programs.

“One of my students is a dancer and wants to understand the business side of dance. So she is interning in-person at a dance studio with the manager, teaching some dance classes and working with another company helping organize dance competitions," said Stievater. "Another student is working at a thrift shop in her local area and doing an online internship with a nonprofit in Morocco working on LGBTQ rights and taking French language lessons. Many students still hope to travel internationally this spring, but we’ll see — I am telling them all to have a Plan B.”

TMRW x TODAY I want to move to a new city in the middle of a pandemic — am I crazy?

Career coach Waddell Tate added that “the key to a successful gap year is being intentional with your time and talent, while also being clear on what is feasible in terms of your financial, mental and emotional well-being. Consider it an opportunity to serve and learn in meaningful ways, which is certainly needed right now.”

“There are just so many ways for students to structure their time with volunteer projects and service work, traveling in the U.S. (often with other gappers), and pursuing personal interests: writing, blogging, music performance, videography and filmmaking, photography, acting, dancing, cooking, teaching, language learning and so on. … The pandemic does a remarkable job of bringing out the entrepreneur in Gap Year students since it forces them to think creatively about opportunities closer to home,” said Stievater.

Planning a gap year

So, how do you plan a gap year during a pandemic?

“Gap years are moving targets right now," Ethan Knight said. "[The Gap Year Association is] suggesting families pack a Plan A, B and C into their thinking — where A is maybe international (or whatever the dreamy reach is), B is likely something domestic in the U.S. right now (which is seeing a huge renaissance of growth and new programming) or C is something online … perhaps with a credential or service component, albeit done online. Inevitably, this fall will be a challenge for families to stay fluid as the globe and country have various hotspots of Coronavirus outbreaks.”

Knight says that when gappers and parents visit their website, they should spend no more than 45 minutes. Prospective gappers should go through at least 10 programs and write down the activities (not the programs) that get them excited.

“This is powerful because most students are making a decision based on what they know, not what’s out there," he said. "That list then turns into a great roadmap of a ‘bucket list gap year.’”

Waddell Tate advises gappers to “explore resources like Idealist.com to search for socially responsible internships or fellowship opportunities. Make a list of the things you want to learn, experience or do, then search for openings and opportunities that align with those items. If you are thinking about traveling or working in a place not close to where you live, talk to friends, family and warm connections that live and work in the places you are considering to see what insight or support they may be able to provide as you are making your decision. It's critical to have a support network in place as you prepare for the transition.”

If things become overwhelming, Knight recommends hiring experts like gap year consultants. These can be found on the association’s website.

If hiring a consultant is not within your budget, talking to or reading experiences of other gappers can be extremely helpful. Guidi recommends reading testimonials on CovidGapYears.com , a website intentionally created to help students who are searching for inspiration on what to do during their gap year.

Onicia Muller is a journalist and comedian based in Chicago. Follow her work at OniciaMuller.com .

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Search the site, search suggestions, considering a gap year, should you take time off.

Each year, between 90 and 130 students defer their matriculation to Harvard College, and they report their experiences to be uniformly positive.  We encourage admitted students to defer enrollment for one year to travel, pursue a special project or activity, work, or spend time in another meaningful way - provided they do not enroll in a degree-granting program at another college. Deferrals for two years are also considered for such purposes as military or religious service or under other unique circumstances, and subject to the approval of the admissions committee.

Frequently Asked Questions

May i defer my admission once admitted.

Yes. Students admitted in the Early Action and Regular Decision rounds can choose to defer their admission by selecting the "I defer" option in their admitted student reply form.

We want to do everything possible to help the students we enroll make the most of their opportunities, avoiding the much reported "burnout" phenomenon that can keep them from reaching their full potential. Our overall graduation rate of 98%, among the highest in the nation, is perhaps due in part to the fact that so many students take time off, before or during college.

The admissions committee encourages admitted students to defer enrollment for one year to travel, pursue a special project or activity, work, or spend time in another meaningful way - provided they do not enroll in a degree-granting program at another college. Deferrals for two years are also considered for such purposes as military or religious service or under other unique circumstances, and subject to the approval of the admissions committee.

Each year, between 90 and 130 students defer their matriculation to the College, and they report their experiences to be uniformly positive. After graduation, large numbers of Harvard students take time off before beginning work or graduate school. Read more about taking time off .

If a student has already replied as enrolling, but has since changed their mind and would like to defer, they may contact the Admissions Office or submit the Request to Defer form on the Admitted Students Website explaining the request for a deferral as soon as possible and in any event by the end of June.

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Time Out or Burn Out for the Next Generation

The article Time Out or Burn Out for the Next Generation was originally published in the New York Times on December 6, 2000.

William Fitzsimmons Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, Harvard College

Marlyn E. McGrath Director of Admissions, Harvard College

Charles Ducey Adjunct Lecturer in Psychology, Harvard Graduate School of Education

College admissions officers, especially those who admitted the parents of today’s applicants, have an unusual vantage point from which to observe changes from one generation to the next. Many of us are concerned that the pressures on today’s students seem far more intense than those placed on previous generations. College admission—the chance to position oneself for “success” through the acquisition of the “right” college degree—looms large for increasing numbers of students. Particularly because selective colleges are perceived to be part of the problem, we want to do everything possible to help the students we enroll make the most of their opportunities, avoiding the much-reported “burnout” phenomenon that can keep them from reaching their full potential.

Of course, the quest for college admission is only one aspect of a much larger syndrome driving many students today. Stories about the latest twenty-something multimillionaires, the astronomical salaries for athletes and pop-music stars, and the often staggering compensation packages for CEOs only stimulate the frenzied search for the brass ring. More than ever, students (and their parents) seek to emulate those who win the “top prizes” and the accompanying disproportionate rewards.

From the cradle on… The chase for the prize begins early, and some reports sound hyperbolic. Anecdotes abound of infants serenaded with classical music to enhance their mental powers; toddlers overwhelmed with computers and “educational” toys; “experts” guilt-tripping parents by telling them that their children will be hopelessly behind by age three or four if they don’t follow myriad prescribed strategies.

Consultants are paid thousands of dollars to prepare toddlers for the “all- important” interview and observed play-time that will determine admission to the “right” pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, or primary school—thereby presumably ensuring admission to the right high school, college, graduate school, and so on. The consultant will teach the child to maintain eye contact in the interview and to demonstrate both leadership and sharing during the observed play sequence. The competition for admission to some of the pre-k, kindergarten, and grammar schools can be intense—statistically more difficult (with lower admission rates) than Harvard.

Once in the “right” school, students are pushed along by teachers, by outside tutors and, if they stumble, by learning specialists who will help them approach their studies in the most efficient manner. The school day continues well into the night with structured study time and drills. The pressure can be relentless, even from well-intentioned parents. For the most part, they simply want the best for their children who, they fear, will be left by the wayside by other high achievers.

Sports, music, dance, and other recreational activities used to provide a welcome break, a time to relax and unwind. No more: training for college scholarships—or professional contracts—begins early, even in grammar school. Professional instruction, summer camps, and weekly practice and game schedules consume many hours and nearly all free time. Student and family commuting logistics become byzantine in their complexity. Even “play-time” is often structured and enriched with just the right mix of appropriate playmates and educational activities. Summer vacations have become a thing of the past. The pace of the day and the year allows little time simply “to be a kid”—or, it seems, to develop into a complete human being.

The middle school/high school fast track By high school, the pressure intensifies. Students start to specialize in one activity even to the exclusion of other pursuits. Athletes, dancers, musicians and others begin to define themselves by their chosen activity as they try to perfect their new-found talents and identities.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has warned of possible physical and psychological damage that can result from specializing in a sport prematurely. For every success story, there are countless other less happy results. Some students participate in programs that take up as much time as school. Fast-track athletic teams compete or practice most days—with weekend-consuming road games, and national or international schedules during summers and vacations. A serious athlete or musician or dancer may change schools for a better athletic program, even moving far away from home to do so, and perhaps to an academically weaker school.

Academic demands also ratchet up, supported by special tutors and the beginnings of SAT prep in middle school. In high school, SAT prep becomes a way of life for some students, with night and weekend sessions. The “right” SAT tutors may command several hundred dollars per hour, and can be engaged to live during the summer at or near their tutees’ beach houses. Summer “cram schools” for the SATs are increasingly common, as are summer school sessions at the best prep schools and universities, some beginning in middle school.

The quest for the right college Professional college counselors (either independent or school-based) appear on the scene early, sometimes in middle school, to begin to structure students’ academic and extracurricular profiles for entrance to the “right” college. At its best, such advice can be helpful in assessing talents, goals, and making “mid-course corrections” that can make a real difference in students’ lives. From a more cynical perspective, such advice steers students toward travel abroad, community service, or other activities solely to enhance college application essays or interviews. Such services may command thousands of dollars, and assistance in preparing applications ranges from appropriate to plagiaristic. Videotaped mock college interviews are features of some packages, as are guided tours of colleges. An array of services start in ninth grade (“or seventh or eighth grade for no extra charge”) for fees of in the thousands of dollars. More specific services include Essay Review, which offers “brainstorming session and as many revisions as necessary.” Such services can add to, rather than alleviate, the stress of the normal expectations of school, community, and family life. Their “products,” such as overly-slick essays, can even hurt a student’s admissions chances as they can sometimes be easy to spot in the admissions process.

The pressure of gaining entrance to the most selective colleges is commonly blamed for much of the stress we observe. But those of us who work in college admissions recognize that college is only one of many destinations in the fast lane. The accumulation of “credentials” simply continues to intensify as the stakes increase. The “right” graduate school looms after college, and the “right” sequence of jobs is next. Such attainments make it possible to live in the “right” kinds of communities and to begin the job of bringing up the following generation, one that might need to vault even higher hurdles.

The fallout Faced with the fast pace of growing up today, some students are clearly distressed, engaging in binge drinking and other self-destructive behaviors. Counseling services of secondary schools and colleges have expanded in response to greatly increased demand. It is common to encounter even the most successful students, who have won all the “prizes,” stepping back and wondering if it was all worth it. Professionals in their thirties and forties - physicians, lawyers, academics, business people and others - sometimes give the impression that they are dazed survivors of some bewildering life-long boot-camp. Some say they ended up in their profession because of someone else’s expectations, or that they simply drifted into it without pausing to think whether they really loved their work. Often they say they missed their youth entirely, never living in the present, always pursuing some ill-defined future goal.

Some early remedies What can be done to help? Fortunately this young fast-track generation itself offers ideas that can reduce stress and prevent burnout. In college application essays and interviews, in conversations and counseling sessions with current college students, and in discussions with alumni/ae, many current students perceive the value of taking time out. Such a “time out” can take many forms. It can be very brief or last for a year or more. It can be structured or unstructured, and directed toward career, academic or purely personal pursuits. Most fundamentally, it is a time to step back and reflect, to gain perspective on personal values and goals, or to gain needed life experience in a setting separate from and independent of one’s accustomed pressures and expectations.

For the years during high school, here is some of the advice students have offered:

Families should allow for “down-time” during vacations, weekends, and during the week at mealtimes or at any other break in the action. The fabric of family life is already under assault from the demands of parents’ increasingly stressful jobs. Parents, some of whom experienced the first wave of fast-lane childhoods themselves, are often distressed by how little uninterrupted free time they have to devote to their children. Bring summer back. Summer need not be totally consumed by highly structured programs, such as summer schools, travel programs, or athletic camps. While such activities can be wonderful in many ways, they can also add to stress by assembling “super peers” who set nearly impossible standards. Activities in which one can develop at one’s own pace can be much more pleasant and helpful. An old-fashioned summer job that provides a contrast to the school year or allows students to meet others of differing backgrounds, ages, and life experiences is often invaluable in providing psychological downtime and a window on future possibilities. Students need ample free time to reflect, to recreate (i.e. to “re-create” themselves without the driving pressure to achieve as an influence), and to gather strength for the school year ahead. Choose a high school (or a college) not simply by “brand name” or reputation but because it is the best fit. A school with a slower pace or a different academic or extracurricular focus can be a better match for certain students in the long run.

Using the senior year The senior year of high school presents some special challenges and opportunities. The U.S. Department of Education’s Commission on the High School Senior Year calls the senior year a “lost opportunity that we need to reclaim.” While some students try to get by with as little work as possible, others find it the most stressful year of their lives, with more demanding courses, more leadership responsibilities in their extracurricular activities, and the added burden of applying to college and taking the requisite college entrance tests.

There is often great tension about choosing and being admitted to the “right” college. Students and their families react to this particular stress in a number of ways, and many want the college admissions process over with as soon as possible.

While early admission programs may be right for some students, many observers have begun to ask whether too many students are applying early. They wonder if students are taking enough time and care to select colleges that best match their academic interests, career goals, and personal aspirations. Some have even used the word “hysteria” to describe some students who, perhaps influenced by peer pressure, want to apply early “somewhere”—without considering which colleges might be best for them. Some students have concluded that it is a virtual necessity to apply early, whatever the circumstances, for fear of being left behind.

We concur with these observers that early admissions programs have not always served students well. In addition, they are not equally available to all students given the great disparities in guidance counseling and other resources in the United States and elsewhere. We eliminated our early admission program in recent years in part to encourage our students to use their secondary school years in the most effective manner possible. By focusing on the opportunities available in secondary school rather than on applying “early” to college, students will also benefit by avoiding the worst aspects of the college application frenzy that students often find so stressful. While we have restored early admission to meet the rising demand for this option—and have instituted changes to encourage students from modest economic backgrounds to apply early—we hope all students will use early admission in a thoughtful manner and only when it is appropriate for their individual needs.

Some high schools help their seniors in the transition from high school to college by allowing a slightly reduced course load, along with alternatives such as community service, research projects, and internships that might help with career exploration.

Colleges can help themselves as well as their prospective students by declaring (and demonstrating) that they are not judged simply by the number of AP or other advanced credits amassed at the end of senior year. For example, those students with particular strengths in the humanities and social sciences often believe colleges expect them to take calculus when they might be much better served by another algebra course or statistics—or another language—instead. No matter which path they take, students who can find ways to reduce stress and use the senior year well arrive at college much better prepared to take full advantage of their first year of college.

Taking time off before or during college Perhaps the best way of all to get the full benefit of a “time-off” is to postpone entrance to college for a year. For more than four decades, Harvard has recommended this option, indeed proposing it in the letter of admission. Now more than one hundred students defer college until the next year.

The results have been uniformly positive. Harvard’s daily student newspaper, The Crimson, reported (5/19/2000) that students who had taken a year off found the experience “so valuable that they would advise all Harvard students to consider it.” Harvard’s overall graduation rate of 97 percent is among the highest in the nation, perhaps in part because so many students take time off. One student, noting that the majority of her friends will simply spend eight consecutive terms at Harvard, “wondered if they ever get the chance to catch their breath.”

During her year off, the student quoted above toured South America with an ice-skating company and later took a trip to Russia. Another interviewed in the article worked with a growing e-commerce company (in which the staff grew from 10 to 100 during the year) and backpacked around Europe for six months.

Some options for the interim year Members of one recent class participated in the following activities, and more, in the interim year: drama, figure skating, health-care, archeological exploration, kibbutz life, language study, mineralogical research, missionary work, music, non-profit groups, child welfare programs, political campaigns, rebuilding schools, special needs volunteering, sports, steel drumming, storytelling, swing dance, university courses, and writing—to name some chosen at random. They took their interim year in the following locales: Belize, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Mongolia, Nepal, Philippines, Scandinavia, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Uruguay, United States and Zimbabwe.

Many students divide their year into several segments of work, travel, or study. Not all can afford to travel or to take part in exotic activities. A number have served in the military or other national or international service programs. Some remain at home, working, taking part-time courses, interning, and still finding the time to read books they have never had time to fit into their schedules or begin to write the “great American novel.” Others have been able to forge closer ties with parents or grandparents from whom they may have drifted away during the hectic pace of the high-school years.

Reactions to the year off Students taking a year off prior to Harvard are doing what students from the U.K. do with their so-called “gap year.” Other countries have mandatory military service for varying periods of time. Regardless of why they took the year off or what they did, students are effusive in their praise. Many speak of their year away as a “life-altering” experience or a “turning point,” and most feel that its full value can never be measured and will pay dividends the rest of their lives. Many come to college with new visions of their academic plans, their extracurricular pursuits, the intangibles they hoped to gain in college, and the career possibilities they observed in their year away. Virtually all would do it again.

