\ \ SAMPLE Traditionally, high schoo! seniors will either pursue college or enter the workforce after their graduation. However, these days, a third option — gap year, where students defer university enrollment to travel or work, is gainingitraction. While there are admittedly several benefits to students, | believe that the negative influences of this arowing development are more glaring. On the one hand, delaying tertiary education for one year is advantageous to a certain extent. First, gap year affords new graduates time to travel and immerse themselves in alien cultures, which helps them enrich their life’ experiences and hone practical skills. For example, when living abroad, students will have to adapt quickly to their independent life and pick up new foreign languages. Second, given that most high schools provide inadequate career guidance, sparing several months looking for job opportunities or attending vocational training courses will empower students to identify a suitable career path. Such experiences would be hardly attainable If high school graduates immediately enroll in university and become occupied with their intense study schedules. On the other hand, | am convinced that the aforementioned advantages palé!in’ omparison|With the significant disadvantages of having a year-long break prior to embarking on higher education. A major drawback is that gap-year takers may fall behind in their study as well as facing peer pressure, which could possibly drain their Self4¢onfidence. In addition to this, high school seniors can loseimomientum, finding it hard to fésUmé their education after a long time being distracted from formal schooling. Last but not least, those young people are unlikely to save up a lot of money or cultivate relevant job skills during their gap year, which can belattributed to the fact that the jobs available to high school leavers are mainly entry-level ones that are neither pay well nor teach them anything substantive. In conclusion, while taking 2 gap year is not without certain benefits, | would contend that the given disadvantages do not make it a Worthwhile path, 276 words — Written by Phuong Dang