gap year essay example

The Gap Year Essay: Pros and Cons

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

Looking for a gap year essay example? This argumentative essay describes all the pros and cons of taking a gap year before college.

Introduction

• Pros of taking a gap year
• Cons of taking a gap year

There is an ongoing debate on whether high school graduates should take a year off (a gap year) before joining college. A gap year is a break from formal education and controlled environment that is otherwise monotonous and exhausting. Gap year is common in European countries and also in Australia and it is quickly catching up in America. It is an idea that even the most prestigious colleges and universities are getting fond of and thus encourage high school leavers to try it out.

Gap Year Pros

After completing high school, students tend to suffer from ‘information overload’ and exhaustion (Naomi, 2008). A year off may be helpful to such a person who has had an academic burnout and can use some time out to ‘recharge his or her academic battery’. The gap year will present the student with a chance to refresh his system and get a renewed energy which he will use to face the next phase of education.

Another reason as to why taking a year off is important is the fact that the person is able to build on some self confidence and their maturity level. Even top level universities are encouraging school leavers to take a year off since they reckon that those who do so, bring good values to the institution since they have had a taste of ‘outside life’ and will have a serious perspective towards life.

It is believed that those who take a gap year will be more focused and ready to face the more taxing institution of higher education. It is usually encouraged that students taking the gap year do so in a manner that will help them add some experience in a working environment while earning some money. They may also look for an internship which will help them have a feel of an organization and how it operates thus the student will make their curriculum vitae more appealing (William, 2000).

A gap year also offers chance for the high school leaver to do a thorough university search where he will look for the right institution that offers the course that he wants to engage himself in. The year off presents the school leaver with a chance to find the academic forte that he is most comfortable with. While enjoying a gap year, the school leaver will decide on what he or she wants to major in and this in turn will help them become more focused when joining university.

A school leaver may also spend his gap year travelling around hence broadening his horizon. By travelling abroad, the school leaver may discover new talents, gain new skills, learn new languages and visit various historical sites and this will help him have a diverse and broader perspective of life and thus make him more serious and focused when he gets to university.

Travelling abroad will also help the school leaver mingle with people of different races and cultures, a factor that helps them understand and appreciate diversity. This turns out to be very helpful to the high school leaver since he will encounter a multiracial and multicultural environment in the university and can therefore easily adapt, settle and start learning (Shellenbarger, 2010)).

A high school leaver who takes a gap year has a better chance of handling the peer pressure in the university. Because the high school leaver who was previously under the careful watch of his parents, will now be left on his own and thus the leaver who enjoyed his gap year travelling or being on an attachment will have built his self confidence and hence will tend to fight off peer pressure unlike the school leaver who joins university immediately where he will be hit by the reality of ‘first true freedom’ (World Inhabit, 2007).

Gap Year Cons

Besides the fact that taking a gap year will help to refresh the school leaver’s system, the gap year may also turn out to be disastrous towards the student and his career. This usually happens when the high school leaver fails to plan properly his schedule for the year off. Mostly, the high school leavers will waste a whole year and may not gain any helpful experience.

A mismanaged gap year may turn out to be too expensive to the high school leaver and, hence, deplete resources leaving him with insufficient funds to join university. Taking a gap year may result in a higher university budget as tuition fees tend to increase annually. William (2000) notes that “engaging in a gap year may result in the student missing a slot in the university especially in courses that are competitive”.

Also taking a year off may at times make the student lose momentum on studying and this may cause him a drop out of college or take a longer time to complete his course than expected. A gap year may lead to the high school leaver being demoralized by trailing his fellow classmates during the whole year (Sanjou, 2008).

A person who takes a gap year may fail to develop good skills and habits that may affect and help in his career and consequently fail to fit in the taxing university environment. A high school leaver who takes a gap year may enjoy real freedom having a time of his life and may find it very difficult to come in terms with reality that may end up by failing to join the university (Eunson, 2008).

Taking a year off may consequently lead to a delay in the beginning of a person’s career which means that the person will start earning at a later stage in life than he was supposed to. Also there are companies which plan trips for the school leavers thus reducing their level of self responsibility and thus don’t help build self confidence since they plan everything for the school leavers who should instead be doing things on their own to help build their confidence (College Confidential, 2010).

A high school graduate should consider the options he or she has when choosing whether or not to take up a gap year. The individual through numerous consultations with his parents, school counselors and sponsors should weigh between the pros and cons of taking up a gap year or not.