Nevertheless, taking time off can be a daunting prospect for students and their parents. Students often want to follow friends on safer and more familiar paths. Parents worry that their sons and daughters will be sidetracked from college, and may never enroll. Both fear that taking time off can cause students to “fall behind” or lose their study skills irrevocably. That fear is rarely justified. High school counselors, college administrators, and others who work with students taking time off can help with reassurance that the benefits far outweigh the risks.

Occasionally students are admitted to Harvard or other colleges in part because they accomplished something unusual during a year off. While no one should take a year off simply to gain admission to a particular college, time away almost never makes one a less desirable candidate or less well prepared for college.

Achieving balance While the focus here has been on ways to relieve stress for today’s high-achieving generation, we should note that in fact most students are coping well with pressure, even thriving. This remarkable time offers opportunities that previous generations (and students in many other countries today) could not imagine. Colleges, for example, now reach out through their recruiting programs to talented students from every economic background. Financial aid makes college a reality for outstanding students on a scale that was not possible before. Graduation rates at leading American colleges and universities remain extremely high and students express satisfaction with their college experiences.

It is important to remember that access to higher education around the world is at present limited to a lucky few. Those fortunate enough to enjoy such a privilege have a responsibility to use their talents to provide expanded opportunities for future generations. Our young alumni and alumnae have been successful in meeting the formidable challenges they have faced since college. But they continue to remind us that the rigors of competing in the new world economy impose high standards on everyone. They do not (nor do we) tell today’s students to “slack off” and achieve less. Recent graduates advise today’s high school and college students to prepare themselves emotionally as well as academically.

It is worth noting that extraordinary achievements are never based on emulating someone else’s achievements, but on some unmeasurable combination of (a) marching to one’s own specific and unique drummer and (b) accidentally—perhaps unconsciously—doing something that captures the Zeitgeist in new and unexpected ways. Those whom parents often want their children to emulate either used their own ingenuity to give the public a product or image it desperately wanted, or happened to catch a hot wave of the time, or (ideally) both.

While their achievement stands as an ideal for which others strive, others cannot by definition duplicate that achievement because it is induplicable. So the problem can often be well-meaning but misguided parents who try to mold their children into an image of success they value; and their children, being moldable as they are, often get on board and go along with the program before they have any capacity to make such a choice for themselves. Yet the paradox is that the only road to real success is to become more fully oneself, to succeed in the field and on the terms that one defines for oneself.

So the pressures placed on many children probably have the unintended effect of delaying a child’s finding herself and succeeding on her own terms. We should all have the right to gape with awe at Yo-Yo Ma’s musical triumphs, while at the same time achieving our own more modest ones in our own fields and ways: finding hominid bones that shift our conception of paleontology, or composing smooth jazz melody, or tracing the rise and decline of Roman gentes. Parents and students alike profit from redefining success as fulfillment of the student’s own aims, even those yet to be discovered. Burnout is an inevitable result of trying to live up to alien goals. Time out can promote discovery of one’s own passions.

The fact remains that there is something very different about growing up today. Some students and families are suffering from the frenetic pace, while others are coping but enjoying their lives less than they would like. Even those who are doing extraordinarily well, the “happy warriors” of today’s ultra-competitive landscape, are in danger of emerging a bit less human as they try to keep up with what may be increasingly unrealistic expectations.

The good news is that students themselves offer helpful suggestions about how best to handle the challenges they face. In part because of all the obstacles that confront them from the earliest stages of their lives, this generation has emerged generally more mature, sophisticated, and, at their best, better prepared to cope with the demands of the twenty-first century. They learn at an early age how to cope with both victory and defeat and with the formidable demands placed on them by adults and peers. Yet many would benefit from a pause in their demanding lives. Let us hope that more of them will take some sort of time out before burnout becomes the hallmark of their generation.

2000 - Revised 2017

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The Pros & Cons of Taking a Gap Year

Compare the advantages and disadvantages of dedicating a gap year to personal growth through travel..

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A gap year is a dedicated period of time, often taken by young adults, where you take a break from your normal job or academia and instead pursue growth through experiences. Gap years often involve international travel, working holidays , volunteering , or internships .

However, domestic gap years are also becoming increasingly common and many find they can achieve the benefits of a gap year without leaving their country or local area. No matter what you choose to dedicate your time to, it is important to understand the pros and cons of a gap year before setting off on your adventure.

Pro: The skills you'll gain can help your resume stand out

A gap year provides the opportunity for you to develop valuable skills that can't be learned in the classroom. Cultural awareness, organization, independence, and increased confidence are just some of the skills that are gained by taking a year out. According to the Gap Year Association Data and Benefits , gap year alumni also report higher job satisfaction.

Read more: What Do Employers Think of International Experience?

Con: You'll be ‘pausing’ your studies or traditional job for a year

As your friends immediately move on to college, or to their next semester, or your colleagues have another year of ‘climbing the ladder,’ it is important to recognize the opportunity cost associated with taking intentional time off. What you spend your time doing during your gap year, however, can quickly make up for the apparent ‘time lost’ as you are still learning, growing, and working towards your goals, just through new and exciting means.

Read more : Why and How to Defer College Acceptance for a Gap Year

Pro: You'll meet new people and gain a broader perspective

A gap year will push you out of your comfort zone and day-to-day activities, which will inherently put new people into your life. Whether it's through cultural immersion in another country or volunteering locally, the more people you meet the more you will learn about humanity and yourself.

Con: You might get homesick

A feeling most travelers experience at some point, homesickness is the emotional ‘pain’ experienced when away from your family, friends, pets, and overall safety net. If your gap year involves international travel, taking care of your mental health and recognizing if and when you need help is important.

Many gappers are new to solo travel, and the same challenges and discomfort that force growth also come with hard times and a barrage of emotions. Missing family, friends, or simply home comforts is completely natural during a gap year and doesn't make it any less meaningful, so don’t be afraid to experience the hard times as well as the good ones.

Pro: You'll gain stories through new experiences

Experiential learning is a key component of making the most out of a gap year , and after spending a year away the stories will mount up; these can be great conversation starters during a job interview, a fun way to connect with people at parties or, simply just to look back on and remember. Journaling is a great way to not lose track of the memories you're making throughout your gap year, as well as reflect on the lessons those experiences provide.

Con: There are financial and personal risks

With every decision we make comes risk, and a gap year is certainly no exception. Whether it's hefty fees or general travel obstacles, like getting sick overseas, mitigating the risks through planning is a must.

One way to help alleviate some anxiety and risk is by signing up and traveling with a gap year program . There are a wide range of program options in nearly every country you’d like to gap year in, and range from volunteering to adventure travel , to language immersion and much more.

All travelers should also consider travel insurance. Travel insurance providers, like World Nomads or Safety Wing , can offer temporary and customizable options, so whether you've lost your checked luggage or a pandemic breaks out while you're abroad, you'll be protected.

For most, the benefits of a gap year far outweigh the risks, but whether that is true for you depends on your unique circumstances.

Pro: Helps to avoid burnout after years of schooling or work

A gap year is a chance to be in complete control of your schedule and invest your time in experiences that drive you. With most of us grinding through 12 or more years of school and work, taking an intentional break to travel, volunteer, or just do something new can help prevent burnout and reinvigorate the motivation needed to achieve your goals. Just because it's a break from the ordinary doesn't mean you stop working towards the future; actually, a gap year should be seen as a year on, not a year off.

Read more : Should You Take a Gap Year After High School? Pros & Cons

Con: It can be expensive

While the cost of a gap year depends on the destination, duration, program, and activities you plan to do on your trip, expenses can add up quickly. Many choose to help fund a gap year by picking up short-term employment, or through work exchange programs like WWOOF .

Generally, with all trips, it's best to outline costs ahead of time and plan to stick to a budget while you're overseas. Even on a budget, this trip will still be a blast!

Read more: Most Affordable Gap Year Programs

Pro: It’s a great way to learn new things, outside of your comfort zone

A gap year will provide you with lessons not found in a classroom. Whether it’s gaining real-world experience related to your studies, or chasing new experiences through travel and picking up odd jobs, a gap year lets you learn as you do by forcing you into completely new situations.

Additionally, a gap year is a time to learn more about yourself, what drives and inspires you, and grow your self-confidence. Whether you’re volunteering, working, studying, or just traveling, you're bound to learn.

Con: Travel preparation can be stressful

Scheduling vaccinations, getting tickets and insurance, sorting out visas and accommodation -- all before the journey has even begun! For many, a gap year is the first introduction to solo travel, or taking on life without ‘guardrails.’ Uncertainty is often accompanied by stress, and a gap year is full of uncertainty.

Whether it’s language barriers, currency, or trying to work out the public transport systems, there are a lot of stressful situations that come with travel, but you don’t have to do it alone. Gap year programs are a great way to get situated and meet like-minded travelers. Just be sure to read reviews first !

Pro: It’s a break from traditional education

Our formal schooling is a marathon, and after years of sitting in a classroom, our minds and bodies need a break. Taking time off from traditional education provides an opportunity to consider what the right course is, and if you’ll be satisfied in the career track you’re currently on. Not only this, but a gap year often provides a renewed vigor for study and a more focused approach to learning. According to the Wall Street Journal , 90% of students who take a gap year return to college the next year.

Con: If you don't set goals, it could potentially waste a lot of time

When you take a break from the structure of traditional schooling or a set job schedule, it is important to be intentional with what you do with your time, or before you know it, it will be gone. To prevent wasted time, you should start planning and saving as soon as you decide to take a gap year. It may be helpful to set goals for yourself so you don’t lose track of time or miss deadlines. When dealing with international travel, things like visa applications can take time and travel becomes much more expensive if you procrastinate.

Pro: You'll return home with a new sense of maturity and confidence

The pros and cons of taking a gap year all add to the opportunities to overcome challenges and grow. Taking charge of your life and how you spend your time will force you to mature, as you are solely responsible for yourself.

People who take gap years often report that their family and friends say you’ve changed when they return home, but it’s never in a bad way. A gap year introduces many new ideas and experiences that foster growth in a relatively short period of time.

Is a gap year right for you?

If you're looking to learn new things through travel and can dedicate time to self-growth and exploration, then YES, you should consider a gap year!

There’s no denying that spending time abroad will enhance your résumé, teach you valuable new skills, and grow your confidence through unique experiences. The benefits of a gap year can't be touted enough, but, a gap year is not for everyone and there are other things you can consider. Especially for individuals who are new to traveling or can't commit to time away from school, there may be better options, like studying abroad .

Want to learn more about gap years, directly from the experts? Don't miss USA Gap Year Fairs ! The USA GYF will provide a broad exposure to gap year options and connect prospective gap year students, parents, gap year organizations, educators, experts, and alumni.

What is a Gap Year? Why take a Gap Year?

Taking a gap year – introduction.

Many students and parents automatically think of college as the next step after high school. However, there are other options for students who feel as though their educational and professional trajectories aren’t quite so linear. Perhaps you’ve heard that a gap year is a great option that provides students with an outside-the-norm, enriching, and educational experience. But, you may be wondering, what is a gap year?

We’ll shortly get into the “gap year” meaning, but it’s also important to understand that gap years may not be for everyone. However, when taken with intention, gap years are often life changing times. After reading this article you’ll understand the gap year meaning and be better prepared to decide if the gap year experience could be for you. 

In this article we’ll explore the ins and outs of gap years, including:

• What exactly is the definition of a gap year?
• Potential gap year ideas

Gap year statistics

• What specific gap year programs exist?
• How to decide whether to take a gap year
• General gap year advice, and more…

What is a gap year?

Now that you’re intrigued by the topic, let’s get into its meaning. What is a gap year? A gap year is a wonderful time for students to have an experiential learning experience outside of the traditional educational setting. Think of it as a year full of extracurricular activities for your resume. 

There are many gap year programs that can assist students in deciding what to do during their  gap year. However, there is certainly no one right or wrong gap year program. The gap year experience will vary greatly from person to person, and there is no shortage of gap year ideas that students can choose from.

A likely question to follow, “What is a gap year?” is, “Why take a gap year?” Students can benefit from taking a gap year after high school in order to learn more about themselves and further pursue areas of interest. It’s a time to dive into extracurricular activities for your resume. Gap year programs are a great way to gain confidence and recharge before heading into four years of university . 

Definition of a gap year

The answer to “what is a gap year” and the gap year definition is simple: a year taken off from university or college in order to pursue other goals. A gap year may also refer to a year taken after college when graduates don’t go straight into the workforce in their field. It’s important to understand that a gap year isn’t a “year off,” as many describe it. It’s a time to experience, learn, and gain awareness. These gap year experiences also serve as meaningful extracurricular activities for your resume.

Students typically take a gap year after high school and before college, however, many university graduates opt to take a gap year after college. A gap year is an opportunity to do some experiential learning in order to gain confidence and experience . 

There are many reasons that students might choose to take a gap year: 

• Experience something new (travel, internships, volunteering) before college
• Work and save money before college
• Reapply to college after graduating from high school

What to do during a gap year?

We’ve covered, “What is a gap year?”, a year taken to pursue a passion or gain professional experience. Many gap year ideas exist, as many students have taken gap years that look completely different. No gap year experience is right or wrong. The purpose of a gap year is whatever you want it to be. When thinking about what to do in a gap year, think about what you want to gain during that year. As long as you put intention behind it, then you’re sure to have a successful gap year experience. 

There are many things to consider before deciding to take a gap year. If you decide that it’s right for you, then there are ample gap year ideas and gap year programs to assist you in deciding how to spend your time. 

Students can take the time to travel and have a cultural experience, volunteer and get involved in the community, or intern and gain professional experience. Gap year ideas are endless! 

When looking for gap year advice and considering what to do in a gap year, think about your goals for that gap year. Do you want to recharge and reapply to schools, dedicating more time to college applications in order to get better college admissions results? Or, do you want to learn more about yourself in order to guide you in how to choose a college major? These questions will help you to decide what gap year ideas or gap year programs will suit your needs and goals. 

We all know tuition costs are high. Do you want to take some time to work and save before setting off? That’s certainly an option. There are many valid gap year ideas. And remember, a gap year after college will vary greatly from a gap year after high school.  

After all, what is a gap year anyway? We know it’s time away from the traditional education or career path. But a gap year after college or a gap year after high school will differ depending on goals and financial circumstances. The best gap year advice is to set some goals and make a plan that works for you. Doing that will give you plenty of gap year ideas just for you. 

Gap year and travel

After years of study and an obsession with extracurriculars for college, college rankings , and college applications , it’s probably exciting to think about something other than extracurriculars for college and the college admissions process. What is a gap year to you? Well, it could be an adventure just for you. So, if you’re really feeling like college might not be for you right now, stop obsessing over extracurricular activities for your resume and instead consider gap year programs or gap year ideas. 

Is your list of gap year ideas centered around the idea of exploring a new place, culture, or language? Students taking a gap year after high school or a gap year after college may decide to travel around the world or the country before returning to college or entering the workforce. Travel is a great time for self-discovery and to enhance self-awareness. 

There are many gap year programs at universities that encourage travel during a gap year after high school. Some universities, such as Princeton , offer gap year programs that allow accepted students to take a gap year and travel within a university-sponsored program. 

However, you don’t necessarily need the support of a university to travel during a gap year. You can certainly do so on your own. Consider your financial situation when debating a year of travel. It can be costly. Gap year ideas can include opting to work for six months in order to finance your travel for the other six. Remember, there is no one-size-fits-all gap year experience. 

Gap year and volunteer

Students may also decide to do some gap year volunteering. There are many ways in which students can volunteer during their gap year after high school or their gap year after college. 

Certain universities will sponsor gap year programs that allow students to do some gap year volunteering at various organizations. You could also find your own gap year volunteering opportunities through other external organizations. 

Gap year volunteering is one of the best extracurriculars for college and a great way to make your college applications stand out . Students who plan to reapply to college during their gap years could bolster their college resume with volunteer work. Recent graduates who decide to take a gap year after college may find inspiration or motivation through gap year volunteering that could direct their career plans. 

Not sure where to start when looking for gap year volunteering opportunities? Check out this list of resources for gap year advice about gap year volunteering through different gap year programs. 

Gap year and intern or job shadow

Volunteering and travel are great gap year ideas, however, gaining professional work experience is another way to bolster your college resume and college applications if you’re thinking of reapplying. Working or interning are impressive extracurricular activities for your resume . They’re also great ways to gain practical experience that could help you choose a college major . 

There are many benefits to interning or working during a gap year: 

• Learn about a career path that interests you
• Gain an understanding of adult life
• Save money for college

Gap years don’t have to be a series of Instagram-worthy moments, with crazy travel pictures in beautiful settings. There’s a lot of value in taking a year to get ahead with savings and professional experience. 

