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Chip
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[Poll] Gap year between highschoo and university - Good or bad?
May 3, 2009 - 12:15 AM
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I mean a gap year between highschool and university. After highschool, some people spend one or more years travelling or working before going to any university.
Gap year is good. At the age of 17 or 18, it's hard for us to know exactly which major we want to study or what we wanna do in the future. So it's very likely that you will spend 3-5 years to study what you have no idea about or what you won't use in the future, it can be even worse that you'll end up hating school. If you work, you will learn a lot about responsibility, the value of money, and company, career. If you travel alone, you'll see a lot about the world, culture, people, learn how to live independently without your family's support. It will change your point of view in a possitive way, and you will find yourself more mature.
But gap year can also be bad, b/c if you want to travel, it will cost. If you want to work, you might find is difficult to get a job. And chances are you can forget most of what you learnt in school, so you will probably can't get into any university. And ofcourse, it prolongs your student life, so you will graduate 1 or 2 years later than your friends.
Yes I'm still in my gap year, and I never regret it. I both work and travel. Last year, I didn't know what I should study, so I decided not to study anything. But now I know exactly what I want and what I will study.
What about you? Is gap year normal in your country? Are you willing to take a gap year?
Do you want to take a gap year?
Yeah absolutely. I'll learn a lot from it.
(4 votes for 50%)
No, it's just a waste of time and money.
(1 votes for 12.5%)
Hmm let me see...
(3 votes for 37.5%)
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Ben Shepherd
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Re: [Poll] Gap year between highschoo and university - Good or bad?
May 3, 2009 - 05:16 AM
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Personally I don't want to have a GAP year (yes they are normal and also quite popular) because I know that it is likely that I will spend up at least 6 years studying at university. Without a GAP year I can get straight into it and start knocking down some of those years.
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shobana
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Re: [Poll] Gap year between highschoo and university - Good or bad?
May 3, 2009 - 07:31 AM
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I would love to take a gap year, but I won't simply because I find it a financial strain. Plus, when you put off studying for some time, you would find it hard to pick it up again. Some people might not even continue at all.
Though I do know some people who have done so and came out just fine.
Personally, if you are keen on it and can afford it, I don't see why you can't do it.
But for those who want to save some time and money,it's a better option to just opt for University straight.
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Zuy Lynx Anim
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Re: [Poll] Gap year between highschoo and university - Good or bad?
May 3, 2009 - 07:37 AM
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Hi,
I'm very interested in this issue of choosing between going straight to university or to take one gap year or more.
As for your choice, I totally agree with it. And you are among the very few Vietnamese students to decide to take the gap year, which makes you really stand out.
My situation is slightly different from yours. I knew exactly what I aimed to pursue for my career when I was in grade 10, so I just took an entrance exam to enter Foreign Trade University. Of course I found a part time job right away, as well as participating in a youth organization to not only increase my experience but also broaden my views and extend my network of relationships.
The problem is that I've known countless people who finished their four years at a local university, even a national-top university like FTU, without knowing exactly what they want and, more seriously, what they had been studying for. In other words, they blindly studied. Obviously, these people still graduated, found jobs but I doubt that they will succeed in their future career, or they will find success much later than people who can decide what is suitable for them.
As for your choice, I suggest you keep a diary of the gap year, noting down who you met, what stories you were told and what lessons to learn, and then synthesize all the information to make the decision. It is always important to make long term plans and short term goals, so you will not lose track during your gap year. Like formal education, the education you acquire in your gap year through travel and work must meet your requirements to succeed in the future.
Another lesson I've learnt is that choices can always alter, no matter how carefully you plan. After 3 years in FTU, I've decided to leave the university without taking the degree, and enroll in RMIT from the beginning for a better education. So another important thing is that after choosing which majors to study, does the education you receive at university satisfy your demands?
