College Education

¶ … High School before Entering College Entering college is one of the most important goals of students when finishing their studies in high school. College is the major venue in which students are prepared in a deeper level of education before they begin to face the world by themselves, as part of the society that contributes to its development.

How do we ensure that students can deliver their best in this preparatory level of a successful life? One of the most common preferences of students who graduated from high school is to take a year off before entering college. One reason is because they want to take a break from the struggles they encountered in high school.

Similar to how our body needs rest for good health, a year off after four years of high school trials can provide the students with time to prepare themselves for a healthy college. Otherwise, college may not be an endearing situation for those who are tired of school. Ted Villaire, in his Life After School, indicates similar view of Joan Jacobson, a counselor at Shawnee Mission South Public High School, on taking a year off before entering college.

Those who have struggled with various aspects of high school, whether academic, personal or social, and who are reluctant to explore academic options after high school, are unlikely to have a positive attitude about continuing immediately after graduation" Having enthusiasm and dedication is always an essential factor to achieve an effective education. A deeper level of these qualities is required in college because it is a harder level of learning than high school education.

A year off before college can serve as a good preparation for students to have these qualities. Taking time to relax, to travel, or to go into a venture that is different from studying, such as working, can break the fatigue that students experienced in high school. Such different experience, after some time, can once again freshen the students' perspective of going to school with greater enthusiasm and interest.

In contrast, if students who entered college are not prepared and interested in facing the new challenges of education, they may only show poor performance that can result to poor educational background. Or, chances are, the failures in school that students might encounter may only trigger them to drop out of school permanently.

Joan Jacobson, in Villaire's article, supports the cases of students in taking a year off, stating that would much rather they take a break, either work or travel, and start once they have had an opportunity to see their education in a new light -- not more of the same, but a fresh new opportunity for growth." Some parents worry that a break from school might wind up to their children's loss of interest to study (Villaire, 2000), which can lead to unsuccessful life. This, in fact, is not true.

Bob Gilpin, president of Time Out Associates reveals his experience on this case (Villaire,.