Appropriate time to go to college

While some people prefer to go straight to university after graduating from high school, others choose to take a gap year in order to travel or work. From my point of view, the advantages of taking some time off after leaving high school far outweigh any disadvantages that this trend may bring.

On the one hand, pursuing tertiary education immediately after finishing high school does have some disadvantages. Firstly, some people know exactly what career path they wish to follow and are highly motivated to undertake the necessary steps needed to achieve their dreams. Taking a gap year could serve as a waste of time and money for such
people, and may even cause some young people to lose sight of their previous goals. Secondly, some young people may find earning money while working to be much more appealing than going back to study. This could detract them from wanting to pursue further education, which could have significant disadvantages in the long run.

On the other hand, taking time off from studying to travel or work has countless benefits for young people. Although some high school graduates know exactly what they want to do in life, I believe that most young people have very little idea. This is largely due to the fact that kids these days live very sheltered lives, and do not know much about how the ‘real world’ actually functions. Taking a gap year is going to allow them to get some real-life experience, and broaden their horizons about their possible future career. Furthermore, kids these days are put through twelve years of schooling which can be exhausting for many. Taking a break to travel or work will help to prepare them for further education.

In conclusion, I believe that taking time off to travel or work before attending university would be highly beneficial to most young people today.

(310 words)

Vocabulary

• a gap year
• To pursue tertiary education/ further education
• career path
• To be highly motivated
• to lose sight of something
• serve as a waste of time and money
• live very sheltered lives
• real-life experience
• broaden their horizons