In some countries, some high school leavers choose to work or travel for a period of time before going to university. Discuss the disadvantages and advantages of these school leavers’ decisions and give your opinion.

In many nations, it is believed that high school seniors should have a year off before enrolling in tertiary education. This essay attempts to shed light on both the merits and demerits of this tendency before concluding that the former is more significant. On the one hand, there are several drawbacks when young graduates have a gap year. Firstly, the travelling costs are prohibitively expensive for them to afford. It is because they do not have a job and still depend on their family's economy after graduation. In the long run, this situation would put their families under financial pressure and economic burden for covering their basic needs such as commuting and accommodation expenses. Furthermore, new graduates are likely to face peer pressure when they pursue higher education after having a year-long break. It is evident that the longer gap-year they take, the more academic knowledge they have faded. Consequently, they are under considerable pressure to keep pace with intellectual attainment and chase after their friends in a long-lasting period, which may cause them emotional and mental problems. On the other hand, there are a host of compelling reasons as to why I am convinced that it is essential for high school seniors to take a year off before attending higher education. One reason is that they have many opportunities to enrich their life experiences. Vietnamese young students, for instance, could reap the benefits of an international exchange program. In other words, this chance not only helps them broaden their social knowledge by making acquaintances with people from different cultures but also hones their practical skills such as Interpersonal skills or teamwork. Another reason is that young graduates have more time to clarify their best majors and future careers before attending university. If they choose the major based on how well-earned and ubiquitous the job is without caring much about their ambitions, they may quickly feel bored and quit school. In conclusion, while it is irrefutable that taking a gap year has its drawbacks, such as travel and accommodation expenses and peer pressure, I would contend that the advantages of this situation are significantly more noteworthy than its disadvantages.