Ultimately, the decision lies in the high school leaver’s hands. This means that should the school leaver decide that he needs a break from academic pressure, he should ensure that he spends his gap year productively in a manner that will help boost his career path. A year off that is well spent by the school leaver can help boost a person’s confidence and maturity level. He will have a broader perspective of life and hence will give the university the seriousness it deserves once he gets enrolled.

Many universities in Europe and currently in the United States have come to appreciate the importance of taking a year off. Reports made by a number of university deans show that most people who take a gap year before joining university usually have a higher degree of seriousness, maturity and understanding than those who join university immediately after high school.

College Confidential. (2010). Pros and Cons of Gap Year . Web.

Eunson, B. (2008). Communicating in the 21st century 2nd edition . New York: John Wiley.

Naomi, G. (2008). The college gap year. Advantages and disadvantages of taking a gap year. CA: Sage.

Sanjou .G. (2008). Taking a year off is advantageous . New York: John Wiley.

Shellenbarger, S. ( 2010). Delaying College to Fill in the Gaps . Wall Street Journal.

William, F. (2000). Time out or Burn Out for the Next generation. New York, NY: McGraw Hill/Irwin.

World Inhabit. (2007). The Advantages and Disadvantages of Taking a Gap Year. Web.

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IvyPanda. (2018, October 17). The Gap Year Essay: Pros and Cons. https://ivypanda.com/essays/gap-year/

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Bibliography

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• Medical School Application

Medical School Gap Year Secondary Essay Examples

If you have taken time off and need to explain why in your application, you should look at a medical school gap year secondary essay example or two. If you have taken a gap year before medical school , you might find yourself in the position of needing to explain why. Most medical schools provide an opportunity to speak to this gap year, often in your medical school secondary essays .

It’s important to talk about your gap year because the gap can be seen as either a positive or negative by your institution. You need to show yourself as the perfect candidate, so take advantage of this opportunity.

In this article, we’ll talk about gap years and give you medical school secondary essay examples that speak specifically to gap years. This way, you can write your own and attend the med school of your dreams.

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Article Contents 10 min read

Why take a gap year.

There are lots of great reasons for a gap year as well as a couple of uncomfortable reasons that you can turn into positives.

Unsure of taking a gap year before medical school? Watch this video:

Medical school is expensive. You might have needed an extra year to work a job or two and save up. This is not a problem; admissions committees know this. If you’re heading into your gap year, try to find work that has some bearing on health care so that you can double up on reasons for your gap year.

You can’t make an essay out of, “I needed money,” however. You should talk about your responsibilities, which could include supporting family members. You should also demonstrate your prudence, planning, and forethought and talk about your long-term goals. This way, you’re not just discussing the reality of needing money but illuminating your character and showing why you’re an ideal candidate for medical school.

You might need to pick up extra courses to make your application work. Maybe you actually need a course you don’t have. Maybe you just want higher grades for a better transcript, so you’re retaking some classes. However it shakes down, picking up your academic muster is a great reason for a gap year.

When speaking to your courses, talk about how they have improved your knowledge and understanding – show, don’t tell, using examples that show your improvement.

You wanted to see the world, meet people, and find out about other cultures, so you took a year off while you had the opportunity. Great! Medical schools love a well-rounded individual who has the empathy derived from journeying to other destinations. Talk about your travels in the world and how they have shaped and changed your outlook on life.

Personal Reasons

Sometimes, personal responsibilities create pitfalls that get in our way. You might have had to deal with an illness or other strain in your personal life. This could be tragic – like the loss of a loved one and the fallout from that experience. Taking a gap year to deal with trauma is fine. Talk about your experiences – as much as you are able – and how they have changed you.

Requirement or Failure

This is the hardest gap year essay to write. You flunked a course and needed to retake it. How to get into medical school with a low GPA requires making certain moves – like retaking courses – to realize your dream. If you need a higher score due to medical school GPA requirements , or because you can’t get into medical school with a low MCAT , you might need to write about this experience.

Take heart: you can turn a negative into a positive! Say that you could have taken your lower grades and gone for one of the easiest medical schools to get into but that you are convinced that an institution with higher thresholds would fit you best. Provide the reasons you believe that is true. Talk about how you don’t rest until you’ve worked your hardest. Talk about how your failures will never hold you back or be repeated. Your “failure” can turn into an essay about the hardest-working, fastest-learning student the admissions committee has ever seen.