Working and interning are great gap year ideas that allow students to enhance their college resume with practical experience. And, you’ll even pad your savings in the process sounds like some pretty good gap year ideas to me!

Taking a gap year before college

Let’s continue to explore “What is a gap year?” and what it could be for you. Students may be searching for gap year ideas and choosing to take a gap year after high school for a number of reasons. 

Gap years are a great way to gain experiences that lead to further self-awareness while getting closer to achieving your goals. They can be a way for students to recharge, outside of the traditional academic setting, and enter college with more motivation to learn. A gap year could serve as a way to fund your college education by working full time. You’ll have some savings and gain professional experience. 

Mind the gap (year)

When exactly do you need to decide to take a gap year? It can vary from student to student. You might choose to take a gap year as early as the beginning of your senior year, or maybe your college admissions decisions make you rethink heading directly into college, or you might have known throughout your entire high school career that a gap year is for you. Your reason for taking a gap year will likely affect your timeline. 

Many schools will allow you to defer admission for a year if accepted. However, if you’re considering a gap year while completing your college applications, you should make sure every program you’re applying to will allow you to defer. 

A gap year after high school could be even more enjoyable if you already know that you’ve been accepted and have enrolled in college for the following year. Consider committing to a school by their deadline with a deposit in order to secure your spot after your gap year has ended.

While there are both gap year pros and cons, the gap year statistics seem to be overwhelmingly positive . 98% of students who decided to take a gap year thought that they had a fruitful experience. 96% said it helped them to gain self-confidence and 93% said it enhanced their communication skills. 

Taking a gap year is gaining in popularity, but gap years still aren’t commonplace. Out of 300,000 college freshmen surveyed, only 1.2% decided to take gap years. While the gap year experience may not be what every student expects, gap year statistics are quite positive overall. 

Here are some other recent gap year statistics: 

Top schools like Amherst , Princeton , and MIT are now adopting admission policies that make it easier to defer admission for a gap year. You should look into the schools you’re sending college applications to see what type of gap year programs or requisites they have. Check out some of the gap year programs at FSU and Tulane to see what these schools are offering. 

While there are many gap programs out there, your gap year should be whatever you want it to be. If none of the gap year programs with universities appeal to you, look for your own gap year program, or simply plan it independently. 

Benefits of taking a gap year before college

There are various gap year pros and cons, but if you go into a gap year with the right intentions, the benefits of the gap year experience are many. And as we saw in the statistics, most students found their gap year to be a rewarding experience. 

Why take a gap year? Taking a gap year bolsters your college resume and even your employability. The learned experiences in that gap year can translate to useful skills in the workplace. Work or internship opportunities are a great way to gain professional experience. 

If you have academic interests, try exploring career paths within that field. This gives you practical experience and helps you to decide or confirm your college major. Some students may also work during their gap year in order to save money for college. 

Traveling during your gap year, either with a gap year program or not, is a wonderful way to learn and explore at the same time. Students will learn about a new culture, community, and could even learn a new language. 

A second chance at college admissions

Gap years can also be second chances at the college application process. If college admissions didn’t go your way the first time, a gap year can be a great time to work on your extracurricular activities for your resume and polish your college application and college resume further. 

One student chose to do just that with her gap year. Sumaiya had a clear plan for her gap year, entering a specific gap year program, but she also used that time to complete more college applications with the support of CollegeAdvisor.com.

While there are many different gap year ideas that students bring to fruition, they all seem to have ample benefits. Taking a gap year after high school has been proven to improve students’ academic performances. The academic benefits span over four years, with gap year students outperforming their peers academically by a range of .01 to.04 on the 4.0 scale. Students often come back from their gap years motivated, focused, and mature, which leads to greater success in college. 

How will a gap year affect my admission chances?

You may be wondering how taking a gap year could affect college admissions. It will not undermine your admission odds. In fact, many universities such as Amherst, Princeton, and MIT are creating structures that encourage students to take gap years. Some schools even have specific gap year programs that incoming freshmen can apply for. If all you think and dream about are potential gap year ideas, then these types of university sponsored gap year programs may affect how you build a college list and choose a college.  

While some universities encourage gap years with specific gap year programs, other schools don’t have the same set up. So, while taking a gap year won’t affect college admissions, you should always double check with the university to make sure that you can take a gap year without forfeiting your enrollment . 

If you choose to take a gap year without enrolling in university, you can use the experiences from your gap year to strengthen your college application. It’s the perfect time to add some meaningful extracurriculars for college to your college applications. 

Gap year costs and scholarships

With college costs high, and most students needing to take out student loans in order to finance their education, the cost of a gap year may seem like a lavish and irresponsible decision. Taking a gap year is an exciting opportunity, but let’s take a moment to think about the financial aspects of a gap year program or just taking a gap year independently. Gap year ideas will greatly affect your budgeting.

Just like tuition costs affect your college choices, so will the cost of various gap year ideas. But, gap years aren’t always financial burdens. In fact, gap years can help you to earn money that will help you finance your education. While gap year volunteering won’t earn you money, you could get a job instead or volunteer and work at the same time. 

Gap year programs or independent travel during a gap year may be expensive. There are scholarship opportunities available for gap year programs. Gap Year Association and EF Gap Year are gap year programs that offer scholarships and grants to their participants. Some universities that encourage gap years or have specific gap year programs, often offer assistance or options for financial aid. 

Students taking gap years could work for part of the year in order to fund their travels or gap year volunteering. If finances are the only factor keeping you from the gap year program of your dreams, know that there are options. 

While gap years may seem costly and elitist, there are actually many options for students of every income level. Verto Education offers international semester long programs as low as $5,000 for students who qualify for an “opportunity grant.” Some programs even allow students to gain college credits. 

More options to finance gap years has likely come from an increased awareness of gap year programs. Specifically, there has been a recent increase in interest in the US. Some think it may have something to do with the former first daughter Malia Obama deciding to take a gap year after high school in 2016.

Still worried about the cost? Forbes breaks down the gap year and offers some options to finance a gap year. 

Should I take a gap year?

What is a gap year? A gap year isn’t just a compilation of extracurricular activities for your resume. It’s a passion project with a purpose. 

Like choosing a college , deciding to take a gap year is a big decision. When weighing gap year ideas and options, it’s important to think about what you’d like to gain from your gap year: work experience, language learning, redo on college admissions, etc. 

Sumaiya , a CollegeAdvisor client, had success with her gap year because she had a plan. She knew that she wanted to help women start their own business. Sumaiya found a gap year program called Global Citizen Year that worked for her. She even received a scholarship. Sumaiya is not only spending her gap year volunteering, but also sending out college applications again. She says the college admissions process seems less stressful this time, now that she’s done it before and is no longer in classes. 

There are few instances of students taking a gap year and regretting it. Gap year students are able to gain real world experience and confidence. The gap year experience often contributes to choosing their college major and career path. Gap years can serve as a wonderful time to partake in meaningful extracurricular activities for your resume. 

If you’re interested in learning more about gap years, check out this book that discusses how taking a gap year can make you a better global citizen. 

Gap year pros and cons

With more and more students googling “what is a gap year,” gap year programs have been gaining popularity in recent years. The pandemic especially has swayed many students from heading straight into university from high school. While exploring gap year ideas is exciting, you’ll want to look at both the gap year pros and cons. 

As you can see, there are many gap year pros and cons. Creating your own list, unique to you and your interests and goals, could help in making your decision. Ultimately, taking a gap year is a personal decision. 

How to plan your gap year

There is no shortage of gap year ideas or gap year programs, but where should you begin when thinking about what to do in a gap year? Start by first defining your goals and intentions for your gap year. 

Do you want to acquire language skills? Consider travel. Do you want to develop leadership skills through service? Try volunteering. Does the idea of saving extra money before entering college sound like it could relieve some financial stress? Work and save some money. 

Choosing what you want from your gap year after high school is the best way to start planning . From there, you can start looking into gap year programs or plan independently. Ideally, students wanting to take a gap year will start planning as early as senior year. Students planning to take gap years need to decide if they will defer college admissions decisions or reapply the following year. If you decide to defer, learn all the requisites at your schools of interest. 

Similarly, planning a gap year after college will change a lot based on your goals for that time. Are you exploring career paths or looking into graduate school? Gap year advice for planning your gap year has everything to do with the individual who is taking the gap year after college. But, there are no shortage of gap year ideas for whatever your short and long term goals may be. 

Gap year ideas

After you’ve thought about your intentions for your gap year or gap year program, the fun really begins. There are many gap year ideas to get you excited about this next adventure! 

Here are some gap year ideas to get you started: 

• Take on a job that interests you, or a job that pays and allows you to live independently and save. 
• Find an internship in your desired field. 
• Travel somewhere you’ve never been before. 
• Do some gap year volunteering with an organization that excites you. 
• Apply to a gap year program that looks meaningful to you. 
• Split your year between working and traveling or working and gap year volunteering. 

Gap year programs will vary based on individual students. There is no right or wrong gap year program. As long as it excites you and is financially manageable, then it’s the perfect gap year program for you. As an added bonus, all of these gap year ideas will serve as impressive extracurricular activities for your resume.

Gap year in the time of COVID-19

Many students have decided to answer the question of “what is a gap year” themselves, by taking a gap year while awaiting normalcy from universities nationwide. While things have improved greatly in the US, there are still COVID-based gap year considerations to factor into your decisions or planning. 

Some schools stopped sponsoring international travel during the pandemic. You’ll want to check into the gap year programs at your desired schools to see if there are any limits or restrictions on their gap year programs. 

Independent travel may also be complicated or restricted depending on the part of the world where you’d like to be. Do some research about COVID restrictions, pandemic progress, and vaccine availability for your desired destinations to see if it will hinder your experience. 

Some internships are likely still limiting capacity due to the pandemic. Internships could be virtual or hybrid in order to limit the number of people in the workspace. Consider if that is the type of experience you want from your gap year. 

Why take a gap year? – Final Thoughts

Taking a gap year can be a life changing experience. Students are able to further explore their interests, develop new skills, and gain independence and confidence. When done well, gap years can help students to develop purpose and direction for their futures. Whether it helps them to choose a college major or a career path, gap years have many benefits. 

Choosing to take a gap year is a personal decision. Take into consideration gap year pros and cons when making a decision. If done well, gap years provide impressive extracurricular activities for your resume. Discuss the idea with your family. And remember, CollegeAdvisor.com can help guide you through the decision making process and navigate planning a gap year that suits you and your future goals. 

This article was written by Sarah Kaminski. If you want to get help with your college applications or figuring out to take gap year from  CollegeAdvisor.com  Admissions Experts ,  register with CollegeAdvisor.com today ! Also, check out our other guides to  Best Colleges  and  College Acceptance Rates  as you think about college admissions and make a plan to achieve your higher education goals .

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Task 2: Gap Year

by katisss (USA)

More general question about the paragraph order in a Pro contra essay: The opinion you agree with is first or second paragraph? And inside the paragraph - start with more important and go to less important sub-points? In some countries, young people are encouraged to work or travel for a year between finishing high school and starting university studies. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages for young people who decide to do this. Here is the corrected version (corrections highlighted in bold) Some people recommend students to travel the world for a year before starting university. Others argue a “gap year” is a waste of time and money. I will look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of spending a gap year traveling after school. Many people think that a gap year can help a young person to gain some life and work experience prior to starting university, as well as develop as a person. For a young person , traveling provides an opportunity to broaden their horizon s and learn about different countries and cultures. Spending some time in a country while working also makes for a less superficial encounter than only being there as a tourist. Besides, travelers can gain work experience and potentially improve their foreign language skills. This experience can be an important advantage in a more international oriented economy. Additionally, a “gap year” can aid a person in becoming more independent and grown up, as it will require some organization skills and the ability to manage their finance s . It can also be argued that right after school is a good time in life to see the world as most young people do not have any family and professional obligations yet. However, there are valid concerns whether the time and money for a gap year are well spen t . Probably the most serious problem about a gap year is its impact on future academic performance ; young people taking a gap year may fall behind their peers or lose the motivation to study altogether. Moreover, school leavers are generally likely to end up with unskilled jobs abroad that barely cover their expenses , especially if they do not have advanced knowledge of the foreign language used in a country. Therefore, the work experience gained may not be very relevant to a person's career later and the work might not offer a lot of opportunity to practice a foreign language. From a more practical point of view it is also worth considering that not everyone feels comfortable living in a camper van, tent or hostel for months. In conclusion, I think time is a valuable resource at any age. There are a number of good alternatives to taking a gap year immediately after school: studying abroad, interning or working in a foreign country once you have completed studying . These alternatives later in a person’s career might be a more focused approach that offers better work opportun ities , and ultimately, may prove a better experience than a gap year. ==================== Further Comments: A very good essay, and as you can see very few errors. You fully answer the question and it is well-organized as well. Good vocabulary and complex grammar structures. It would not get the top score because it would need nearly no errors for this, but it would get a very high score. don’t = should be ‘do not’ as you don’t normally abbreviate in academic writing Your other questions: The opinion you agree with is first or second paragraph? And inside the paragraph start with more important and that goes to less important subpoints? I don’t think these things would be likely to affect your score as long as you wrote a well organized, supported and grammatically correct essay; however, yes, you would start with more important points (same as in task 1 – mention the most important things first), and then less important. Whether you wish to put the opposing opinion first or last does not matter too much. However, you are probably better to put it first if you do want to make a choice. This is because you want to persuade someone of your opinion, so it is better to present the other side, then finish with your arguments. That will make your arguments more persuasive. Hope that helps, let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks

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Gap Year Advantages Disadvantages IELTS Essay

Gap year advantages disadvantages ielts writing task 2.

You should spend around 40 minutes on this task.

Many students choose to take a gap year before starting university, to travel or gain work experience.  Do you think this is a good idea or a waste of time? You should write at least 250 words.

Many students choose to take a gap year IELTS Essay

Model Answers 1:

The majority of students start their degree in the same year as finishing school or college. Some students, however, choose to take a year out before starting university. In my opinion, this is a very good idea if the time is used wisely in order to gain new skills or knowledge. In the following essay, I will discuss this idea further.

It is very important that, when a gap year is taken, the time is not wasted but used productively. It would not look very impressive to a future employer if the time was simply used to take a break. This does not mean to say that a gap year should not be enjoyed.

Many people choose to go traveling during their gap year. This can be very beneficial to the individual as it exposes them to new ideas and cultures. It can also mean that they are able to learn a new language. Other students decide to gain work experience during this year. This can be particularly useful, especially if connected to their chosen area of study. Often, students who have worked before attending university appreciate their course more, as they are able to understand the relevance of what is being taught.

Overall, therefore, as discussed in this essay, there can be several benefits to taking a gap year. It is very important, however, that this time is used wisely and not wasted. This means that the year needs to be planned carefully in advance to get the most from the experience.

[253 words]

In some countries young people are encouraged to work or travel for a year between finishing high school and starting university studies. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages for young people who decide to do this.

You should write at least 250 words.

Gap Year Advantages Disadvantages

In many countries, youngsters are often encouraged to take an year off, to work or travel across the world, before embarking on their formal university education. This recent trend, also known as “gap – year”, has numerous merits and a few demerits, which will be discussed in this essay.

To begin with, the biggest advantage of taking sabbatical to explore the world is that it gives them an opportunity to discover their career interest. Such trips are not only fun , but also gives them a chance to socialise , engage in volunteering, and understand global issues and global culture . This helps them to discover their real passion which is the foundation stone for a fulfilling career. For instance, data from Harvard University, 2010, pointed out that drop-out rate from university courses is around 10 percent less in those children who chose the course after taking a “gap year” in comparison to those who headed straight to university after the high school.

In addition to this, working for a year before starting university reduces the financial burden of higher education to an extent. As the advanced studies are costly in most countries, working for a year helps them in saving money so they have to borrow less money and are under less financial debt, when they start higher studies.

In contrast to above viewpoints, the most significant disadvantage of such a break is that it can be a distraction from further studies. Some students find such breaks so relaxing and enjoyable that they decide to shun further studies permanently.

Although the incidences of such cases are few, the effects can be disastrous for their further career. For instance, a 2010 report from Florida University revealed that 1 in 100 students, who take “Gap-year” never go for advanced studies and struggle throughout their life to make the ends meet because of being unskilled.

To conclude, the break of a year taken before pursuing university studies helps students to discover their career interest and also allows them to consolidate financially. However, for a minority of high school graduates it can lead to an end of an academic career .

