Gap Year: A Time to Grow by Isaiah

Gap Year: A Time to Grow by Isaiah - August 2019 Scholarship Essay

After four years of high school, jumping straight into college can be difficult for some graduates. A gap year is a perfect option for those who feel that way. In today’s society, a gap year is a foreign idea because it is so common for a high school graduate to go into higher education immediately. To make the most out of a gap year, I would work, travel, and learn.
With no priority of school for a year, I would have so much free time on my hands. Finding a job and working during my gap year would be great because I could save money for college. A full-time job could be another possibility because of the amount of time I would have available. Also, I could look for a job or an internship that I could use as a stepping stone to what I want to pursue in the future. For me specifically, I would love to do an internship at a church since I want to be a church counselor. It would give me good experience from working in that environment. I could figure out what I like and dislike about it and see if I want to work toward my end goal.
During my gap year, I would travel too. Throughout high school, I rarely traveled but after I graduate I will be able to travel much more. Through the few times I have traveled, I have developed a burning passion for it. There are many places I want to go to and a gap year would be a great time to start checking locations off my bucket list. I would love to visit different countries and experience their culture. Traveling the world is something not everyone has the privilege to do, so I would take the opportunities I can.
Though I will not be in a learning institution, I would still be learning. This type of learning would be indirect. I would not be sitting in a classroom or a lecture hall directly taking in information, I would be learning through experiences. Indirect learning is great because you are gaining knowledge about yourself and life itself, but you are not necessarily learning at school. For example, if I was on a road trip and got a flat tire, I would have to learn how to change a flat. That is something I have never learned in school but it will be helpful to know later on in life. Another example would be how to find a solution in a predicament at work. If you were working a customer service job, you would learn how to deal with rude customers in situations that would not occur at school.
Going straight into college after high school is not the only option. A gap year provides a long time for growth as an individual. With a gap year and unlimited things to do with my free time, I would work, travel, and learn.