High school students are pressured to have a plan for after high school. That includes finding the perfect college. Though, attending college right after is the go to it is not required. Students can take a year off to travel, earn some extra money, or even look further into their studying options. Taking a gap year is a good thing to do.

Parents tell their children that they have to go to school and go to college to get a great job. Students have that imprinted into their brain. Start school, graduate high school, go to college. If a student doesn’t want to go to college right away they are scolded. People seem to think that if you don’t go to college right away, it will just disappear.

Though, statistics show that that is not true. A survey by The American Gap Association, AGA, with 90 percent of students who took a gap year came went back to school within a year. It is more common for students to go back to school then to not. While taking this gap year students get a chance to look into other things.

In another survey by AGA with roughly 700 respondents 95 percent of the students took the gap to gain life experiences and grow personally. With 82 percent took the year off to travel. 51 percent to explore study options, and 44 percent to explore career options. Having so many options, why is it such a crime to want to wait a year to start college?
Students should not be pressured into school right after high school. They should be able to explore if they want. College shouldn’t such a big thing in the classroom, home, and in the media. Students have other options then college after high school. They should be recognized more.