[357 words]

Gap Year in Students Advantages Disadvantages

Taking a “gap year” off between high school and university has become a popular option among many young people. This time off provides a break after many years of formal study. Some students use this time to travel around the world, others volunteer and still others begin working. The idea behind each of these activities is to do something hands-on and refreshing, which enables young people to learn more about themselves and their place in the world around them.

The benefits of taking a year off are plentiful. On a personal level, students who travel away from home develop their independence and self-confidence. On a cultural level, they learn about viewpoints, traditions and perspectives different from their own. Professionally, students get a taste of diverse workplaces, which might inspire a possible career interest. Intellectually, they examine their own beliefs and ideas in relation to those of others in a new environment. All these advantages combine to make a strong case for taking the one-year break.

Nevertheless, there are also dangers involved in taking such a long break. Academically, the main drawback is that students can get sidetracked from their studies. A year is a long time and students could lose the good study habits and sense of discipline they had when they were in a formal academic structure. If they begin working, they could also be deluded into thinking that they’re making a lot of money. They could lose the benefit of college or university education and the chance to earn a higher income all their lives.

In conclusion, whether to take a year-long break or not is an individual decision. Each young person should consider his or her motivations carefully and decide on what’s most desirable. Time is a precious resource and people of all ages, including young people, should treat it with respect.

[305 words]

Gap Year Before Starting a University IELTS Essay

In certain countries some people think that students who just finished high school should take a year off for travelling or working before they enroll in a university. In my opinion, there are both advantages and disadvantages to taking a gap year.

There are a number of drawbacks to taking a year off to travel or work between high school and university. Firstly, if young people decide to work, they might get used to receiving an income and because of this there is a possibility that they do not want to come back to the student life anymore. Secondly, most of the students are too young to travel by themselves; therefore they could waste this opportunity because of their naivety.  Finally, traveling for a whole year requires a huge amount of money which could be spent on university studies.

On the other hand, there are some benefits to spending a year working or traveling before joining university. To begin with, young people broaden their minds when they travel and this might help them to gain valuable experiences in life. A further positive aspect is that while traveling or working, young people could acquire maturity and this could allow them to perform better once they return to their studies. A final benefit is that young people will probably learn some skills such as speaking a different language. They will also learn to appreciate other countries and cultures.

Overall, there are as many advantages as there are disadvantages to traveling or working between high school and university. In my opinion, it all depends on the students’ intellectual and emotional maturity to face this challenge and take advantage of it.

Some students take a year off between school and university to work and travel. Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? You should write at least 250 words.

Students take a year off between school and university IELTS Essay

These days many students who have completed their high school take one or two years off before starting university. They either work or travel during this time. In my opinion, this arrangement has both advantages and disadvantages.

When students take years off after finishing school, their attention shifts to other areas. Some might travel and some might work. While traveling is exciting and helps them learn more about other countries or people, it does not do much to improve their career prospects. And those who take up a job immediately after finishing school will most probably have to work in the unskilled sector. Since these jobs are more likely to earn them some money and make them financially independent, they might just stick to them. Unfortunately, this will not help in the long term because unskilled workers will have to be content with low salaries and benefits.

However, those students who eventually return to their studies after taking a year’s gap will benefit if they can focus on their studies. The valuable work experience they gained or the lessons they learned from their travels will improve their career prospects. And when they are ready to start work after finishing university, they will have employers queuing up to hire them. Unfortunately, many of these students who take time off after school will never join university. Those who join a university may find it difficult to focus on their studies. Many of them will drop out and return to their previous job.

To conclude, taking a year off has both benefits and drawbacks. Traveling around the world or taking up a job has several benefits. Travel, for example, will enhance one’s horizons and improve one’s perspectives on life. In the same way, part time or full time jobs equip students with valuable skills that will stand them in good stead. However, a university education is still required to find a good job and students who do not start university after taking a year off will only hamper their career prospects.

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Some students take a year off between school and university – IELTS Writing Task 2 Advantage/Disadvantage Essay

Updated On Aug 08, 2024

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Get access to IELTS Writing Task 2 band 9 sample answer of 'Some students take a year off between school and university’ here!

Table of Contents

Academic ielts writing task 2 topic:.

IELTS Writing Prediction Questions for 2024

In IELTS Writing Task 2 advantages and disadvantages essays, you will be asked to write the benefits and drawbacks of the topic given. You have to be careful that you write the advantages and disadvantages of the topic given and not your opinion about the topic.

To help you understand this type of essay better, below is a sample essay along with a vocabulary section. Continue to practise other topics of IELTS advantages and disadvantages essays to help you during your preparation.

Some students take a year off between school and university, to work or to travel. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages? OR

It is common practice for some students to take a gap year after graduating high school to work and/or travel. What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of this?

Band 9.0 Model Essay:

It is true these days that many high school leavers choose to start their work or take a trip before going to university. While a gap year can bring some immediate drawbacks, I am convinced that it is more likely to have long-term benefits for their lives.

On the one hand, young students are very likely to encounter several difficulties when delaying their university study. One of these problems is the delay in academic progress caused by spending one year off school. It is understandably almost impossible for young people to enjoy their experiences in doing a job or travelling to a new place but still arrange a certain amount of time for revision. As a result, gap-year takers may have to face the challenge of becoming familiar with the knowledge at school again, receiving more pressure of catching up with their peers. Besides, the life outside the university campus may prove to be mentally and physically overwhelming for inexperienced school leavers. They, for instance, may be at risk of being exploited in an exhausting job or face potential dangers on their trips to a new country. If not well prepared for such possible obstacles, young high school graduates can suffer from unintended consequences.

On the other hand, I would argue that these disadvantages are outweighed by the positive effects. A gap year is an ideal opportunity for students to learn about what is not taught at university. Working with other people who are experts in a particular field can give these newcomers not only an understanding of the job but also valuable practical lessons to help them become more mature. When it comes to applying for a position in a company, employers tend to favourably consider applicants who possess extensive experience in life and the occupation. Furthermore, in terms of recreation, having a year to relax can be advantageous as students can have a chance to relieve stress in study. With a comfortable and willing attitude, undergraduates can acquire knowledge more effectively in comparison with those who go to university right away.

In conclusion, despite some negative aspects, it seems to me that the benefits of a gap year are more significant for the reasons mentioned.

Useful Expressions

• Long-term (adj): continuing for a long time into the future ==>The long-term effect of education should not be neglected.
• To encounter sth (v): to experience something, especially something unpleasant ==>Young graduates commonly have to encounter great difficulty in seeking employment.
• Progress (n): movement to an improved or more developed state ==>By adequately rewarding the students who have made significant progress in study, the school administration can recognise the achievements of these diligent students to others, encouraging many more students to devote more effort to study to obtain similar rewards.
• Peer (n): a person who is the same age, or has the same social position or the same abilities as other people in a group. ==>In some developing Asian countries such as Vietnam, baby girls are usually less appreciated than their peers due to the remnants of feudalism that favoured men more than women.
• Overwhelming (adj): too great or large for somebody ==>High school students in Vietnam, ranging from primary to high school ones, are obliged to learn an overwhelming amount of knowledge at school, not to mention loads of homework and other extra classes.
• Inexperienced (adj): having little knowledge or experience ==>Many companies, for fear of arising expenses on training inexperienced new employees, tend to refuse the applicants who have just graduated.
• Extensive (adj): having a great range ==>Society certainly benefits from the intellectual workforce who possess extensive knowledge in scientific areas.
• Occupation (n): a person’s job ==>On the other hand, manual occupations are of fundamental importance to society.
• Advantageous (adj): giving advantages or helping to make you more successful ==>The ability to speak foreign languages fluently can prove to be very advantageous for job seekers in the competitive job market.

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Should I Take a Gap Year? 6 Reasons the Answer Is Yes

Extracurriculars

Not excited about the idea of starting another year of school in the fall? What if you could instead take a break from school and spend a year backpacking around Europe, volunteering for a cause you care about, or getting paid to work on a cruise ship? With a gap year all those things possible!

Have you heard of gap years but aren't sure what they are? Do you know other people taking gap years but aren't sure if they're a good idea for you? What are the benefits of taking a gap year anyway? In this guide, I use my own gap year experience to explain the major benefits of gap year programs and why they're such a great choice for many students. I end with some tips to ensure you get the most out of your own gap year.

My Gap Year Experience

By the time I finished my Master's degree, I was 24 years old and burnt out from years of non-stop studying, writing papers, and taking tests. I was applying to all sorts of jobs, but I wasn't excited about any of them. After years of spending all my time and energy on school, my life had become boring, and I felt like I was just going through the motions without actually enjoying myself or doing the things I cared about or was interested in. I kept going because I felt like I didn't have any other choice than to jump straight from school to a career.

One day, while scrolling through Facebook, I saw pictures posted by a friend currently traveling through Europe. She was on an around-the-world trip, and, while I'd scoffed when she'd told me she was quitting her job to travel, I had to admit that she looked happier than I did at the moment. Looking through her photos, I realized that that was what I wanted to be doing with my life: seeing new places, learning new things, meeting new people.

Why couldn't I do what my friend was doing? Maybe not quite as extreme as traveling around the world (I had students loans to pay off after all), but why couldn't I change up my life and do something exciting? Why did I have to go straight from high school to college to grad school to a corporate job?

I weighed the options for a few weeks, but in the end, choosing between taking a job I wasn't interested in or spending a year having experiences I'd dreamed of having wasn't a hard decision to make.

I did some research and found that gap years are actually a fairly common experience in certain parts of the world. People who do a gap year can travel, get work experience, take a class they've always been interested in, learn a foreign language, do volunteer work, and more. Really anything you think is interesting or exciting could be the basis of your gap year.

After looking at numerous options, I decided to spend my gap year teaching English at a high school in northeast France. I also had enough time on the side to volunteer at an environmental organization I was interested in. My parents and friends were largely supportive, but when I told my school advisor what I'd be doing, she was horrified. She told me I was making a terrible decision and warned me that not taking a job in the field I'd studied in would have a serious negative impact on my career. "Not to mention employers will think you look lazy," she added. Those comments made me nervous, but I still felt like I was making the right decision.

As a matter of fact, not only did I not torpedo my career, I came away with a host of new skills and a better idea of the kind of job I wanted, both of which made it fairly easy for me to find a job I was happy with once my gap year ended. More important though, was the fact that I finally felt like I was doing what I wanted with my life. I look back on my gap year now as one of the best decisions I've made, and many others who've taken gap years would agree.

6 Reasons To Take a Gap Year

It's easy to get caught up in the idea of taking a gap year, but you may also still have a lot of doubts about actually doing it. Your parents or teachers may also need some more convincing before they get on board with the idea of you taking a gap year. Whatever the case, here are six of the biggest gap year benefits. Read through them and you'll see that a gap year can have all sorts of benefits for you academically, professionally, and personally.

#1: It Can Boost Your GPA

If you're worried that taking a year off from school will cause your grades to suffer once you go back, don't be! Studies of gap year students have shown that people who take a gap year actually get higher grades in college compared to their peers who don't take a gap year.

Why is this? There are several potential reasons. Many students, especially at those at risk of academic burn-out, benefit from taking a year off studying so they can return with more energy and motivation. Taking a gap year that relates to your future career can also help you get more excited about your studies so you're more interested in your classes and motivated to do well. Planning and carrying out a gap year also often increases your organization skills, maturity, and confidence, all of which can help you do better in school once you return.

If I could change one thing about my gap year, I would have done it earlier, either before I went to college or immediately after . By the time I took my gap year, I had been in school for nearly 20 years straight, and I spent the last year of my Master's program just trying to get my work done as quickly as possible because I was so sick of school. Taking a gap year earlier would likely have helped me reset and go through grad school with more motivation and energy.

#2: You Can Get Serious Work Experience

A gap year is often a great way to get experience specifically related to the career you want. Many companies and organizations offer half-year or full-year internships or volunteer positions, but most people can't do them because they are busy with school or work.

This means these positions are actually often easier to get than many summer jobs, and since they're longer you'll have the benefit of gaining more experience and making stronger connections with the people you're working with. This can mean better letters of recommendation and useful contacts when you're trying to get a job later on down the line.

If you spend your entire gap year working in the field you want to go into you'll have experience that few other college students do. That can help set you apart in the future when you're applying to jobs or grad school. By the end of my gap year, I had a full year of teaching experience, a year of volunteering experience at an NGO, and I had significantly improved my French skills. Any one of those could make me more qualified for potential jobs.

#3: You'll Gain New Skills

You may not want to spend your gap year working in the field you plan on majoring in and getting a career in, and that's also fine. Plenty of people choose to spend their gap year doing something they'd never have a chance to do otherwise, and the good thing is, you'll still gain useful skills and knowledge, even if they're not directly related to your future career. So if you've always wanted to learn how to survive in the wilderness, explore South America, work at a ski lodge, etc., this is the time to do those things.

Also, you may end up using some of those skills in your future jobs, even if you didn't think you would at the time. During my gap year, I learned all about the ins-and-outs of the French education system, which I thought was interesting at the time, but not something I'd ever need to know again. As it turns out, I later got jobs with a focus on international education, and many of the things I learned in France were still applicable for those jobs. So that information has been useful after all!

#4: You Can Make Money

This isn't the case for all gap years, obviously, but if you decide to take a job or an internship during your gap year that pays, you could make a significant chunk of change during that year. Even if your job only pays minimum wage, you can still make about $15,000 in a year if you work full time, and you can put that money towards paying for school or another expense.

If you choose to use your gap year salary to help pay for school, not only will you be able to take out fewer loans initially, but because your loans are smaller, they'll accrue less interest than larger loans would. Student loan interest alone can easily total several thousand dollars by the time you graduate, so if you use your gap year job to pay for more of your school costs upfront, you'll be saving money in two ways: by taking out fewer loans and by having less interest on those smaller loans.

#5: You'll Meet Tons of New People

No matter what you decide to do during your gap year, you're practically guaranteed to meet new people. Even if you already have great friends, a gap year is an excellent way to meet different kinds of people you wouldn't normally come across.

And in addition to expanding your social circle, you can even use these new friends as networking contacts if they work in a field you want a job in or know someone who can get you a job. Networking and finding useful career contacts is something colleges regularly encourage students to do, and you'll be ahead of the pack if you start doing this during your gap year program.

#6: You'll Get a Better Idea of What You Want to Do

Many students are reluctant to take a gap year because they worry it'll put them "behind" their friends and peers, but that's hardly the case. Taking a gap year can help you get a much better sense of what kind of career you actually want. This can save you years of time and tens of thousands of dollars in tuition money compared to graduating with a certain degree, taking a job in that field, and then realizing it's not what you want to do with your life.

When I was in college, I had lots of friends who wanted to be doctors. Only a fraction of them ended up graduating from med school; the rest realized medicine wasn't actually the field for them. Many of them only came to this conclusion after graduating college with degrees in human biology, and a few even started med school before changing their career goals and dropping out.

It's not a guarantee, but these students may have had a much better idea of whether medicine was right for them if they'd spent a gap year working in a hospital or shadowing a doctor. Even if this put them "behind" for a year, it's much less time and money lost compared to people who don't discover until after college that they don't like the career they got their major in and now need to find a different job or go back to school and get a new degree.

Taking a gap year early on can actually put you ahead of a lot of your peers because you'll have a better idea of what you want. Even though I spent most of my time during my gap year teaching English to French students, the part that I thought would be most useful for my future career was the volunteering I did at an environmental NGO since that's the kind of career I thought I wanted. As it turned out, during my gap year I discovered I didn't like that kind of work at all, and although it was somewhat alarming to realize I suddenly had to rethink my future, it was much better to figure that out earlier than after returning from the gap year, applying to a bunch of NGO jobs, getting one, probably moving somewhere new, and realizing I hated it.

You could also go do a gap year in something you never considered a career in, love it, and end up deciding to get future jobs in that field. I have a friend who was majoring in engineering, but she spent a gap year working as a concierge in a hotel and ended up deciding to pursue a career in hotel management. You really only know if a certain career is a good fit for you after you try it out, and a gap year is a great, low-risk way to get that experience.

3 Tips For Planning a Great Gap Year

In order to get all or many of the gap year benefits we just discussed above, you have to put some thought and planning into your gap year. Waiting until the last minute to figure how you're spending the year could still lead to a positive experience, but in order to get the most out of your gap year, start your planning at least several months ahead of time (many of the most competitive jobs and internships have application deadlines around this time), and follow the three tips below.

Figure Out What You Want to Accomplish During Your Gap Year

The most important part of planning your gap year is to decide what your goals for it are. Do you want to travel? Earn some money? Volunteer for an organization you love? Gain experience in the field you want to go into?