You need to highlight the experiences you have had, lessons you’ve learned, and growth you’ve undergone during your gap year. At the same time, avoid vagueness in your essay that will leave your admissions committee thinking poorly of your usage of time.

• Highlight extracurriculars for medical school that you’ve picked up.
• Talk about a job that’s helping you pay for medical school.
• Show what you’ve learned while picking up prerequisites for medical school .
• Show how you’ve learned from past mistakes.
• Complain about circumstances that caused the gap year. You can speak to the reasons why, just don’t be negative – that sounds like you’re stuck wallowing in self-pity.
• Give the impression you haven’t done much over the gap year.
• Just list activities you participated in without expanding on how you have grown as a result.

While essays from different schools might have different word limits, most are between 500 and 750 words. You can go a little lower or higher than that, depending on the school.

Medical School Gap Year Secondary Essay No.1: 

I was heartbroken. On reviewing my transcript in connection with my top-choice medical school, I discovered that I was two courses short. Inorganic Chemistry – with lab – and a mathematics course in Statistics were both prerequisites. As it had been communicated to me, they were optional, and I had taken different courses for chemistry and math.

At first, I was filled with despair and anger, but those feelings passed quickly as I realized that I could be upset all I wanted, but what I really wanted was to move forward and go to the school of my dreams. It wasn’t time to feel sorry for myself; it was time to get to work.

While I was not keen to delay my future, I took advantage of every option I could. I was able to take both courses at a local community college and have time to really focus on them, plus I could get a job and save up money for medical school.

What I had been dreading, I wound up loving. My Inorganic Chemistry course was fascinating. I particularly loved the laboratory work, where I wound up doing experiments in thermodynamics. I was allowed to come in on weekends to conduct research; I had to ask for extra time because of how exciting and engaging I was finding the work to be. My research was on how energy is lost in energy-matter conversions, and I wrote a paper on why perpetual motion machines cannot work. I’m not pretending this was groundbreaking research, but it was a wonderful expedition into a new world.

In the second half of my course, I researched magnets and how they might affect medicine. I’m not talking about the use of magnets in healing, but how magnetic fields might affect medical technology. We use magnets in MRIs, for example, but these can damage other medical technology like pacemakers. I found all the lab work and experimentation in this course both intriguing and inspiring. 

Statistics class was less fun. Cataloguing and number crunching has never been my strong suit, and I must admit that this disinclination toward this branch of mathematics was why I avoided the course when I thought it was optional. However, as difficult as I found it, I am glad I took the course. While I still don’t enjoy working with statistics, I am comfortable doing so. This has improved my confidence, and I no longer feel intimidated when contemplating the prospect of documenting patients or looking for anomalies in datasets to help diagnose problems.

My gap year started as a frustrating necessity that I accepted with a sigh. But during the year, I have gained confidence, piqued my curiosity, and learned that hard work and a good attitude can change a very negative experience into a positive one. I feel like a better person – not just a better candidate – thanks to this wonderful year.

Here're some more tips for making your medical school application stand out:

Medical School Gap Year Secondary Essay No.2: 

When we got the news, I was heartbroken, but not because it would mean a delay before pursuing my dream of becoming a doctor. Well, that was part of it, but my real sorrow came from the news that my mother was very sick and would need a tremendous amount of care.

It wasn’t just one thing, but several. In addition to a recent cancer diagnosis, she had had a bad accident while mountain climbing – one of her passions – and suffered a fractured leg and a concussion. I knew that between home care and medical bills, I would not be going to school in the fall.

Mom insisted that I go anyway, but I knew she would need me at home, so I insisted right back until she gave in. She’s not always easy to get along with, particularly since the concussion. It doesn’t matter to me. We might argue from time to time, but she’s still my mother and I couldn’t love her more if I tried. So, I canceled my medical school applications with letters of apology, and I learned what kind of home care Mom would need.

I was already working a part-time job in the evenings, doing some lab work with my Uncle Greg. Uncle Greg is a big influence in my life, and his scientific leanings inspired me to study biology and ultimately medicine. Moreover, he is more of a dad than anyone I’ve ever known. I explained the situation to Uncle Greg, and he offered me as many hours as he could. I also picked up a job working at a hardware store.

