Some people look forward to a year of travelling, a ‘gap year’, before they begin work or university and see it as a chance to broaden their horizons. For others, this is an expensive waste of time. Discuss both views and give your own opinion
Vocabulary:
- Gap year: a year high school graduates can take to travel before enrolling into a university
- On the threshold to sth: a point at which sth begins or changes
- Have a full life: live happily and explore many things ones likes
- This incurs an immense waste of time: this creates a huge waste of time
- Give more advocacy than rejection to: agree more than disagree
- It cannot be gainsaid that: It is undeniable/ indisputable…
- Inherent (a): natural vốn dĩ, cố hữu
- Clog : block
- Find a good match for themselves: find sth suitable for themselves
- Find oneself at the disadvantage of sth: have disadvantage of
- Early birds: the word comes from the idiom : the early bird catches the worm trâu chậm uống nước đục
- Receive the double blow of sth and sth else: suffer 2 disadvantages at the same time
- Overhead spending: spending that incurs debts
- Be indebted to s.o : Owe s.o
- Live frugally : live economically
- Practice austerity: have little money and just spend it on sth really necessary: sống thắt lưng buộc bụng
- Spend time lavishly: spend time wastefully
The outline:
Gap year: benefits: open up ones’ mind as regards world view, lifestyle, living experiences. Help explore oneself to understand strength, weaknesses, know what suit most to study at uni. Travelling, meeting, expose to direct experiences of what feasible for business for entrepreneurs. Recognize passion to live the remainder of life.
Gap year: waste of time: some truth. Graduate one year later than friends, may lose opportunities in first come first serve job market. It costs very much to take a gap year: cannot work because may always be on the move to different places. Plus spend lots of money from family if one has not lived frugally or even practice austerity for years in their adolescence.
A suggested answer:
On the threshold to a life of an adult, an increasing number of young people choose to take a gap year to have a full life from travelling, while others consider that this just incurs great expenses and an immense waste of time. In my opinion, having a gap year has both merits and drawbacks, but I believe I am not alone in giving more advocacy than rejection to it.
It cannot be gainsaid that the gap year has inherent merits for high school graduates. Indeed, it opens up their minds which may be clogged in academic pressure of the greatest milestone in life – high school graduation. Going beyond the school and homeland can pull young people’ steps towards new world views to have the taste of new lifestyles and living experiences which aid them in their journey to discover themselves. Thanks to travelling, they are expected to recognize their strengths, and weaknesses, and thus is beneficial to find a good match for themselves among numerous majors for their university education. As for entrepreneurs, during such trips, they can expose themselves to direct experiences to help concretize feasible business models for future business orientations. Also, living freely away from home offer quality time for individuals to think for themselves to identify the passion they want to devote their lives to.
However, the assertion that the gap year comes with huge costs of time and money also has some truth in it. Those taking a year travelling can graduate one year later than their friends and find themselves at the disadvantage of joining the workforce later. That may cost them dearly with opportunities lost to other early birds. Besides, it may be unexpectedly expensive to take a gap year when one receive the double blow of not being able to work due to constant moving, and overhead spending can be incurred to make them indebted to their family’s sponsorship. If they can support themselves, then the money can be saved at a sacrifice of living frugally or even practicing austerity for years in their adolescence. Those are the problems of people with discipline, but for irresponsible youngsters, the gap year may become an immeasurable waste of youth with time spent aimlessly and lavishly.
In conclusion, although there are two sides of the debate, I still believe the gap year gives people more than taking from them when it helps set foundation for their future selections and decisions which can be crucial to their development.
