Taking a sabbatical year is experiencing a freedom that until now you have not had
The gap years began to become institutionalized during the 1970s in the United Kingdom as a way to take advantage of the seven or eight months between the end of the exams and the start of the degree. It was at this time that the students began traveling to gain international experience , which soon translated into courses and volunteering around the world.
Starting in the 1980s, the United States echoed this practice, and it became normalized to the point that in many High Schools there are already "Gap Year Guidance" . In Australia, the journey is even extended for three or five years, while in places as unexpected as Yemen, it is even mandatory to wait twelve months between finishing high school and starting university (and students are encouraged to take them out of the country) .
Germany, for its part, takes it almost for granted that all young people under the age of 27 will spend at least one semester doing volunteer work. And the thing does not end here: there are many more countries that consider this practice as beneficial. The reasons, here:
First reason: you're going to have a great time!
1. YOU WILL AVOID STUDENT 'BURNOUT' SYNDROME
** They tell you from Harvard :** there is too much pressure on students, and to minimize it, the best thing you can do is precisely stop studying for a while.
two. YOU WILL BE ABLE TO CHOOSE A CAREER THAT YOU REALLY LIKE
A lot of people he wastes years of his life enrolling in races that in the end they leave until they finally find the most suitable one... Or they never find it. However, according to an ambitious study by Karl Haigler and Rae Nelson, who are taking a year off They usually find their ideal path.
3. WHEN YOU COME BACK, YOU WILL BE A BETTER STUDENT
Universities have already noticed that those who return from a gap year are more committed to campus life, they go to class more and usually graduate in the years that their degree lasts, without repeating any. Also, their level of motivation is much higher, which translates into best results .
Four. ...AND YOU CAN GET INTO BETTER UNIVERSITIES
The most prestigious study centers they value very positively that your students have spent a year getting to know each other better. We already mentioned Harvard , No? (wink, wink) .
5. YOU WILL HAVE MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO ACCESS THE JOB YOU WANT... AND FASTER
They tell you from the European University of Madrid: "In very junior profiles that join the labor market, having taken a sabbatical year can be an element that favors your hiring , since it is implicitly understood that they have developed very useful personal skills in today's job market such as initiative, responsibility, autonomy, etc. And of course, languages that they have been able to learn or perfect", in the words of Setefilia Oliveros Sánchez, Director of Professional Careers at the centre.
Have we already told you about the super friends you are going to make?
6. YOU WILL BE HAPPIER WITH YOUR WORK
Students who take a gap year tend to be far happier with their jobs than those who haven't, according to the study by Karl Haigler and Rae Nelson that we already mentioned. The reason is usually, in addition to having been able to choose well, "having a less selfish approach to work and co-workers."
7. YOU WILL LEARN LANGUAGES
If you go to a place where Spanish is not spoken or where you can share experiences with people from other countries, you will quickly acquire language skills that would otherwise take years to develop. In addition, you can take advantage of the year to sign up for a course to improve your skills in other languages.
8. YOU WILL ACQUIRE A LOT OF MATURITY
At 18, few people from the first world have to fend for themselves in an unfamiliar environment. Thus , those who face this adventure learn a lot in a very short time , And that shows. "A gap year provides students with experiential learning that makes them mature exponentially in a relatively short period of time. In fact, when they return to their country of origin after a year, they usually have the feeling that nothing has changed, that everything remains the same, while they perceive themselves like totally different people of which they were before leaving, more evolved and mature", explains the Director of Professional Careers of the UEM.
9. YOU WILL UNDERSTAND THE WORLD BETTER
By meeting people from other countries and integrating into other cultures, you will acquire an open-mindedness and a tolerance difficult to achieve otherwise that will help you not only in your studies, but also in your day to day. Especially if you combine your stay abroad with a volunteer.
10. YOU WILL KNOW YOURSELF BETTER
Nothing like be alone and get out of your comfort zone to look inside yourself and understand yourself more deeply, which will provide you with many psychological benefits. For example, you will have more clarity about what you want and what you don't in your life , which will save you a lot of headaches. The best thing is that you will be able to get an idea of all these things very young while many people dies without knowing , or he doesn't take the time to do it until he's quite old.
*** Bonus Track:** To take a gap year you don't have to have a lot of dough. Check out our ** Definitive Guide to Traveling Without Money **, in which, in addition to giving you tricks to travel the world without any cash, we explain all the options you have to do it in the most comfortable and interesting way possible. For example, volunteering or working in a hostel l, both in exchange for room and board.
There are experiences that are priceless
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- The best destinations to travel alone
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- How to survive a trip with friends
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- All articles by Marta Sader
You can visit places like Preikestolen, in Stavanger (Norway)