Start with your broad goal(s) for your gap year and gradually narrow them . If you want to travel where do you want to travel to? What do you hope to gain from traveling? Will you need to work to help cover your expenses? If you want work experience, what kind of places would you like to work at? Does it have to be paid, or can you do unpaid or volunteer work? What are you hoping to gain from the work experience? Something to put on your resume, professional connections, both? Keep asking yourself questions about what you want from your gap year until you have a solid idea of exactly what you're hoping to get from it.

Here's the list I came up with for my gap year goals:

• Travel to new places
• Learn foreign language skills
• Get experience working for non-profits
• Make enough money to support myself

After doing a lot of research, I decided that teaching English in France, while volunteering at a nearby non-profit, was the perfect way to meet each of those goals.

Decide on Your Timeline and Budget Early On

Figuring out what you want to do during your gap year isn't the only important decision you'll make. You also need to figure out early on how much time and money you can put towards your gap year.

Most people spend an entire year on their gap year, but you may only be able to spend part of a year due to classes or work. Figure that out early on so you don't end up applying to jobs or programs you can't complete. Setting a timeline also ensures your gap year won't stretch on indefinitely, a fear some parents have for their children.

If you're worried about your gap year going longer than you originally planned, having a firm end date set upfront can help you stick to your schedule, as can choosing gap year programs with their own end dates, such as visas that expire or classes that end after a certain number of months. When I got my job in France, my work visa was only valid for a year, which gave me a nonnegotiable deadline for when I had to leave.

Budget is also important. If you're going to be living with your parents during your gap year, you may have few or no expenses, but if your gap year includes travel and/or a program with admission fees, those costs could quickly add up. Again, figuring out how much you can spend on your gap year early on will reduce the chances of you finding a program or activity you love only to later realize it's not in your budget. I had a bit of money budgeted for my gap year, but I also knew I'd need to get a job that paid me so I could cover my living expenses and begin paying off my student loans.

Keep Yourself Busy

If you spend your gap year working, say, ten hours a week at a job or volunteer position, that isn't the best use of your time. You'll have so much downtime that the experience will detract from your future college and work applications rather than enhance them. You want to make sure you're spending your time productively during your gap year, which may mean taking more than one job or doing a combination of classes and work.

You don't need to exhaust yourself, but aiming for about 30-40 hours of work/classes a week is a good benchmark to set. This ensures you're getting the most out of your gap year benefits and shows schools and employers that you're a hard worker and who your time productively.

My job as an English teacher only took up about 25-30 hours a week, so I used my extra time to take French classes, volunteer at an environmental organization, and travel around Europe on the weekends. Teaching English was the main purpose of my gap year, but filling my time with other activities helped me get the most out of my experience and gave me more to talk about when asked how I spent the year.

Conclusion: Should I Take a Gap Year?

Is a gap year a good idea? Gap years aren't for everyone; some people are happy to stick to the path they're on or can't take a year away from work or school, and that's fine. However, for many people, a gap year is a great way to do something you've only dreamed of doing, whether that's traveling to a new part of the world, hiking the Appalachian Trail, working on a cruise ship, or whatever else you're interested in.

Some people dislike gap year programs because they feel students are too young to do them, or they think it's more important for students to finish their education first and get some work experience before taking a year off.

However, there will never be an easier time in your life to take a gap year. As you get older, things like student loans, mortgages, families, and jobs you don't want to leave begin to pile up, making it harder and harder to achieve your goal of a gap year the longer you wait.

Postponing your gap year can often mean it won't happen at all, so take advantage of one of the few times when you can uproot your life and try something new without lots of things holding you back. Before I decided to take a gap year, I was worried I was going to mess up my life by not following the "plan" I was told was the way to success, but not only was my gap year a great experience, it put me in a better spot financially and professionally than I had been at before.

What's Next?

Have you decided to do a gap year? Get more information on how to find gap year ideas and start planning with our complete guide to gap years.

Do you have the opportunity to study abroad in high school? This comprehensive guide discusses what it means to study abroad as a high schooler .

Thinking about doing a volunteer abroad program? Read our guide to learn if volunteering abroad is really a good idea and what you should look for when selecting a program.

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Bridging the gap: a comprehensive guide to taking a gap year

If planned correctly, a gap year can be an invaluable experience to gain new skills, to travel, to explore career options or volunteer. here’s how to get the most out of a gap year..

Riana Nawany

As a school counsellor, I often encounter students and parents, grappling with the prospect of a gap year: “I don’t know what to do, I didn’t get into any of the universities I wanted to go to.” 

With dejected faces, misty eyes and slumped shoulders, they struggle to come to terms with their situation. This guide aims to help students navigate their gap year with purpose and enthusiasm, enabling them to view it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity rather than a wasted year.

What is a gap year?

A gap year traditionally refers to a year-long break from studies between high school and earning a bachelor’s degree. However, some students opt for a shorter period, such as a couple of months or a semester, providing a valuable interlude in one’s educational journey. 

Why take a gap year?

Gap years can be voluntary or involuntary. Voluntary reasons can include pursuing a hobby or passion project, travelling, exploring career paths, upskilling, volunteering, working or retaking entrance exams. 

Involuntary gap years often result from misaligned global academic calendars, such as Australian universities starting their semester in February or July, or through not receiving the grades expected. 

What to do in a gap year?

While a gap year can be frightening, confusing and exhilarating, all at the same time, it offers immense potential for personal growth and preparation. Approach your gap year with intent and open-mindedness while staying curious, accumulating experiences and honing your skills. Here are the key areas to focus on:

Personal development

Embrace this time to explore, experiment and elevate yourself. Learn that new skill you’ve always wanted to learn. Enrol in a cultural exchange programme and learn a new language. Embark on solo or group travel. Launch the food blog you’ve always dreamed of. Be a math tutor or a soccer coach.

This period gives you a unique opportunity to gain fresh perspectives about yourself and the world around you, contributing significantly to your life experiences.

Professional experience

Developing the skills to craft a strong résumé and secure valuable recommendations is invaluable for future college applications. Use this time to pursue internships or part-time jobs to acquire practical skills relevant to your intended field of study or career path. This experience not only enhances your application but provides real-world insights into potential career choices.

Preparatory courses or summer schools

Many institutions, including prestigious ones such as the University of Oxford or Harvard University , offer college-level courses, both online and on campus. These programmes allow you to explore academic interests without the pressure of committing to a major. Some even offer credit-earning opportunities.

For international students, many universities provide foundation programmes or bridging courses to fulfil academic eligibility requirements. In Germany, for instance, the education system typically requires 13 years of schooling before entering university, necessitating a gap year. The Studienkolleg program is a unique course designed to prepare students for German university education during this year. 

Competitive examinations

Because of the competitiveness of high school programmes, some of you may find it challenging to simultaneously prepare for crucial assessment exams. Whether you’re aiming for NEET UG, JEE Mains, UPSC Civil Services, CLAT, SAT or A levels, you can opt for a gap year for focused study and taking/retaking exams to improve admission chances. 

Volunteering

Enrich your gap year by participating in volunteer programmes that align with your passions, be it wildlife conservation, climate change initiatives or community development. Some universities, such as Princeton University , offer a tuition-free service programme for incoming students, allowing for a year of of learning through community engagement. 

In the end, remember that taking a gap year is a perfectly valid choice. The key lies in understanding why you want to take it and researching your options thoroughly. 

Be aware of the application processes and requirements in different countries of interest. There is no singular or “right” way to utilise it – use it wisely, live it fully, and let it be the bridge that connects your past experiences to your future aspirations. 

Whether you’re volunteering in a remote village, interning at a cutting-edge tech startup, or preparing rigorously for entrance exams, make every moment count. 

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Home » Resources » The Gap Year Argument

The Gap Year Argument

• By Andrea W.
• July 10, 2013

What was it that Socrates said? “Visit the Signet Blog for all your tutoring needs”? No, wait—I think it was actually “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Yes, that’s it.

While Socrates may not have been referring to “The Gap Year,” he was correct that contemplation of the self is invaluable during periods of transition—whether geographic, academic, or occupational.  Relaxed reflection is essential to the practice of everyday life—particularly those moments of life between signposts of success . Below, we tackle the arguments against the gap year, and the best argument in favor of it.

The Arguments Against

“why wait when i am ready for college now”.

This is always the first question students ask when confronted with the prospect of a gap year. Of course, you are ready for college in many ways. However, adapting to a new set of academic and social responsibilities is not easy for everyone, and it can be fun and fulfilling to tackle each responsibility without the burden of classes or tuition. You may be ready now, but a gap year will likely leave you extremely prepared, not just ready.

“If I take time off now, I worry I won’t go back to school.”

This is one of our favorite excuses. The best counterargument is to work a full-time job. After a month or two of 40-hour workweeks, most teenagers will beg to go back to school. But the discipline of rising early for work  does  have academic merit.  A 9-to-5 approach to college ensures strong grades without stressful cramming or all-nighters.  Give it a try and you’ll probably find the work of college is closer to 30 than 40 hours per week.

“By next year, I will be too old for college.”

College courses, unlike high school courses, are homogeneous mixtures of lower- and upper-classmen, often with some graduate students mixed in. As such, the age of any college student rarely becomes a major issue.

The Argument in Favor

The concept of a gap year (often up to 15 months, including two summers) is almost always misunderstood. Many parents and students fear the onset of lethargy and mental atrophy, and wonder what to do over that seemingly unconventional period of time. To those people, we always stress a  multi-faceted approach . Imagine the opportunity for personal growth inherent in the following sample timeline:

• June: Graduation
• July–September: Summer employment; begin planning for your upcoming year.
• September–January: Take advantage of an opportunity that would be enjoyable and would help you grow socially, occupationally, and academically. Some great places to find these opportunities are  USA Gap Year Fairs , Gap Year , and  Projects Abroad .
• February–June: Work, intern, take a course or two, and visit with friends. If it has taken you longer than the summer to save up for your trip, this will be your chance to travel.
• July–September: Continue studying, working, and connecting with friends.

Beginning school as a freshman in the fall after your gap year, you will have the distinct advantages of  maturity ,  additional education ,  a rested mind , and i ncreased social confidence . Often, self-growth is the process that occurs in the background of life while we aren’t paying attention. As a result, it can be ignored or devalued.  The self, especially during times of transition, should instead be prioritized . During this phase of your life, little is more important than understanding who you are and where your passions lie.

So, once you’ve finished getting yourself into college, do yourself a favor and pause to consider setting aside some time for reflection. Instead of going straight to college, taking a gap year might result in more success and less stress—while potentially saving tuition money in the process.

Remember,  college is about becoming your own person.

If our anecdotal authority is not persuasive enough, check out this wonderful piece  on the value of deferring enrollment, written by William Fitzsimmons, Harvard College Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid.

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Should Students Take A Gap Year? (Essay Sample)

Should students take a gap year.

A gap year is a break student take after high school before joining universities or colleges. After the rigorous training in high schools, some students prefer taking time off by having an active holiday outside a school environment. Some universities recommend the gap year to students joining the schools. After reception of the joining letters, students can always apply for a delay time before their entry in such universities. The delay time is considered by some learners as a way of taking a break from tests, assignments, and homework. A gap year can have its benefits and limitations depending on how one plan the gap year.

A gap year is considered by many students and parents as a recharging period i.e. it’s a time where students replenish their academic desires and efforts. Most students who take the gap year return to classroom environment with vigor and new focus to excel in class. During the gap year, students take their time to look back at their academic life to know the challenges they faced in school and work on how to overcome the challenges. This is a beneficial factor for a gap year as academic performance depends on how best one can focus.

Learning and exploring new activities, e.g. volunteering, taking part in community work, joining local football clubs, learning foreign languages, etc., is also a benefit associated with a gap year. These new activities help students learn new skills applicable to their future lives in college or elsewhere. Working with the community makes students appreciate and understand their culture better. Working with the community and other people also boosts the confidence of students because of working with people of diverse ages and knowledge. Also, traveling and learning new language make students more socialized. All these skills and qualities gained as a result of going abroad or working as volunteer etc. help in dealing with a variety of students in college and also raise ones’ professional experience.

With a gap year, students get the opportunity to work towards the college and course of their desire. A student may be rejected by a university of his desire but the kind of work the student take during the gap year can interest the admission board of the college. For example, a student interested in pursuing a course of community development can get his gap year working for the community as a volunteer; this will interest the admission board as the individual will be considered experienced and relevant to the course.

A gap year can be very destructive to a student’s life if not well planned. A student may involve himself in harmful activities, such as drug abuse, crime, etc. since the student has excess time. This will affect the student negatively to the extent of totally leaving school.

Also, a gap year can lead to some individuals’ academic derailment. People who don’t take some classes during the gap might find academic life hard to bear after the gap. Not taking a few classes will affect their academic performance and focus negatively.

Therefore, before taking a gap year students need to have clear plans on what they want to accomplish during that time. Students need to get engaged during the gap year to avoid negative energy on drugs and crimes. Even, though the students are free from classrooms and exams, they still need to take a few classes during the holidays. This will keep them academically focused. In general, a gap year is relevant to students and students should be encouraged to take it.

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some students decide to take a gap year, what is your opinion?

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• Paragraph 1 - Introduction
• Sentence 1 - Background statement
• Sentence 2 - Detailed background statement
• Sentence 3 - Thesis
• Sentence 4 - Outline sentence
• Paragraph 2 - First supporting paragraph
• Sentence 1 - Topic sentence
• Sentence 2 - Example
• Sentence 3 - Discussion
• Sentence 4 - Conclusion
• Paragraph 3 - Second supporting paragraph
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• Sentence 1 - Summary
• Sentence 2 - Restatement of thesis
• Sentence 3 - Prediction or recommendation

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Many people now have the freedom to work and live anywhere because of advances in communication technology and transportation. Do the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?

Some people believe that professionals, such as doctors and engineers, should be required to work in the country where they did their training. others believe they should be free to work in another country if they wish. discuss both these views and give your own opinion., students can easily access information online, so libraries are no longer necessary. to what extent do you agree or disagree, some children spend a long time each day on their smartphones. why is this is this a positive or negative development, an increasing number of children are overweight which could result many problems when they grow older both in terms of their health and healtg care costs. why do you think so many children are overweight what could be done to solve this problem.

IELTS Essay: Work or Travel during a Gap Year?

by Dave | General Training | 2 Comments

This is an IELTS writing task 2 sample answer essay on the topic of whether people should travel or work during a gap year from a real IELTS recent exam.

Please consider supporting me on Patreon.com/howtodoielts to receive my full, exclusive IELTS Ebooks!

Some people believe that students should acquire working experience during their gap year instead of traveling.

Do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Some feel that if a student decides to take a gap-year it is better to work than to travel. I am generally in agreement with this proposition as it will better prepare individuals to choose a university major.

Those who argue in favor of travel contend that after school, individuals may be too busy to travel for an extended period. Graduates must typically either begin applying for graduate school or for positions in the workforce. Once a person has a job, they will then only have limited time for holidays, most of which they are likely to spend with family. This is why many high school graduates take advantage of the freedom before university to explore exotic destinations that require long flights like countries in Southeast Asia and South America.

However, there is immense value in work experience that can inform one’s future career choices. Most students are ill-equipped to make a career choice at the age of 18 and this is reflected in the number of graduates who switch jobs and never establish a career in their field of study. By working for a year, not only will students have a firmer understanding of the challenges of the typical workweek, but they might also gain perspective as to what kind of work they enjoy. For instance, a prospective film student who interns at a film studio may decide that they would prefer to work in a less stressful environment and subsequently change majors.

In conclusion, despite the singular opportunity to travel that a gap-year provides, it is more important to work and learn one’s career inclinations. There could naturally also be some balance between work and travel.

1. Some feel that if a student decides to take a gap-year it is better to work than to travel. 2. I am generally in agreement with this proposition as it will better prepare individuals to choose a university major.

• Paraphrase the overall essay topic.
• Write a clear opinion. Read more about introductions here .

1. Those who argue in favor of travel contend that after school, individuals may be too busy to travel for an extended period. 2. Graduates must typically either begin applying for graduate school or for positions in the workforce. 3. Once a person has a job, they will then only have limited time for holidays, most of which they are likely to spend with family. 4. This is why many high school graduates take advantage of the freedom before university to explore exotic destinations that require long flights like countries in Southeast Asia and South America.

• Write a topic sentence with a clear main idea at the end.
• Explain your main idea.
• Develop it with specific or hypothetical examples.
• Keep developing it fully.

