Research Paper

Submitted By punkin1994
Words: 2628
Pages: 11
Open Document
Shandrea Schwender
Professor Grosse
English 1102
April 16, 2012
Gap Year
Maybe you're tired of the academic routine. Maybe you're not sure why you're going to college or what you'll do when you get there. Maybe you have the desire to explore far-away places or a career that interests you. If this sounds like you, perhaps now is the time to consider taking a year off between high school and college. This year off between high school and college is called a “gap year”.
A gap year, or “year out”, is the British tradition where high school graduates decide to postpone going to college and instead they spend a year traveling, volunteering, interning and engaging in other forms of experiential learning. Teens in the United States should adopt this British tradition of taking a “gap year” in between high school and college. Taking a “gap year” is not just a year out of school where you sit in front of the television and watch re-runs of TV shows or sleeping all day. While you are out of school for this year make sure you spend your time in an engaging way.
For most Americans the traditional next step after graduating high school is enrolling into college. This causes an extreme pressure on high school graduates to continue on being a full time student whether it is from parents, friends or any other family members. Many students fall into the belief that quickly getting through the next four years of college to obtain a degree is the best way to lead to the beginning of career success and the next phase of their lives. However, dedicating themselves to a university is a task that takes extensive amounts of time with careful and precise planning, which most high school seniors do not have in the busy school year alone. These students may consider taking a gap year. A gap year (otherwise known as a deferred year) is a period of time in which students take a break from formal education in order to travel, volunteer, study, intern, work, perform research, or any combination of these activities. A gap year can be immensely beneficial to students to gain a sense of identity, improve their education, and help strengthen their career choice. Students take a gap year for a number of reasons. Some are just academically burnt out and need a break. Some are unsure of which direction or career path they want to pursue. Others want to travel, study abroad, volunteer and do things they may not necessarily have time for later in life. Still others take a year off to work and save up money in order to afford college.
The biggest plus of a gap year is that many students who take time off before college find that the break from academics enables them to return to the classroom the following fall with improved energy and focus. Some parents and even some students worry that a detour from college may lead to a long-term derailment, but this is rarely the case. Most gappers who take a year off of the academic treadmill are eager to climb back on when the time comes.
“In the United Kingdom, for instance, about 11% of the 300,000 college-bound seniors take a gap year before enrolling. Australia puts up similar aggregate numbers in what's known Down Under as "going walkabout." “(MacDonald, ‘Gap Year’ Before College Gives Grads Valuable Life Experience)
There are many benefits of taking a year off of school after graduating from high school. During this year off there are many changes that happen to students that participate. Most teens mature, have more self-reliance and they become more independent. In secondary school, you probably learned a fair bit about how to be a good student. On the other hand, you likely learned very little about life experience. Gap years can provide students the chance to learn responsibility on a different level. Whether you’re planning a trip around the world or working as a store manager, you’re going to be fending for yourself as an adult for the first time. When it comes time for dorm life or in your own apartment,
Show More

Related Documents: Research Paper

research paper

Research Paper 1 How safe are the government facilities? Rebecca Leon Empire State University Business Continuity Planning and Disaster Recovery Diane Delucia April 01, 2015 Research Paper 2 On March 9th 2015 an email was sent out to every Army…

Words 1122 - Pages 5

IT Research Paper

Research Paper MELKIA WATERS Mwaters17@capellauniversity.edu IT3006 PROF. JULIA KRUMMEN Nov. 10, 2013 Identifying Improved Methodology to Procure HIT Software Benefits Users Introduction Researchers conducted a study conducted at The University of Utah Healthcare system (comprising of 3 major hospitals) on the usability of their health information technology (HIT) software. Evaluators found 60 usability problems and 233 heuristic violations (Guo et al., 2011). Heuristic is defined by Oxford Dictionaries…

Words 1892 - Pages 8

Research Paper

25099373 CNF15_3 Research Methods Research Proposal Word Count: 1210 A look into the Memory Retention: Can stimulants increase a person’s memory? A quantitative research proposal. For this research proposal, memory will be looked into to see whether a person’s memory can be increased via the intake of stimulants. This quantitative research will then look into whether there are any future benefits in consuming stimulants if memory is found to be increased. There is already research similar in nature…

Words 1359 - Pages 6

Research Paper

Research papers are a common type of paper for students to write, especially when they are attending college. These papers require students to perform research, such as utilizing primary and secondary sources to draw new conclusions. For students who have not written this type of paper before, it may seem daunting. There are many free sample research papers online for those who want to see how to structure their paper and other details.Diane Hacker, an author who writes manuals for students writing…

Words 307 - Pages 2

Research Paper

Research Paper EDUC 600 Pamela Noble Dr. Albright Liberty University Abstract Billions of dollars are spent every year on psychologist, psychiatrist, and counselors only to discover that one of the key elements missing in their child is resiliency. Resiliency for the purpose of this study is defined as the appropriate personality such as strength and positive adaptation that help a person or family cope with stress or life difficulties, increasing the likelihood of…

Words 514 - Pages 3

Research Paper

Research Paper How does an imposed requirement of regularly identifying exposure to operational risk benefit an insurance company? Executive Summary The topic of this research paper is how an imposed requirement of regularly identifying exposure to operational risk benefits an insurance company. Risks occur naturally in all business, but if risk is not controlled, there are plenty of consequences that can arise. Insurance companies deal with risk everyday, ranging from fraud, car theft, health…

Words 2609 - Pages 11

Research Paper

Comparison of the Sciences SSC101 Research Assignment Module 7 Saint Leo University December 08, 2012 The three social sciences below are defined as according to the Merriam-Webster on line dictionary. www.merriam-webster.com Anthropology 1: the science of human beings; especially : the study of human beings and their ancestors through time and space and in relation to physical character, environmental and social relations, and culture 2: theology dealing with the origin,…

Words 2578 - Pages 11

Research Paper

amount Americans drink today by three and you'll have an idea what much of the nineteenth century was like.” So how does someone become an alcoholic? This has to do with a combination of genetic, physiological, psychological and social factors. Research have discovered that children of alcoholics are four times more likely to become alcoholics themselves. Children of alcoholic parents are raised in the environment where drinking is okay and they tend to pick up the drinking habit from their parents…

Words 1766 - Pages 8

Research paper

groups, sexual preferences, sex, size, etc. So to fathom being in a society where it is essentially a "free for all" towards being prejudice, or genuinely prejudice towards these types of groups is very hard to imagine. Prior to doing any definite research, I thought I had a pretty clear idea on how exactly equal opportunity could both benefit, and hurt today’s workplace. As I was reading “Advantages & Disadvantages of Equal Opportunity Employment” (Casey Reader) a short online article by Casey Reader…

Words 1332 - Pages 6

Research Paper

you commit yourself to. This way of thinking really reflects on the type of writing process I endure. While writing I really focus on how I want to identify myself, what questions I wish to discover, and how this idea might change me. To begin my paper I use an outline. On this outline at the top of the page I write my main topic that I wish to write about. After I have created the topic, I then write a list of ideas that relate to what I want to talk about. Out of the ten ideas I create I choose…

Words 2972 - Pages 12