And don't worry about prolonging your student's life. I am in the same situation as yours, since I should have graduated this year if I had stayed in FTU, but I did not. Still one more year to go, but I'm satisfied with it. And I've met people from European countries who started their university at the age of 28 or even later, after years of working, traveling and self-discovering to really understand the value of education.
So, I wish you luck and hope you will learn valuable things that will be helpful for your future during your gap year(s).
Regards,
Duy Linh
This post was edited on: 2009-05-03 at 07:45 AM by: animaunica
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Marcus
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Re: [Poll] Gap year between highschoo and university - Good or bad?
May 3, 2009 - 07:54 AM
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chipro wrote:
I mean a gap year between highschool and university. After highschool, some people spend one or more years travelling or working before going to any university.
Gap year is good. At the age of 17 or 18, it's hard for us to know exactly which major we want to study or what we wanna do in the future. So it's very likely that you will spend 3-5 years to study what you have no idea about or what you won't use in the future, it can be even worse that you'll end up hating school. If you work, you will learn a lot about responsibility, the value of money, and company, career. If you travel alone, you'll see a lot about the world, culture, people, learn how to live independently without your family's support. It will change your point of view in a possitive way, and you will find yourself more mature.
But gap year can also be bad, b/c if you want to travel, it will cost. If you want to work, you might find is difficult to get a job. And chances are you can forget most of what you learnt in school, so you will probably can't get into any university. And ofcourse, it prolongs your student life, so you will graduate 1 or 2 years later than your friends.
Yes I'm still in my gap year, and I never regret it. I both work and travel. Last year, I didn't know what I should study, so I decided not to study anything. But now I know exactly what I want and what I will study.
What about you? Is gap year normal in your country? Are you willing to take a gap year?
Hmmm I’m kind of mixed on my feelings. On the one had I really do want to travel the world, and explore. To see how others live and I really do feel that my best shot at this would be a GAP year where I can earn/work as I ‘see’ the world. However I have a friend who had a GAP year. He went to England for his GAP year knowing that when he came back he would be a lot more mature then he was at the time and would see the world in a different context. He came back this year and applied and was accepted to study engineering. However after 6 weeks he decided that this course was not what he expected dropped out and applied for the navy. He now has the dream of being a Commander of a ship.
I really do feel that a GAP year can make you lazy, my friend has now lost the ‘can do attitude’ he used to have and is much more relaxed about his school work. I think that for me it is going to be better if I go straight into my course rather than waiting a year. I have already been working part time since I was 12 and am ready for the next step of adulthood and independence.
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VO VIET ANH
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Re: [Poll] Gap year between highschoo and university - Good or bad?
May 4, 2009 - 02:00 PM
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Gap year is great for one or another, but it's a waste of time for never-do-goods, lolz.
To my knowledge, many top universities in the U.S. prefer to offer admission and/or high scholarships to students who have just graduated from high school (and with high SAT score).
This post was edited on: 2009-05-09 at 11:28 AM by: mastertek
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Chip
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Re: [Poll] Gap year between highschoo and university - Good or bad?
May 9, 2009 - 10:33 AM
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@Ben Yes I know. I once dreamed that I could graduate at the age of 20, but now I don't think I can get into university before 20 hahaa. Ofcourse you can always have a break after your university  At that time you might be more mature and more ready for challeges in life.
@Shobana You're right. It was hard for me to decide to go back to school. One of my friends took a gap year too, but she would never come back to university  Working environment is totally different from academic environment. Hehe. I don't think finance is a big problem. Like me, I don't have money, so I have to work and travel at the same time.
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Chip
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Re: [Poll] Gap year between highschoo and university - Good or bad?
May 9, 2009 - 11:03 AM
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@Duy Linh If there were a +1 button, I would definitely vote for your thoughtful reply. Yes everyone thought that I was crazy when I decided to take a gap year, it's so abnormal in Vietnam.