1. However, there is immense value in work experience that can inform one’s future career choices. 2. Most students are ill-equipped to make a career choice at the age of 18 and this is reflected in the number of graduates who switch jobs and never establish a career in their field of study. 3. By working for a year, not only will students have a firmer understanding of the challenges of the typical workweek, but they might also gain perspective as to what kind of work they enjoy. 4. For instance, a prospective film student who interns at a film studio may decide that they would prefer to work in a less stressful environment and subsequently change majors.

• Write a new topic sentence with a new main idea at the end.
• Explain your new main idea.
• Include specific details and examples.
• Add as much information as you can and make sure it links logically.

1. In conclusion, despite the singular opportunity to travel that a gap-year provides, it is more important to work and learn one’s career inclinations. 2. There could naturally also be some balance between work and travel.

• Summarise your main ideas.
• Include a final thought. Read more about conclusions here .

What do the words in bold below mean? Make some notes on paper to aid memory and then check below.

Some feel that if a student decides to take a gap-year it is better to work than to travel. I am generally in agreement with this proposition as it will better prepare individuals to choose a university major .

Those who argue in favor of travel contend that after school, individuals may be too busy to travel for an extended period . Graduates must typically either begin applying for graduate school or for positions in the workforce . Once a person has a job, they will then only have limited time for holidays, most of which they are likely to spend with family. This is why many high school graduates take advantage of the freedom before university to explore exotic destinations that require long flights like countries in Southeast Asia and South America.

However, there is immense value in work experience that can inform one’s future career choices . Most students are ill-equipped to make a career choice at the age of 18 and this is reflected in the number of graduates who switch jobs and never establish a career in their field of study . By working for a year, not only will students have a firmer understanding of the challenges of the typical workweek , but they might also gain perspective as to what kind of work they enjoy. For instance, a prospective film student who interns at a film studio may decide that they would prefer to work in a less stressful environment and subsequently change majors .

In conclusion, despite the singular opportunity to travel that a gap-year provides , it is more important to work and learn one’s career inclinations . There could naturally also be some balance between work and travel.

For extra practice, write an antonym (opposite word) on a piece of paper to help you remember the new vocabulary:

decides chooses

take a gap-year a year off before university

I am generally in agreement with this proposition overall i think the same

better prepare have better preparations, be ready

university major what you study in university

those who argue in favor of supporters

contend argue

extended period long time

graduates people done with school

typically usually

applying for trying to get a job at

graduate school after the first 4 years at uni

positions jobs

workforce people who work

limited time not much time

most of which the majority of these

high school graduates those 18 years old

take advantage of exploit

freedom ability to do what you want

explore exotic destinations go to far away places

require long flights have to fly a long time to get there

immense value lots of importance

work experience having a job

inform help one to decide

future career choices what you do for work later

ill-equipped not prepared

reflected in evidenced by

switch jobs go to a new position

establish a career have a long-term job

field of study what you major in

firmer understanding better knowledge of

challenges difficulties

typical workweek normal working hours

gain perspective see the whole picture

prospective film student someone who will study about movies

interns works for free

studio film company

less stressful environment not so anxious place

subsequently after that

majors what you study in uni

singular opportunity unique chance

provides allows for

inclinations what you like

naturally of course

balance keep equal

Pronunciation

Practice saying the vocabulary below and use this tip about Google voice search :

dɪˈsaɪdz   teɪk ə gæp-jɪə   aɪ æm ˈʤɛnərəli əˈgriːmənt wɪð ðɪs ˌprɒpəˈzɪʃən   ˈbɛtə prɪˈpeə   ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːsɪti ˈmeɪʤə ðəʊz huː ˈɑːgjuː ɪn ˈfeɪvər ɒv   kənˈtɛnd   ɪksˈtɛndɪd ˈpɪərɪəd ˈgrædjʊəts   ˈtɪpɪk(ə)li   əˈplaɪɪŋ fɔː   ˈgrædjʊət skuːl   pəˈzɪʃənz   ˈwɜːkˌfɔːs ˈlɪmɪtɪd taɪm   məʊst ɒv wɪʧ   haɪ skuːl ˈgrædjʊəts   teɪk ədˈvɑːntɪʤ ɒv   ˈfriːdəm   ɪksˈplɔːr ɪgˈzɒtɪk ˌdɛstɪˈneɪʃənz   rɪˈkwaɪə lɒŋ flaɪts   ɪˈmɛns ˈvæljuː   wɜːk ɪksˈpɪərɪəns   ɪnˈfɔːm   ˈfjuːʧə kəˈrɪə ˈʧɔɪsɪz ɪl-ɪˈkwɪpt   rɪˈflɛktɪd ɪn   swɪʧ ʤɒbz   ɪsˈtæblɪʃ ə kəˈrɪə   fiːld ɒv ˈstʌdi ˈfɜːmər ˌʌndəˈstændɪŋ   ˈʧælɪnʤɪz   ˈtɪpɪk(ə)l ˈwɜːkwiːk geɪn pəˈspɛktɪv   prəsˈpɛktɪv fɪlm ˈstjuːdənt   ˈɪntɜːnz   ˈstjuːdɪəʊ   lɛs ˈstrɛsf(ə)l ɪnˈvaɪərənmənt   ˈsʌbsɪkwəntli   ˈmeɪʤəz ˈsɪŋgjʊlər ˌɒpəˈtjuːnɪti   prəˈvaɪdz ˌɪnklɪˈneɪʃənz ˈnæʧrəli   ˈbæləns  

Vocabulary Practice

I recommend getting a pencil and piece of paper because that aids memory. Then write down the missing vocabulary from my sample answer in your notebook:

Some feel that if a student d_______s to t__________________r it is better to work than to travel. I____________________________________n as it will b________________e individuals to choose a u______________r .

T__________________________f travel c_________d that after school, individuals may be too busy to travel for an e________________d . G__________s must t__________y either begin a_______________r g________________l or for p____________s in the w_______________e . Once a person has a job, they will then only have l______________e for holidays, m________________h they are likely to spend with family. This is why many h______________________s t___________________e of the f________m before university to e_____________________________s that r_____________________s like countries in Southeast Asia and South America.

However, there is i______________________e in w____________________e that can i___________m one’s f__________________s . Most students are i___________________d to make a career choice at the age of 18 and this is r_____________n the number of graduates who s_______________s and never e____________________r in their f_______________y . By working for a year, not only will students have a f_______________________g of the c_____________s of the t__________________k , but they might also g____________________e as to what kind of work they enjoy. For instance, a p________________________t who i__________s at a film s_______o may decide that they would prefer to work in a l________________________t and s________________y change m_______s .

In conclusion, despite the s________________________y to travel that a gap-year p____________s , it is more important to work and learn one’s career i_____________s . There could n_____________y also be some b__________e between work and travel.

Listening Practice

Learn more about this topic by watching videos from YouTube and practice with these activities :

Reading Practice

Read more and use these ideas to practice:

https://www.goabroad.com/articles/gap-year/gap-year-options

Speaking Practice

Practice with the following related questions from the real IELTS speaking exam :

Your Home Nation/Country

• Where are you from?
• What do you like the most about your country?
• Where would you like to live in your country?
• Are people in your country patriotic?

Writing Practice

Practice with the related chart below and then check with my sample answer:

After graduation many students take a year to travel. Some think that it would be more useful to work for a year.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample Answer Essay: Gap Year (Real Past IELTS Exam)

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Obtaining working experience and utilizing the time to travel becoming the two main options that students consider the most in their gap year of study. Despite the enjoyment in exotic countries, I am generally in agreement with gaining work experience will allow students to have better preparation for choosing a university major.

A stereotype impression for most is that people spent a big part of their life dedicated to their career, in other words, argue in the most leisure period of a human being is likely to take place in the study stages. Subsequently, some will favor having a break for travel during the gap year. Exploring the world with own eyes provides benefits to students, not only widen their perspective point of view, vision and attitude in a global level, the travel experiences can also allow opportunities for students to improve their abilities on independently working, problem-solving and interpersonal relationships handling, that might not be able to acquire from schools in their hometowns. However, the general experiences from the traveling time in the gap year do not outweigh the advantages of an on-the-job training period that indicates a clear vision for students’ future.

Fully utilizing the gap year of study in a way of being trainees in a company or two can give students thorough ideas of their future career. It can also help to deal with the issue of unemployment amongst youth overall. Some research found that some of the graduates depressed on the first few years after they started their career, as they are not likely to feel motivated due to the types of work, that they are working on are not what they desired, and eventually lead to resignation. This could be a result of superficial choices for major in college and university. In contrast, on-the-job training experiences during a gap year can provide in-depth ideas for the students, clearly knowing what they are interested in can assist them to have careful consideration for future study. Furthermore, it can result in a decrease in unemployment rate amongst graduates.

In conclusion, both traveling, and on-job training experiences are valuable to students and deliver positive impacts and inspirations, I personally claim that focusing on specific working experiences can provide better concepts for their career and turn out to be a reduction in the unemployment rate of the nations.

I’ve tried to write an essay for this one, please correct it teacher 🙂

Nice work, Curtis!

It is a little on the long side – try to write a more realistic length and keep working hard!

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• B2 Taking a Gap Year

For this essay, you are asked the following question about taking a gap year:

Is it better taking a gap year or start university straight away?

Notes: 1. Going straight into university 2. Experiences during a gap year 3. Benefits taking a gap year

More exercises available:

You are required to produce two pieces of writing. The first piece is compulsory and will be an essay of 140-190 words. For the second, you can choose from an article, email/letter, essay, review or report (B2 First for schools the report is replaced with a story) of 140-190 words.

• B2 Article Video
• B2 Book Review Video
• B2 Descriptive Email Video
• B2 Place Review Video
• B2 Short Story Video
• B2 Cities of the Future
• B2 Fast Food
• B2 Following Fashion
• B2 Live Concert
• B2 Pollution Problems
• B2 A Work of Art
• B2 Being a Celebrity
• B2 Life Away
• B2 Preventing Crime
• B2 School Improvement
• B2 Shopping Online
• B2 Tablet or Laptop
• B2 The Countryside
• School Canteen
• B2 A School Trip to Italy
• B2 An Important Day
• B2 Forgetful Girl
• The Hidden Beach
• The Lost Photo
• B2 IMDb Website Review
• B2 Jurassic Park Book Review
• B2 Mountain Bike Park
• B2 Romeo and Juliet Play Review
• B2 Ted Film Review
• Scarlett Animation Review
• B2 Berlin Travel Report
• B2 Shops Report
• B2 Visiting Places Report
• B2 Birthday Party Letter
• B2 Computer Games Email
• B2 Favourite Film Email
• B2 Holiday in Thailand Email
• B2 New Attraction Letter
• B2 Place to Visit Email
• B2 Spending Money Email
• B2 Visiting Relative Email

You need to be able to understand a range of texts, including how they are organised and the opinions and attitudes expressed in them. The texts will be from sources familiar to you such as magazines, articles, fiction and advertisements, but targeted at the interests of students.

Students’ use of English will be tested by tasks which show how well they can control their grammar and vocabulary.

• Use of English Part 1
• Use of English Part 2
• Use of English Part 3
• Use of English Part 4
• Reading Part 5
• Reading Part 6
• Reading Part 7

For this part, you practice vocabulary by using words with similar meanings, collocations, linking phrases, phrasal verbs, etc.

• B2 First Use of English Video
• Becoming Famous
• Cycling Scheme
• Film Stars and Music Celebrities
• Going on a diet
• Single or Mixed Sex Schools
• The History of Football
• The Poor and Less Fortunate
• The Special Bus
• Why do we need to play?

For this part, you practice grammar and vocabulary.

• Better swimming
• Cardboard Bike
• Dealing with waste plastic
• Drinking Water
• Fit for Sports
• Following Your Nose
• Growing Bananas
• Holiday with a Friend
• Making Perfume
• The Farm Trip
• The Jobs Market
• Tree Climbing
• Weather Forecasting
• Young Enterprise

For this part, you practice vocabulary word-building by changing different words using a base word.

• Angel of Mercy
• Fast Food Industry
• Life on Other Planets
• Music in Schools
• Mystery Weekend Break
• Pollution Problems
• Understanding Time
• Workforce on the Move

For this part,  you have to express a message in different ways showing flexibility and resource in the use of language.

• B2 First Use of English Part 4
• B2 Key Word Transformation 1
• B2 Key Word Transformation 10
• B2 Key Word Transformation 2
• B2 Key Word Transformation 3
• B2 Key Word Transformation 4
• B2 Key Word Transformation 5
• B2 Key Word Transformation 6
• B2 Key Word Transformation 7
• B2 Key Word Transformation 8
• B2 Key Word Transformation 9

For this part, you practice how to understand the details of a text, including opinions and attitudes.

• Cycling to India
• Hottest Place on Earth
• Living and Working in Another Country
• The Picture of Dorian Gray
• The Wrestler who Wrote a Book

For this part, you practice how to understand the structure and follow the development of a text.

• Benefits of Getting Fit
• Our Polluted World

For this part, you practice how to find specific information in a text or texts.

• Collecting Things
• English Seaside Resorts
• Teenage Summer Camps

Requires being able to follow and understand a range of familiar spoken materials, such as news programmes, public announcements and other sources, but targeted at the interests of the learners.

• Speaking Part 1
• Speaking Part 2
• Speaking Part 3
• Speaking Part 4
• Listening Part 1
• Listening Part 2
• Listening Part 3
• Listening Part 4

In this part you talk to the examiner about yourself and your life, e.g. your name, school, interests and future plans.

B2 Speaking Part 1 Exercise 1 B2 Speaking Part 1 Exercise 2 B2 Speaking Part 1 Exercise 3

In this part, you talk about two photos on your own which you have to compare for about 1 minute . After you have finished, your partner will be asked a short question about your photo. When your partner has spoken about their photos for about 1 minute , you will be asked a question about their photos.

B2 Speaking Part 2 Exercise 1

In this part you express ideas with your partner by looking at a discussion point that the examiner gives you.

This will be available soon.

In this part, you focus on general aspects of a topic with the examiner or you may involve your partner.

In this part, you will hear people talking in eight different situations.

Entertainment Short Conversations Talking about Sports

In this part, you will hear someone being interviewed.

Extreme Snowboarding Future Options Newly Published Book The Talent Show

In this part, you will hear five people talking about different things.

Demonstration Travel Worries

In this part, you will hear an interview.

Protecting the Environment Staying Healthy

• Customs and Traditions
• Entertainment and Leisure
• Environmental and Nature
• Future Jobs and Education
• Identity and Well-being
• Travel and Adventure

Customs and Traditions explores how we celebrate our cultural identity across the globe.

• Christmas Hard Exercises
• Story of Halloween
• Valentine Message

Entertainment and Leisure explores how we spent our free time.

Environment and Nature explores the way humans and animals live, adapt and change on our planet.

• Global Changes

Exploring how different societies create roles for people to develop their skills and knowledge.

• Future Schools
• Sport at School
• School Rules
• Fashion Design

Exploring how we learn and adjust to the world around us. .

• Taking Risks
• Natural Disasters

Exploring how we experience the world through our life journeys

• Travelling around the World

Cambridge English exams are designed for learners at all levels from the pre-intermediate level Cambridge English: Key (KET) to the very advanced level Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE). These exams give candidates proof of their ability to use English in a wide variety of contexts, relevant to work, study and leisure activities.

A2 Key | B1 Preliminary | B2 First

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David French

Opinion Columnist

Jack Smith’s New Case Against Trump Is Much Stronger Than His Old One

When thinking about including charges in an indictment, prosecutors can decide which claims to make by asking whether the charge is strong or weak. In other words, does the evidence clearly support the charge, or would they be stretching either the evidence or the legal theory to make the case?

But there’s another, related calculation, and that’s asking whether the claim is clean or complicated. By “clean,” I mean simple and direct. Is this a charge, regardless of the strength of evidence, that the jury will find easy to understand? Obviously, the best possible case to bring is one that’s both clean and strong: The statutes and evidence are straightforward. The case is relatively easy to make.

And that’s exactly how I’d describe the new Jack Smith indictment of Donald Trump . I disagree strongly with the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling, but to the extent there is any silver lining in that dark constitutional cloud, it’s that for Smith, less is truly more.

Even absent the immunity ruling, Smith’s first indictment would have given Trump room to argue that he was doing nothing more than using the levers of government power to investigate election fraud, a classic function of the Department of Justice. His actions were corrupt and unprecedented, but their official nature gave him hope for a defense.

Trump’s fake electors scheme, by contrast, was a campaign function, not an exercise of presidential power.

