By Jaime Gore, FHS Journalism writer.
What am I going to do with myself after graduation day? Many high school seniors are often puzzled by this question. The pressures of going to college constantly run through high school students" mind. Some students know they want to go right off to college, there are also the others who know they eventually will have a desire to go but feel they are not mentally and physically mature enough to advance to the next level of education yet. The simple solution to this often-problematic issue is the "taking a year off" plan. Is this plan a good idea or is it just another way to unmotivate a high school graduate?.
"Everyone expects you to go right off to college, after high school. What if I"m not ready? What's the sense in paying a hefty amount of money if I"m not ready to give college my full potential?" stated a 2003 graduate Wendell Cresey. .
Like Wendell, there are many students who feel that they would like to eventually go to college, but are tired of spending tedious hours in a classroom. The decision to take a year off is often looked down upon; when in reality it could be a perfectly practical decision. .
"I wish I would have given my self a break and really figured out my weaknesses and strengths, figuring out things I really had a passion for. I went to school for business which I had no interest in at all. Instead of enjoying the scholastics of college, I enjoyed the constant party and socialization of college, which only left me with a whole in my pocket and no beneficiary academic improvement." Said Lynn Gore, mother of two.
Kids go to school thinking they have their mind set on one career, like for instance they want to be a doctor, they go and find out they can't even pass freshman biology. By taking a year off you can benefit yourself by going out and experiencing the real on your own, making decisions, making money, working, traveling, volunteering and interning.