Everything went fine for a month or two, but I was feeling the emotional strain. Uncle Greg came around more to help out, and a neighbor also started coming by. This is when I recognized the importance of community in handling hard times. Pride is a luxury: I asked for help and got it. I found so many people in my friend circle who were willing to help, even in little ways like preparing a meal or letting me vent my frustrations and helping me emotionally.

Throughout my gap year, I came to appreciate the value of family and community as I never had before. It was harrowing and difficult, but I came through feeling cared for and loved by friends and by my community at large. Mom is doing much better now, and we’re finally in a place, in terms of health and finances, that allows me to apply to medical schools again.

Your school is at the top of my list due to its emphasis on programs like rural medicine and other community initiatives. With my love and understanding of the importance of social networks, I believe our values are aligned, and your institution will benefit me more than any other could.

The hard part wasn’t looking at a transcript with such a low GPA; it was knowing I would have to admit it. My parents were furious, and I had nothing to say because I was angry at myself, too; I let myself down. After the initial shock and disappointment, however, I knew that I could not accept defeat. I would push past this and fight harder than ever for my goals in life. I let my passion drive me forward instead of holding me back.

I re-enrolled in classes to bring up my test scores. I targeted the classes that had the low grades – I hadn’t flubbed everything, after all.

I knew that to bring my grades up, I would need a whole new routine. So, I applied multiple methods to improve my results. First, I talked to a friend of mine who I knew had stellar grades. She helped me by explaining her study habits to me, and I used her rubric for inspiration to create my own. One of the most fascinating things she told me was about breaks and burnout. She said I was essentially studying wrong by studying in too-intense bursts. By spreading out my sessions and breaking up studying with physical activity, chores, work, or relaxation, I would achieve better results.

I also now employ a study app on my smart phone. This app helps me set up lesson plans and study sessions and keeps me in balance with other activities and nutrition. Nutrition surprised me, too, because while I understood that eating right was good for you, I had let my dietary habits slip in school; it’s easy to get hooked on junk food. I quit junk food cold turkey and switched to a healthier diet. Almost immediately, I saw results in my ability to learn and process information.

My improved studying habits paid off, and my three worst grades turned into my three best grades. On top of it all, I had restored some balance in my work-play-school and improved my health. My low grades had turned into a major lifestyle revision, which has left me feeling happier and healthier as well as more prepared for medical school applications.

You’re now ready to write your own medical school gap year secondary essay. Keep in mind that all essays boil down to selling yourself as perfect for the institution you’re applying to. Even a gap year essay comes down to addressing, “ Why this medical school ?” or “ Why should we choose you ?”

How to write a college essay can be hard. Even knowing how to start a college essay can be difficult! In addition to studying medical school secondary essay examples, we also recommend finding a college essay review service , which can be of great help.

At this point, you’re ready to start writing about your gap year with skill and knowledge that only essay examples can give!

This changes from school to school, but 500 words is about average. Sometimes this is given in a character count – assume it includes spaces unless otherwise told – or a page count, but the main thing is to never exceed the limit.

We recommend you take a little time every day for 2 or 3 weeks. You have to write it, refine it, and proofread it – and that’s even before sending it out for other people to look over.

As we’ve said, a gap year can be a great advantage. If you’re going to use your time well, then yes, it’s worth it, but you also need to factor in your timeline for your future goals, too.

Yes. Everything counts because it gives an impression of who you are: a careful spellchecker, or somebody who doesn’t care about their work.

You’re probably thinking surface-level. Maybe you needed money, so you got a job. What’s to write about? Tell the story of your dreams of med school, the hardship of knowing you can’t afford it, and how you won’t quit due to a hurdle in your path. That story is compelling and interesting. You probably learned something valuable along the way, too.

It’s recommended. If you took the gap year, it would be good to know why. You don’t want ambiguity leading the admissions committee to thinking that you just did nothing for a year.

Pick a main reason and focus on that. Mention the others in one paragraph or connect them to the main reason. For example, maybe you were saving up money but also helping your family through financial troubles. You can easily talk about both in the same essay. It is good to stay focused, however.

Some schools won’t have a gap year essay, or secondary essays, so there might not be a direct prompt. If your school doesn’t have a direct prompt, you can use some of your medical school personal statement to speak to your gap year – it is part of your journey to med school, after all.

If the institution you’re applying to has no essays whatsoever, you cannot address the gap year directly. Trust that they don’t need to hear about it, or will ask about it as one of their medical school interview questions .

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