Gauri Chhabra
Has the gap year died? Not quite. There were times when taking a gap year in order to prepare for an entrance exam was common. Today, it has taken many different forms. It is taken to prepare for exams, to take up volunteering, travelling adventuring and the like. Now the question arises – in a socioeconomic atmosphere where young people are bound to endless educational tracks to ensure success, the notion of taking a yearlong gap needsa lot of forethought.
What is a gap year?
A gap year is a break–not just from education, though it is very popular for recent high school graduates, but a break from routine. Beyond that, the definition of gap year can be quite flexible. For one thing, it does not have to be a year. Gap years can range from three months to two years and entail a variety of experiences, from brushing up your skills, working, traveling, and adventuring in a foreign place.Used well, it can be an opportunity for you to meet new people and cultures, experience new countries and lifestyles, and develop personal skills and characteristics.
Student Speak
Amit Nagpal who is pursuing M.D from Dayanand Medical College had taken two years of gap to prepare for the Pre Medical Test shares,”I learnt the most in the two years of gap that I took. Unable to prepare for Board exams and all India PMT on parallel grounds, I worked hard but I’m not a good mugger, and some health fluctuations screwed up some of my board exam papers, and I got 86% in CBSE. I went to write the PMT, panicked and screwed it up completely in the middle, and I failed to clear the cutoff. I had all other entrance exams in line, in the next two weeks, and I screwed most of them by panicking. I realized that I had to have a conceptual clarity and then take the exam. Instead of joining a coaching class, I decided to stay at home and prepare for the exam. I set a time table for myself and explained the concepts to myself. Next year, I took the exam again and got 20th rank in the AIPMT. This is the time when time management strategy should be utilized.
Dropping a year is a very difficult task. After some months of studying I experienced bouts of frustration, studying the same portion again and again.
But self- talk and analysis dissipated the frustration. However, joining some coaching classes is always worth since it will help you to stay motivated.
Expert Speak
Nitesh Jain, Centre Head, Career Launcher, Ludhiana says,”A focused year towards studies can land you in IIM’s or any other dream institute of your choice and that too with a good rank.You are transformed to a stronger student specially that kind of 1 year single minded devotion can be really helpful to you throughout your life”.
MAKING THE MOST OF GAP YEAR
Once you have decided to take a gap year, make the most of it. Reassure your parents that a gap year doesn’t mean you’re giving up on college. Outline your plan for the gap year and highlight all the benefits it will have on your character and academic career. Here are a few tips on how to make the best of it.
Rejuvenate yourself
Consider your gap year as an opportunity to rejuvenate and recharge your academic battery. You’ve spent long years as a student and the latter part of your academic journey trying to research a college, and going through the treadmill of examinations and admissions. Before you embark on a major and pursue a degree program, it may be time for a break. Taking a year off before returning to school will afford you the opportunity to approach the next phase of your education with a fresh start and renewed vigor while staving off academic burnout.
Rejuvenate yourself and make sure you have the stage set.
Zero in on your college and course
A gap year can prove to be the best time to select the college and the course and make a decision. Maybe you weren’t accepted into your top schools. Or you didn’t find the college of your dreams during your search for college. You can use your gap year to continue your college search for the right school, while taking classes or engaging in other activities to strengthen your college application. You can reapply to colleges and universities after the gap year.
A gap year can allow you to find your academic focus before you start your degree program. Perhaps you can take up online courses to learn more about a particular field of study. Preparation now may help in earning degrees later.
Set a time table
The gap year suddenly pours a lot of time on your plate. Set a time table and dive deep into the concepts to gain clarity and insight into the various disciplines. In case you plan to take up a competitive exam, make sure you develop speed by taking mock tests.
Practice long sittings that you would normally have taken while attending the college.
See the world
Be like Ulysses and taste the slice of life by travelling. Travel is the best mode of education and the explorative outpourings would give you an opportunity to broaden your mental horizons that would serve as a reference to the context when you come back to take your degree. In case you want to be take the UPSC exam, visit places steeped in history. It is also advisable to start learning a foreign language like Spanish and French. Immersing yourself in the foreign language and culture is the best way to master it.
Reach out
Spending a gap year as a volunteer in an NGO can provide you with a great sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. It would build a sense of social affiliation and develop the sensitivity in you that you may have missed out while not attending regular college. Any time spent on social welfare can help boost your résumé as well.There is much to be said for earning a degree from an accredited college or university. But there is also a lot to be learned from the University of Life.
Are gap years useless on resumes?
A few years ago – maybe. Today, absolutely not. More and more, schools and employers are seeing students who have dropped a year having an edge over the others. Having the experience will differentiate your CV. What stands out in a resume is the actions a person has taken and the results they have gotten as it relates to what an employer is seeking.Either way, you’ll be adding a valuable notch to your résumé, which will help you when you enter the work force after earning your college degree.
HR Speak
According to Smriti Shah, HR professional at a leading IT firm, a constructive gap year makes a job application stand out. Moreover, many universities have been known to encourage taking a gap year at the undergraduate and graduate level. Well known hall marks of learning like Harvard encourage admitted students to defer enrollment for one year to travel, pursue a special project or activity, work, or spend time in another meaningful way. The results have been uniformly positive. At the graduate level, schools look for experience, especially in the applicant’s desired field of study, to fortify an application and indicate commitment to the field. If you want to apply to medical school or law school, you can benefit greatly, for example, by volunteering at NGO’s or taking courses abroad.
A gap year maymean the gearing up for a new journey- the journey of LIFE. It prepares you both for a life of test and also for the test of life…
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