The situation in the education sector has changed significantly from the past few decades. The number of young children finishing high school and joining colleges and other tertiary institutions is increasing by the years. This brings to question whether the decision of parents letting their children join college as soon as they are through with high school is beneficial. There are advantages and demerits of taking children directly from high school to college without giving them a gap year to adjust. However, there is sufficient evidence alluding to the fact that moving directly from high school to college allows for quick adjustment into the new learning environment. Parents invest a lot of money in their children’s education. Therefore, they expect the children to perform and compete favorably.
Based on the current trend, most children finish high school and join college without sparing a gap year for rest. This is because of the increasingly competitive job market. Therefore, children are made to join college as fast as possible in order to finish their degrees at a tender age. This is advantageous for the student because having a degree will give them advantage over those who do not have them. Furthermore, finishing at a tender age gives the student a chance to gain needed experience that may help them rise through the ranks when they get employed. Finishing at a tender age also implies that the young person will be earning their own money at a young age hence; early financial independence. It will also be an advantage because it will be convenient for such people in their later life when they want to start families or own homes.
In high schools, students of the same age groups share classes. They grow together from the time they are young and develop an understanding with one another. However, when they finish high school, some of them join college immediately while others take a gap year. It is important for parents to allow their children to join college directly from high school since it provides the student a chance to continue his or her development with classmates. Research shows that students perform in an environment where they feel appreciated, understood and respected. Learning with high school classmates and generally people of your age groups allows you to test yourself against people with the same ability and capacity. Waiting a year or more before joining college would mean that the student will learn with younger students. In such a scenario, the student’s abilities and reasoning are way higher than those of his classmates. This makes the learning environment less enthusiastic for such a student hence; their performance slumps.
When students join college at a young age, it is advantageous because at this point in time they have few responsibilities. Fresh from high school, students have no responsibility to take care of themselves. This is a god opportunity to exploit by letting them complete their education as fast as possible to avoid hectic schedules when they are older and get more responsible. When students get older by staying at home before joining college, they will be forced to deal with added responsibilities such as bearing children, owning homes and getting married. The added responsibilities affect the academic performance of students negatively. Therefore, it is good to take children to college soon after they complete high school. This is because they have less responsibility at that time hence; their academic performance is likely to be much higher than if they waited a year or more.
Joining college straight from high is also beneficial because the student can adjust to the college environment easily. Students who are fresh from high school are used to the hectic academic schedules. This means they can easily adjust to the harsh and demanding academic environments in colleges. Colleges are known to have less tight schedules than high schools hence high school students can adapt quickly. The minds of students who are straight from high school are still sharp. This means their performances in college are likely to be much higher than those students who take gap years. a gap year makes the students get out of touch with the academic demands. Therefore, students straight from high school to college record better performance than those who take gap years between high school and college.
For students who seek scholarships in other states or abroad, it is easier to obtain a scholarship when they move straight from high school to college. Making international travel arrangements is easy when the applicant is young. This is because young people do not need much paperwork when preparing to travel. Furthermore, students who are young are more likely to get scholarships than those who are old. Therefore, preparing children to join college straight from high school is ideal because it gives them advantage when seeking scholarships and when travelling.
It is also important to take kids straight to college from high school because of peer pressure issues. When students leave high school, they are still in the right mentality to seek higher education. These students influence one another to join college and pursue their interests. However, if they do not go to school for over a year, students may lose interest in their passions as they develop other interests. If a student develops other interests when they are about to join college, their focus on academics totally fades. This makes their performance poor. However, if they join college after high school, they have the interest and focus on their academic objectives hence; they perform very well in school.
Joining college straight from high school helps avoid regrets. When students take a gap year or two, they lose the opportunity to pursue the course of their interest. Each year, academic performance of high school graduates improves. When a student defers to join college for a year or two, their academic performance looks less attractive because of the improving performance of students from subsequent years. Therefore, if a student does not join college directly from high school, they may have to content with taking an inferior course because they may not merit for the course they desire.
Joining college straight from high school means the student has a lot to learn and grow. This is a new experience that young people should not be denied. This step allows students to become responsible, self-driven and mature. Moving to college as soon as they complete school makes students avoid lapses in whatever they do. Giving students gap years makes them develop a bad mentality that they need rest and get used to lapses. Joining straight away keeps students keen, sharp and confident.
Some of the concepts taught in high school are the same ones that are taught in college. In this case, students who join college immediately they finish high school have advantage. They are still fresh minds and can grasp the concepts they are taught easily. Students who take gap years forget these concepts and by the time they join college. This affects the performance of students in either a positive or negative manner depending on the time they join college.
However, when students join college straight from high school, they should be keen not to end up confused. They should be sure of the course they want to pursue and what they want to become in future. They should be able to handle themselves with maturity in order to adapt to college life. It is more beneficial for students to join college straight from high school because there is a high chance of these students performing highly. Students must consider their individual passions, their future expectations before deciding to join college. For some students, it is good to take a gap year to catch up with the environment around them and mature first. However, joining college straight from high school is more effective than taking gap years before joining college.
References
Gray, K. (1999). Getting Real: Helping Teens Find Their Future (illustrated ed.). New York: Corwin Press.
Housel, T. H. (2011). Faculty and First-Generation College Students: Bridging the Classroom Gap Together: New Directions for Teaching and Learning. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
