Is a gap year a valuable experience?

● PROBLEMATIQUE 2  : Spaces and exchanges

→ “Is a gap year a good/valuable experience?”

The notion I’m going to deal with is “Spaces and exchanges”.  First of all, I would like to give a definition of this concept. It deals with the geographical and symbolic places societies occupy, and the interactions between men and these societies. Our world has never seemed smaller as transport and communications have accelerated the rhythm of exchanges between areas, and crossing their borders has become easier and faster. Therefore, new modes of exchanges have emerged. I would like to illustrate this notion through the question “Is a gap year a good/valuable experience ?”, To begin with, I will briefly explain what a gap year is. Then, I will present its benefits, and in the last part, I will focus on the drawbacks met by gappers.

First of all, let me shortly define the concept of a gap year. This is a break taken by students to engage in humanitarian or environmental projects, or a year off used to travel or work differently. It’s usually after high school graduation, before continuing academic studies.. It is a way for students to become independent and learn a great deal of responsibility to be ready for university. It is very popular in some English speaking countries, such as the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, and it is now becoming more fashionable in the US and other countries.

Now, I will present the pros and cons of such an experience.

On the one hand, taking a gap year can be rewarding, as it gives you the opportunity to meet new people, know new cultures, visit new countries and learn new languages. Moreover, by volunteering or working, you feel more useful, doing meaningful actions. It is an enriching experience for everyone : You give and tou receive… Besides, you can learn new skills too. It is also a great way to escape from a daily routine, live away from home and look after yourself, a break from a traditional life. Then, it will certainly provide valuable experience for your future university studies or work. Your résumé/CV will be classier and more impressive.  It is obvious too that gappers are more mature, independent, confident and maybe more prepared for their future, after living such an adventure.

But on the other hand, volunteering or working abroad can present negative aspects. It can be a risk, in many aspects. First, it can mean a potential loss of time, as you’ll be a year behind your friends or you might lose the offer from the university you wanted to enter. For the same reason, your social life can dry up, as your friends from home will be a year ahead. More, unless you revise, you might forget a lot in a year that would be useful for your studies. Besides, it can be stressful and difficult if you are easily homesick and not prepared. And last but not least, this year off can be very expensive ! Most companies which propose volunteering are quite expensive (4,000 pounds) and unless you organize it on your own, which is quite complicated, you have to save a lot of money.

  In conclusion/to conclude, I can say that taking a gap year can be a valuable experience if you are motivated, organized and ready for some sacrifices. If you don’t want to end up doing nothing and waste your time, you need to think carefully about the pros and cons before taking/making such a decision. Personally, I’m sure/afraid...

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