In fact, during the oral argument in Trump v. United States, Amy Coney Barrett elicited a series of representations from Trump’s counsel that a number of claims in the original indictment involved Trump’s private conduct. For example, she asked if it was private conduct when “three private actors; two attorneys, including those mentioned above; and a political consultant helped implement a plan to submit fraudulent slates of presidential electors to obstruct the certification proceeding, and petitioner” — Trump — “and a co-conspirator attorney directed that effort.”

Trump’s attorney affirmed, “That’s private.”

Not only is that private; it’s among the strongest claims in the whole case. There was never a credible argument for fake electors. And by conspiring to submit fraudulent electoral votes, Trump’s conduct fits squarely within precedent for federal offenses .

If Trump wins the presidency again, the case will disappear. But if he loses, he’ll stand trial, and Smith has now brought a much better case against the former president.

Frank Bruni

Contributing Opinion Writer

Why Kamala Harris Might Just Win North Carolina

When Vice President Kamala Harris started talking policy with a heavily promoted speech about voters’ top concern — the economy — where do you suppose she did it?

My home state, North Carolina. And my governor, Roy Cooper, was the Democrat chosen to introduce her on the climactic final night of the party’s convention.

But then Donald Trump stages a rally in North Carolina seemingly every other week — often enough that I’m terrified he’ll build and start hanging out at some Tar Heel analogue of Mar-a-Lago. He’s fixated on this place.

For good reason. North Carolina has 16 Electoral College votes — the same as Georgia, one more than Michigan and only one fewer than Ohio. And they appear to be in play. On Tuesday, the Cook Political Report moved North Carolina into the tossup category .

The state hasn’t voted Democratic in a presidential election since 2008, when Barack Obama won, but Joe Biden lost here in 2020 by only about 75,000 votes, or under 1.4 percentage points.

And 2024 is different. Political analysts here tell me that they’re struck by the burst of energy for the Harris campaign and its significant investment in the state, where, according to the Pew Research Center, about 23 percent of eligible voters are Black, in contrast to 14 percent nationally. They haven’t seen anything like it since 2008.

Additionally, Michael Bitzer, a professor of politics and history at Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C., noted that in the Republican presidential primary here, Nikki Haley received hefty percentages of the votes in urban counties even though her campaign by then was a lost cause. That suggests a potent anti-Trump sentiment among moderate Republicans and independents.

There’s yet another distinctive dynamic this time around. The slate of Republican candidates for statewide office is MAGA fury through and through. Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the Republican nominee for governor, is a firebrand with a history of misogynistic, homophobic, antisemitic and altogether deranged remarks . Michele Morrow, the Republican nominee for superintendent of public instruction, has suggested that Cooper, Biden, Obama, Hillary Clinton and Anthony Fauci should be executed for treason — and that Obama’s killing should be televised.

Asher Hildebrand, a fellow professor at Duke University’s School of Public Policy, said that while that extremism probably won’t “push too many voters to the polls for Harris, it very well might keep some Trump voters home.”

And in an election potentially decided by one measly percentage point, such disaffection absolutely could turn North Carolina blue.

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Jesse Wegman

Editorial Board Member

Even the Supreme Court Can’t Save Trump From Himself

If you’re going to subject yourself to one of Donald Trump’s social media tirades, it’s generally best to do so with a strong drink close at hand. Every now and then, however, the former president’s all-caps screeds offer a useful road map to understanding the basics of whatever issue he’s raving about — as long as you flip everything he says right-side up.

On Tuesday, Trump took to his failing website , Truth Social, to rage against the special counsel Jack Smith’s new and improved indictment against him for inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

“For them to do this after our Supreme Court Victory on Immunity and more, is shocking,” Trump wrote. The new indictment, he claimed, “has all the problems of the old Indictment, and should be dismissed IMMEDIATELY.”

Poor Trump. He was confident that after the Supreme Court — his Supreme Court — went rogue last month and immunized him from prosecution for virtually all “official” acts, he was in the clear.

But the Supreme Court’s bonkers decision did leave a few doors open for criminal prosecutions of former presidents, and Smith has taken full advantage of them. His new indictment, while nine pages shorter than the original, retains all the same fraud, obstruction and conspiracy charges. It leaves out only the actions that the court’s majority ruled were unquestionably immune, such as Trump’s attempts to force the Justice Department to investigate nonexistent voter fraud in swing states. In this regard, it very conspicuously does not have “all the problems of the old indictment.”

Nor is it accurate to say, as Trump did, that “you’re not even allowed to bring cases literally right before an Election.” He was referring, presumably, to the Justice Department’s so-called 60-day rule , which is not actually a rule but a general guideline that prohibits taking overt steps that could influence how people vote in an upcoming election.

This is a sensible caution in a rule-of-law society, but it doesn’t apply to existing cases that are already filed and under the control of the judicial branch, as Smith’s prosecution of Trump has been for more than a year.

In fact, this is only an issue because Trump, abetted by the right-wing majority of the Supreme Court, has appealed and delayed the proceedings at every step. The justices had multiple opportunities to fast-track Trump’s appeals as early as December. They rejected all of them with no explanation, waiting until the very last moment to issue a ruling with zero constitutional support.

Now Trump is acting as if it’s all so unfair — or “lawfare and weaponization,” as he put it. So flip that right-side up: He’s the person who chose to weaponize the law, and the presidency, no one else. If the rule of law means anything, it means that he will face accountability for his actions, sooner or later.

Michelle Cottle

Opinion Writer

Kamala Harris and Tim Walz Are Road-Tripping Through Georgia. Could They Actually Win There?

I can see why many people might not consider late August the best time to head to the Deep South. So hot. So sticky. But this week strikes me as the perfect moment for the Democratic presidential ticket to take a quick bus tour around southern Georgia.

Hot off their multiday love fest in Chicago, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are making clear they intend to play hard for Georgia, a battleground state, and not just in the politically blue, population-rich metro area of Atlanta. With the presidential race promising to be tight and ugly, they are wisely venturing outside the party’s usual comfort zones and are sending a message similar to the one from their preconvention road trip around Pennsylvania: We will show up in every part of the state and fight for every vote.

It seems worth noting that southern Georgia has an abundance of Black voters, a demographic the Democratic Party was feeling very shaky about when President Biden was looking like the nominee — and is hoping to re-energize now that Harris is at the top of the ticket. But even before Biden stepped aside, the party was investing in the area. “The South Georgia region is a priority for the campaign,” a representative for the Harris team told NBC . “We have nearly 50 full-time staff across seven offices in the area, including Valdosta. We have hosted more than 500 events in the region since May 31.”

Team Trump is not conceding any ground. Last week Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, headlined an event in Valdosta, a majority-Black city not too far from the Florida state line. (Although it was Vance’s cringey stop at an area doughnut shop that wound up being widely shared on social media.)

So far, Trump has a polling edge in the state. But his troubled history with Georgia, where he is widely believed to have cost Republicans a Senate seat or two in recent years, makes it tricky terrain. Also, he has struggled to let go of his feud with the state’s popular governor, Brian Kemp. Just a few weeks ago, Trump trashed Kemp at a rally in Atlanta. This freaked out more than a few Republicans, and some kind of truce was brokered. Last week, Kemp endorsed Trump on Fox News.

Still, there is a whole lot of bad blood swirling around the state, and the entire situation feels unsettled — and potentially exploitable by the Democrats.

A postconvention bus tour feels like a good place to start.

Serge Schmemann

After Israel’s Hostage Rescue, Could There Finally Be a Cease-Fire Deal?

The rescue of an Israeli hostage held by Hamas in Gaza on Tuesday was hailed as something of a miracle in Israel. But it did little to quell the anger among many Israelis over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s resistance to a cease-fire deal that would bring home all the remaining hostages — dead and alive.

The details of the rescue were not immediately clear. The Israeli military spoke of a “complex military operation.” Unnamed senior Israeli officials told The Times that commandos were scouring Hamas tunnels when they came upon Farhan al-Qadi, 52, a member of Israel’s Bedouin minority who was working at a kibbutz when he was seized in the Hamas raid of Oct. 7. In either case, he was the eighth hostage to be freed by the military.

With the latest rescue, 108 Israeli hostages remain in Gaza, including 13 whose deaths have been confirmed, according to Haaretz. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group that represents the families of the hostages, said that the rest cannot hope to be freed by military operations. “A deal is the only way to secure the return of the remaining 108 hostages — the living for rehabilitation and the murdered for proper burial,” it said in a statement .

A deal seemed tantalizingly close at the end of May, when President Biden reported progress toward a phased cease-fire that would lead to the liberation of all remaining hostages and end the grueling fight that has taken more than 40,000 Palestinian lives. But since then, both Netanyahu and Yahya Sinwar, the elusive Hamas leader in Gaza, have repeatedly put roadblocks in the way of an agreement, with Netanyahu insisting on the full destruction of Hamas and Sinwar saying he would accept only a permanent end to hostilities. Last week Secretary of State Antony Blinken, told reporters that a bridging proposal offered by Washington was probably the best — and possibly the last — opportunity for a deal. The last round of talks ended in Cairo on Sunday without one.

Netanyahu’s insistence on a decisive victory has placed him at odds not only with the hostages’ families but also with the Israeli military, which questions whether a total victory over Hamas is feasible and is concerned about a potential clash with Hezbollah. More broadly, polls have shown that a majority of Israelis support a cease-fire in exchange for the hostages.

Al-Qadi did not join the debate as he profusely thanked those responsible for his liberation. But in a meeting with the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, al-Qadi urged the government “to do everything to bring people home.”

“Twenty-four hours without sleep,” he said. “People are suffering, suffering you can’t imagine.”

Tulsi Gabbard’s Trumpy Transition Is Now Complete

Step back, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. You aren’t even the most interesting ex-Democrat-turned-MAGA-tool to endorse Donald Trump this month.

For my money, that would be Tulsi Gabbard, the former House member and 2020 contender to unseat President Trump.

Gabbard has been on quite the political journey. She never got much traction in her 2020 race. But she did win herself a small but intensely passionate following based heavily on her isolationist leanings — which, admittedly, are more electrifying than most, thanks to her penchant for making indulgent statements about bloodthirsty strongmen such as Bashar al-Assad and Vladimir Putin. Indeed, Gabbard’s soft-on-Russia musings have been at times so striking that Hillary Clinton publicly called her “a Russian asset,” prompting Gabbard to sue Clinton for defamation. (Gabbard later dropped the suit.)

Gabbard quit the Democratic Party in 2022 and became an independent, saying it had fallen “under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness,” and promptly began making nice with the red team. She hit the campaign trail for Republican candidates in the midterms. She spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference . Conveniently, she was already a hot guest on Fox News.

For this election, she has settled snugly into the MAGA fold — all the more so since Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee. Gabbard has been helping Trump with his debate prep . During a primary debate in 2019, you may recall, Gabbard hit Harris hard from the left — successfully enough to leave a mark and tick off Harris . Trump, who has been struggling to figure out how to deal with his new opponent, is clearly hoping some of Gabbard’s mojo rubs off on him.

Just in case anyone had any doubts as to her new allegiance, Gabbard endorsed Trump on Monday. They appeared together at a National Guard conference in Detroit, on the third anniversary of the bombing in Afghanistan that killed 13 U.S. service members. A National Guard veteran, Gabbard asserted that Trump “understands the grave responsibility that a president and commander in chief bears for every single one of our lives.”

The next day, Trump announced that Gabbard was joining his transition team, as is Mr. Kennedy.

Team Trump is presumably betting that bringing on former Democrats will send a signal that his campaign is the one with a big tent and mainstream appeal. But when we’re talking about characters as … colorful as Gabbard and Kennedy, I’m betting the signal to many voters is that Trump’s G.O.P. is the home of the politically strange.

Zeynep Tufekci

‘Free Speech’ Should Not Shroud Criminal Activity

The detention in France of Pavel Durov, the founder and chief executive of the messaging app Telegram, has sparked a loud outcry about free speech. Elon Musk has portrayed the arrest on his X account as an ominous threat to free speech, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. referred to the app as an “encrypted, uncensored” platform and said “the need to protect free speech has never been more urgent.”

It’s a curious case, and the French government hasn’t helped matters by releasing information in dribs and drabs. While it is possible that there are free speech issues entangled here, some early details suggest the issue may be one of criminal activity.

On Monday, the French prosecutor said in a statement that Durov — who is a citizen of France, Russia, St. Kitts and Nevis and the United Arab Emirates — was being held for questioning in connection with an investigation into criminal activities on the app, including the trading of child sexual abuse material as well as drug trafficking, fraud and money laundering. Notably, Telegram explicitly boasts that it has never disclosed user data to any government, ever.

Questions have long swirled around Telegram. Contrary to widespread belief, Telegram is not encrypted in any meaningful sense. That would be “end to end” encryption, so that even the company couldn’t read users’ messages. Telegram — and anyone it chooses — can read all group chats, and there is no way to fully encrypt them. Those very large groups are the main attraction of the platform.

Private chats on Telegram also lack end-to-end encryption by default. Here, though, users can undergo an onerous process to turn on end-to-end encryption, which then applies only to that conversation. Even the protection provided to private chats is murky: Cryptography experts have long questioned whether Telegram’s limited encryption actually meets security standards.

Durov was born in Russia, where Telegram is used widely. The Kremlin has Durov’s back: It issued a statement that unless more evidence is provided, Durov’s detention may be “a direct attempt to limit freedom of communication.” Russian antiwar activists have long wondered how the Kremlin seems to know so much about their activities on Telegram. (Good question.)

Free speech is an important value, but protecting it does not mean absolving anyone of responsibility for all criminal activity. Ironically, Telegram’s shortage of end-to-end encryption means the company is likely to be more liable simply because it can see the criminal activity happening on its platform. If, for example, Telegram did not cooperate with authorities at all after receiving legal warrants for information about criminal activities, that would mean trouble even in the United States, with its sweeping free speech protections.

Neel V. Patel

Opinion Staff Editor

Faced With the Boeing Starliner’s Flaws, NASA Gets a Couple of Things Right

Odysseus may lay claim to the most delayed and perilous trip back home, but the NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are giving him a run for his money. What was supposed to be a weeklong mission to the International Space Station will now be an eight-month stay in space, after the spacecraft they launched aboard, the Boeing Starliner, experienced some unexpected glitches .

Boeing has been utterly humiliated by the Starliner’s failure, not least because the company’s rival, SpaceX, will take Wilmore and Williams home. But it’s NASA that deserves applause: Faced with an unsettling turn of events for its human spaceflight program, the agency has gotten a couple of things right.

It got the first thing right nearly a decade ago. In September 2014, NASA awarded contracts to both SpaceX and Boeing for their commercial crew programs, effectively saying it would pay two companies to develop new spacecraft capable of ferrying astronauts to and from the space station. The veteran aerospace firm Boeing was awarded $4.2 billion, while the newcomer SpaceX was awarded $2.6 billion.

While both companies’ programs were mired in delays, SpaceX eventually vaulted ahead of Boeing and pulled off a successful crewed flight to space in 2020. Boeing remained sluggish. Throughout this period, NASA emphasized that the whole reason it gave contracts to two companies in the first place was in case one company hit snags. The wisdom of that choice is on full display now, as Wilmore and Williams can return home on a SpaceX mission, after the Boeing mission went awry. Redundancy paid off.

NASA got one other thing right during this debacle. Though Wilmore and Williams are trapped in space until February, the agency is wisely playing it safe. There isn’t much reason to think the Starliner couldn’t securely bring the astronauts back to Earth. But NASA is choosing not to risk a repeat of the tragic Challenger and Columbia disasters. Taking risks is a fundamental part of spaceflight, but the United States is no longer in a race to beat the Soviets. NASA can and should take its time to reduce the odds of risk whenever possible. It’s the right thing to do.

The astronauts’ delayed return must be truly aggravating for both of them and their families. But it’s unquestionably preferable to an alternative outcome that would put them both in any sort of elevated danger.

Pamela Paul

Gus Walz Brought Out Both the Joy and the Cruelty

Gus Walz’s unbridled emotional reaction last week at the Democratic National Convention to the nomination of his father, Gov. Tim Walz, embodied both the humanity that lies beneath the political process and the momentousness of the political process itself.

In other words, Gus reacted the way he did because he recognized the import of his father’s nomination. And because the man onstage was his father — “That’s my dad!” — a man who raised and supported and accepted and loved him for who he is, a 17-year-old boy with anxiety and a learning disorder and, as Tina Brown wrote in her gorgeous essay on Friday, a human being like any other.

Gus’s reaction was beautiful. And then things got ugly .

In response to Gus’s exuberance, Ann Coulter posted on X, “Talk about weird …” (She later took her post down.) “Sorry, but this is embarrassing for both father and son,” the conservative radio host Jay Weber posted. “If the Walzs represent today’s American man, this country is screwed,” he said, adding a crude insult of the teenage Walz. (He, too, removed his post.)