Take you as an example, even though you already knew exactly what you want to study at the grade of 10, you still switched your university after 3 years of study Decision takes time. What a pity that my first gap year is almost over, and I haven't had my notebook about it yet  But I do have a blog, and I've taken a lot of pictures. I've met many interesting people, and got a lot of job offers, that's amazing hehee.
At first I was worried about my prolonged student life, that I once thought that I would never come back to school, but at last I found it kinda funny. Studying is not the matter of early or late, but it's about your ability to enjoy and absorb what you study
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Chip
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Re: [Poll] Gap year between highschoo and university - Good or bad?
May 9, 2009 - 11:32 AM
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@Marcus Good point, I'm curious about your friend's case. Could you please tell us a little bit more about what your friend did in his gap year? Just like Vo Viet Anh commented, gap year is not good for everyone. It also depends on how you spend your gap year. If you take a gap year just for clubbing, boozing, doing non-sense things, I don't think it can help. And another fact is that not everyone after his/her gap year can decide what he/she really wants to study. Gap year just helps you understand more about life, working environment therefore you can make better decisions.
@Vo Viet Anh I love you too hahaa. I know there are several universities that don't offer scholarships for students who take a gap year, but there are also a lot of scholarships available for gap year students. I know there is a scholarship for only students whose student lives have been interrupted.
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VO VIET ANH
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Re: [Poll] Gap year between highschoo and university - Good or bad?
May 9, 2009 - 12:46 PM
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Still, taking gap year is a crucial decision. And don't get carried away with the idea of traveling. People with financial constrain can still do lots of stuff locally.
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Zay
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Re: [Poll] Gap year between high school and university - Good or bad?
May 10, 2009 - 03:38 AM
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Personally I think having a gap year can be a great experience. For some people depending on what they are intending to study, it would be a couple of years before they can do something like an OE (overseas experience) again. And even then, some will be drowning in student debt, making oversea travel almost impossible.
If you have a gap year, then you can work and experience life as a youth before having to study hard out for the next few years. Also by working, you can save money for university fees etc.
Even though I think a gap year would be great, I'm not going to have one. I'm intending on becoming a doctor which means about 7 years of studying and am looking into discretionary entrance so I don't think a gap year is going to suit me.
Other than my troubles, I think those that wish to take a gap year should.
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Chip
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Re: [Poll] Gap year between highschoo and university - Good or bad?
May 10, 2009 - 10:56 AM
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@Zay Yup I can understand. Not all people find gap year(s) interesting can make it Your feelings and experiences may be different depending on your age. Like if you see something when you are young, you will see it purely enough; but if you see something when you are older, your experiences may affect your point of view.
@Vo Viet Anh Yup, there are lot of stuffs to do in gap year(s). If you took a gap year, what would you do?
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Kam
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Re: [Poll] Gap year between highschoo and university - Good or bad?
May 12, 2009 - 10:53 AM
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It's the summer before my senior year and I'm having a really hared time trying to decide what to do. I think one thing I'd really appreciate is time to try actually working. Of course we've studied physics and biology but we never had any work experience so how are we suppose to know what we would like to do?
I actually think it'd be an interesting idea to let us learn everything a year quicker and save senior year for real work experience where the schools and ministry of education can help organized part time jobs.
I think it would make us not only realize the importance of our education but even enjoy our time studying more.
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franmarie
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Re: [Poll] Gap year between highschoo and university - Good or bad?
May 15, 2009 - 03:23 AM
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For me, a gap year between high school and college can either be good or bad, depending on the reason of the person.
Good. A student will have an ample time for deliberation and making decision on what field to pursue in a university. Some students will taje this gap year as an opportunity to work and gain experience to fund their college schooling and to prepare themselves to face a different kind of academic environment.
Bad. It will delay a student a year to finish college based on the age-schooling standards usually set by the norms (anyway, who cares?). Some students may use their current job as an excuse of not pursuing a college degree (an allybi of being lazy to study and continue college).
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