Perhaps they didn’t know the context. They didn’t know anything about Gus Walz beyond the politics of his father. They didn’t realize they should have been kind. Few people do before issuing a least-charitable-interpretation potshot. People’s private lives, their psychological state, their family or personal circumstances and their disabilities are often invisible. This is as true for public figures as it is for private citizens. Gus didn’t deserve “special” treatment — he deserved the kind of treatment any person does.

If nothing else, Gus reminds us of what an unfiltered human reaction looks like and what a sharp contrast it makes with the noxious swill of performance, hot takes and low blows that passes for online political commentary.

Let’s dwell on that contrast for a moment. Gus’s surge of emotion offered an image of us at our all-too-human best. Those who chose to disparage him reeked of our all-too-human worst. Gus Walz showed us what it means to really care about other people. His critics made clear they’ve forgotten how.

Patrick Healy

Deputy Opinion Editor

Harris Has the Momentum. But Trump Has the Edge on What Matters Most.

Every Monday morning on The Point, we kick off the week with a tipsheet on the latest in the presidential campaign. Here’s what we’re looking at this week:

We’ll know soon what kind of polling bounce Kamala Harris got out of her very good convention in Chicago. I’m especially curious how she’s faring in Pennsylvania and Georgia, which are the most critical battlegrounds in the race. Given Harris’s and the convention’s focus on themes like patriotism, small-town values and the economy, I can see her gaining a couple of points in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. The Democrats’ hammering of Trump on abortion is also going to help Harris in Pennsylvania and Arizona, where abortion rights is a hot-button issue.

The Democrats’ Joyfest is Over. Now Comes The Slugfest.

But consider this: Harris has won the vast majority of news cycles since she declared her candidacy. And yet, she is only two or three percentage points ahead of Trump in the national polling average and effectively tied with him in the seven swing states that will decide the election. Structural factors — polarization, the gender gap, Republicans’ advantage in the Electoral College — are keeping this race tight.

To that end, with early voting only weeks away, the battle between Harris and Trump will be to find the best strategies for the three most important elements of this campaign.

Defining the race: Harris wants to make the race about the future, freedom and unity; Trump wants to make the race about the past, his presidency and threats to the country. Harris has effectively cast the race as a choice between her and Trump, which helps her because he is so unpopular. But there is still time for this to change, especially if an unexpected or outside event suddenly shifts voter attention to safety or national security.

Defining Harris: So far, Harris is also winning on this front, positioning herself as the candidate of change — an appealing image to many voters. Trump is trying to define her as “ dangerously liberal ” and as the de facto incumbent, but even some Republican strategists tell me that they don’t see strong evidence this is catching on. Trump will campaign in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania later this week; watch for whether he starts trying to define her anew.

Defining Trump: The former president is struggling. He is trying to appeal to moderate and independent voters by opposing a national abortion ban and talking about the economy; if he had the discipline to bear down on the cost of living, trade and immigration, he’d be doing better than he is in Pennsylvania, where those issues resonate. But as the Democratic strategist Doug Sosnik put it to me, the only way Trump can win the presidency is by turning out his vote strongly and edging out his opponent with sufficient numbers of swing voters — which is what he did successfully in 2016.

Right now, Harris has the momentum, but I think the Electoral College currently favors Trump . Nothing will be more critical than the Sept. 10 debate to define the race, Trump and Harris. A debate changes things in an instant. Just ask Joe Biden.

How the media blew 2024′s election | Will Bunch Newsletter

Plus, does America really need the world’s ‘most lethal’ military?

I’m back — back from Chicago and also back, inshallah , with weekly newsletters from now until Election Day. Friends and neighbors who watched on TV keep asking me what covering the Democratic National Convention was really like. It was the difference between seeing Springsteen or the Stones in a documentary versus being at the show for a few pulsating hours.

If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here .

Critics begged the media to rise to the occasion of the 2024 election, but it’s hitting new lows

This column, about the decline and fall of America’s political news media in such a pivotal election year, has proved very hard to write — not for a lack of material, but because I can’t keep pace with every day’s new and stunning examples of bad journalism, each one spiraling a tad lower.

I’ll start with the weekend’s lowlight: a news story that worked up the media food chain from the muck of smaller right-wing outlets , then got boosted on X/Twitter by Alex Thompson , a widely read national political correspondent for Axios, before the New York Post hyped it in your local Wawa and eventually the New York Times felt compelled to address it. You see, an idea that has animated the right for the last couple of weeks is the fantasy that Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz is a phony. Sunday’s purported news slammed Walz for a 2006 episode when his then-congressional campaign claimed he’d won a youth award from the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce when really it was — get this! — the Nebraska Junior Chamber of Commerce!

Never mind that the 2006 Walz campaign had corrected this tiny mistake (picture Barack Obama doing the hand thing , but even smaller), probably the work of a junior staffer, the second they learned about it. The nattering nabobs of negativism had accomplished their mission in a year when the elite mainstream media has lost its doggone mind — going after small daily clickbait like a puppy chasing its tail, demanding news conferences only to ask trivial questions , issuing ludicrous “fact checks ,” and desperately seeking gravitas in the candidate just found guilty on 34 felony counts and liable for rape and financial fraud, who was dinged by NPR for 162 lies or distortions in just one news conference.

Indeed, the outrageous overinflation of the Walz story was nearly forgotten by Monday morning when the Times, which has bent over backwards to belittle the joy of Kamala Harris’ wildly successful Democratic National Convention in Chicago last week, published an op-ed from the editor of the conservative National Review, Rich Lowry, headlined simply: “ Trump Can Win on Character .” Perhaps that’s true, as critics noted, if voters do what Lowry did in his piece and pretend that inconvenient facts like the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection or the fraud verdict had never happened. But while the column was ridiculed on social media, few people said they were giving up on the Times — because in this annus horribilis for the American media, many had already tuned out the NYT weeks or months ago.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. The NYU professor and media critic Jay Rosen urged journalists to cover “ the stakes, not the odds” of the 2024 election while Margaret Sullivan — who writes for the Guardian and her Substack after stints at the Times and the Washington Post — was more blunt in beseeching the press to ignore the pull of both-sides journalism and take seriously the threat to democracy posed by Trump, who tried to override his 2020 election loss and has made no comforting assurances that he won’t try to do the same after Nov. 5, 2024.

Few journalists — if any — have listened. Much of the righteous fury during the Chicago DNC was directed at fact - checkers from the Times, Post, and independent organizations like PolitiFact. These organizations or practices were mostly established after the endemic political lying of the 2000s — remember the Iraq War ? But while no one would argue with their stated approach of tough, unbiased scrutiny of all sides, the fact-checking industrial complex can’t handle the truth when one party’s platform is based on a firehouse of lies and the other party is trying to be serious, if not always literal, about reality.

So Democratic convention week brought absurdities like PolitiFact tackling a DNC video that showed an actual Trump 2016 quote that “there has to be some form of punishment” for women who have abortions and labeled it “mostly false” (!!) because his panicked aides later told him to walk back such a politically damaging statement. Also typical was USA Today calling it “false” when the DNC talks about “Trump’s Project 2025″ because the blueprint for his presidency was produced by the Heritage Foundation, even though most of its authors are former and would-be future Trump staffers and it offers the only program for filling jobs in a Trump administration.

C’mon, man.

It would require another column — maybe a book — to explain why this is happening. I see it as less the public’s main complaint (corporate control of the media) and more about our profession’s weird value structure, where it’s more important to be savvy, cynical, and not be portrayed as naive shills for liberalism than to care about saving democracy from authoritarian rule, on top of maybe a new and not always healthy brand of careerism from younger journalists.

The Chicago-based media critic Mark Jacob, a retired veteran editor of that city’s Tribune and Sun Times, nailed it Monday with a piece headlined “Mainstream media on a path to irrelevance.” Jacob has harsh words for how reporters have covered the race, writing that “too many political journalists are marinating in the Washington cocktail culture, writing for each other and for their sources — in service to the political industry, not the public.” But he also notes that traditional media can’t figure out how to compete for young eyeballs against sites like edgy and fast-paced TikTok . Jacob pointed out that public faith in mass media has plunged from 72% in 1976, after Watergate, to just 32% today.

You know who gets the new landscape better than anyone else? Kamala Harris.

The vice president and Democratic nominee is running to be America’s first post-media president. In Chicago, much was made of the fact that Team Harris and the Democrats invited 200 sometimes fawning internet “content creators” who got VIP treatment while mainstream journalists fought over nosebleed-level seats and refrained from eating or going to the bathroom for fear of losing them.

But more broadly, Harris and her campaign is 100% focused on message discipline to build her brand and sell it to the American people in a few short weeks. The surest way to get thrown off that message discipline would be a stray answer at an open news conference or in an interview with the likes of NBC’s Lester Holt — so for now, Harris is simply not doing that .

And she’s getting away with it. Mainstream journalists can carp and whine about this all they want, but when less than a third of Americans trust the mass media, few folks are listening to them. What’s been really striking this year is that while traditionally deep distrust of the mainstream press has been the domain of right-wing Republicans , now it’s liberals who once cheered for the media to do better who seem to be giving up on them .

This is not great. For one thing, the plunge in faith leads to cancelled subscriptions that leads to laid-off reporters or shuttered printing plants — not the vision of America’s founders who believed a free press is essential. In this campaign, I think the healthy journalistic mindset is that we want to save democracy in November, but we also want Harris to show she can answer at least a few tough questions and explain her policies beyond hopelessly vague generalities.

The reality, though, is that Harris might surge into the White House in January doing very little of this — maybe none at all, especially if Trump actually chickens out of their Sept. 10 debate in Philadelphia. Fifty years ago this summer, Richard Nixon resigned the presidency because people believed what they read about him in the Washington Post. Today, Harris feels she doesn’t need journalists at all, and a lot of the public is cheering her on. And a vainglorious elite news media with severe tunnel vision has no one to blame but themselves.

Yo, do this!

In the Better Late Than Never Department, the gap in newsletters deprived me of a chance to tell you that — in preparing for my Chicago trip — I finally watched 1969′s Medium Cool . The film by storied cinematographer Haskell Wexler uses America’s third-largest city, the social crises of the late 1960s, and a frame of journalistic ethics to create a remarkable if sometimes muddled time capsule. Wexler’s nervy decision to film fictional scenes amid the real-life chaos of the 1968 DNC is a compelling reason to track down a true relic.

Earlier this year, I told you about Benjamen Walker’s quirky podcast The Theory of Everything and its deep dive into the fascinating world of Cold War literary intrigue, “ Not All Propaganda is Art .” Walker is back with a great new episode on the 40th anniversary of 1984 (the year, not the book), which ties together Ronald Reagan, Michael Jackson, the new Apple computer, and the zeitgeist of that eventful year from the perspective of a sci-fi obsessed middle-schooler, as George Orwell lurks in the background. A must-listen.

Ask me anything

Question : If Kamala pulls it out but doesn’t have a blue Senate, what will that mean for her agenda? — Everything’s Fine ( @ResistInBux ) via X/Twitter

Answer : The odds of this happening are strong — the GOP is guaranteed a pickup in West Virginia, which means Dems would need to defend every vulnerable seat (including Sen. Jon Tester in blood-red Montana) and/or pull an unlikely upset or two to do better than the slimmest 50-50-plus-Tim-Walz majority. A Republican Senate would surely prevent a President Kamala Harris from any Supreme Court picks, and vote down any progressive Cabinet nominees. And any liberal economic or social safety net policies would be dead on arrival. Pray for miracles this November.

What you’re saying about...

I was blown away by your enthusiastic response to the last newsletter’s question about America’s best and worst vice presidential nominees. In a tight race for worst, Sarah Palin (6 votes), a dunce, edged out Spiro Agnew (5), a felon, with 3 votes for Dan Quayle and single tallies for Richard Nixon, Andrew Johnson, Joe Lieberman, JD Vance , and Dick Cheney (from my dad!...so proud). Showing the leftward bent of this crowd, the best veep race was a tie between the most-progressive-ever No, 2, FDR’s Henry Wallace , and anti-poverty warrior Lyndon Johnson. Al Gore and Joe Biden each got two votes, with one apiece for Nelson Rockefeller, Walter Mondale, Hubert Humphrey, and Mike Pence, because, as Armen Pandola put it, “when you refuse to destroy the Republic, it’s about the best that a VP can do.”

📮This week’s question: Let’s go with more of an essay question. I know most of you aren’t happy with media coverage of the election; what’s wrong with the Fourth Estate, and how can it be fixed? For a chance to be featured in my newsletter, email me your answer . Please put “Broken media” in the subject line.

Backstory on Harris and the world’s ‘most lethal’ military

The thousands of red, white and blue balloons have all popped, the echoes of DJ Cassidy segueing from Michigan’s Eminem to Minnesota’s Prince have finally died, and those American flags were all confiscated at O’Hare by the TSA (I’m guessing). But two words from Vice President Kamala Harris in her acceptance speech are still ringing for me, and for some other folks also pondering them. Harris made the somewhat boilerplate promise that her administration would offer the strongest military in the world, but added it will also be “ the most lethal .”

It was clear that one of the main purposes of Harris’ speech, in introducing herself as a presidential candidate for little more than a month since President Joe Biden’s abrupt withdrawal from the race, was to get voters picturing the would-be first American woman president behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, dealing with adversaries like Iran or Russia. And it accomplished that mission. But the seeming bloodlust of the “most lethal” vow was a bit cringe for some listeners — even, according to Newsweek , for her stepdaughter Ella Emhoff and sister Maya Harris, who didn’t join others in applauding. Leftists on X/Twitter spent the weekend tweeting about all the things — like health insurance or free college — they’d prefer over the “most lethal” military. Even Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Harris supporter who agreed America needs a strong defense said our bloated Pentagon budget should be cut, and that “ enough is enough !”

Sanders has a point. America currently spends more on defense than the world’s next nine biggest militaries combined, and yet jacking up Pentagon spending every year is the only thing Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill can agree on. And just how lethal do we need to be? One study found that America, mostly through airstrikes from Syria to Afghanistan and elsewhere, killed at least 22,000 civilians since the 2001 terror attack, and maybe as many as 48,000. Some of those folks were anti-American terrorists, but a decent number were Afghanis attending weddings or just living their lives. The United States must be — and by all accounts is — able to defend itself, with deadly force when necessary, but our talent for killing human beings should be reined in, not celebrated by a would-be commander-in-chief. After a week with Stevie Wonder and The Chicks , it was the one false note from Chicago.

What I wrote on this date in 2019

Donald Trump was showing his age, and perhaps losing his mentally acuity or worse — on this date five years ago, when he was still our president. I wrote: “Suddenly, a topic that was only discussed by the unfiltered internet masses — is Trump mentally ill, or at age 73 suffering a steep decline in mental acuity — has gone mainstream, discussed openly by pundits like CNN’s Brian Stelter (“ It’s getting worse — we all can see it”) or with presidential candidates like New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker calling him “ a dangerous president .” In my Aug. 27, 2019 column I wrote that the constitutional remedies for this, such as impeachment or the 25th Amendment, had failed, and that stopping Trump was up to us. Just like today! Check out: “ The Constitution’s 3 ways to stop a demagogue like Trump haven’t worked. Now what ?”

Recommended Inquirer reading

Hopefully a lot of you already know I was in Chicago last week covering the DNC. I looked for the ghosts of 1968 ′s violent and tempestuous Democratic convention that haunted the Windy City (and were perhaps exorcised), drilled into the mindset of the pro-Palestinian protesters in the streets, wrote about the United Center vibes that felt more like a warehouse rave than a political confab, and finally how Kamala Harris and her celebration reclaimed the American flag for the Democrats. It was a week I’ll never forget.

One last thing about Chicago: It capped a truly epic summer not just for me but for my Inquirer colleagues who’ve been providing some of America’s best political coverage both from the road and from our little newsroom overlooking Independence Hall , where it all began. The great coverage from our team at the DNC last week was led by national political reporter Julia Terusso , the hardest working woman in show business; City Hall ace Sean Collins Walsh, who, like a journalistic Brian Dawkins, was all over Philly’s local pols ; photojournalist Jose F. Moreno, who produced some Pulitzer-worthy shots ; and my Opinion colleague Jenice Armstrong, who captured the emotions of watching the first woman of color accept a major-party nomination. You’re going to want to follow these guys and the rest of the Inquirer crew from now through Nov. 5, and to do that you’ll need to subscribe. Why not start today ?

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