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Article Analysis-Why High School Graduates Should Not Wait to attend College.
Introduction
Published on May 26Th, 2020, Kali Ah Yuen’s article Why You Should Wait to go to College After You Graduate High School centers on why taking a gap before joining college is college is a good decision for graduates. The article notes that contrary to people’s beliefs, many negative consequences are associated with rushing to go to college. Personal experiences have proved this to be true. The text opines that one of the reasons high school graduates should wait before joining college is that it allows them to find a community they can grow with. This is because as a freshman, students’ primary focus is fitting in and taking time before joining college prevents students from wasting time. The article also asserts that waiting before joining colleges reduces distractions such as late-night parties, ditching classes, and football games. Waiting before joining college changes a person’s mindset for the better ((Ah Yuen, 03). Another explanation is that waiting before joining college prepares them for college life because nobody pressures them. Parents pressure some students into taking dual credits or into taking courses they are not passionate about. Additionally, the text notes that students that wait tend to spend their money more wisely than those that join college immediately after graduating high school. In essence, taking a gap year teaches students to invest in themselves more. When they join college, they spend money on meaningful things like joining student organizations and pursuing opportunities with high returns. Finally, the text also asserts that waiting before joining college is beneficial as it prevents students from taking out unnecessary loans. After studying for four years, most students graduate with a minimum of $30,000 in education loans. Most first-years take out loans to cover on-campus housing, books, payments, rent, or any other expense they might have. Taking time before joining college helps students come up with solid plans such as a savings account that helps them pay tuition fees and avoid loans and federal aid as much as possible. This text refutes the reasoning in this Yuen’s article and explains why attending college immediately after graduating high school is better than taking a gap. High school graduates should enroll in college immediately after completing high school because they still end up misusing money, they also require student loans, and there is no guarantee that they will not be distracted from their studies. Additionally, not joining college immediately does not mean they are prepared for college, and it is not a guarantee that they will find their own community.
College Students Still End up Misusing Money
I disagree that taking sometime before joining college is an assurance that students use their funds more wisely than those that go to college immediately. Students tend to waste money regardless of how much time off one took before joining college. There is no guarantee that staying out of college makes a person start investing more in themselves. Even students that join college straight from high school tend to invest in their future by joining student organizations, studying abroad and being involved with rewarding activities. For all we know, the student who gets jobs and starts earning before joining college will waste money on unnecessary things like going to the local bar and spending all their money on drinks. After all, compared to other students, the students who take time off are likely to have more funds from their savings, and they might not be able to manage it wisely.
Students That Wait Before Joining College Also Need Student Loans
I disagree with the author of the text that waiting before joining college helps students avoid taking out more loans. This is not true because college education is costly in the United States. The chances of high school graduates securing a full-time job that pays them enough money to fund their college education are limited. Although high school graduates get jobs, they have to start at the lowest levels and rise through the levels to earn more money (Allensworth, Jenny, and David, 67). However, attending college immediately saves them time because they can seek meaningful employment and earn well with a degree. As such, students that wait before joining college might also need student loans as much as their counterparts that join college immediately after graduating high school.
There is No Guarantee That Joining College Late Reduces Distractions
I can’t entirely agree with the article’s stance that waiting to join college is a guarantee that there will be no distractions. I recognize that college is notorious for pop culture behavior like partying, doing drugs and skiving classes. However, what is the assurance that taking a gap year before joining college reduces distractions. In my opinion, distractions are all around. They range from social media applications like Snapchat, Instagram, and Youtube. If students stray from their cause of studying, it boils down to their individual themselves. Ditching classes and partying have nothing to do with the time a student takes before joining college. At the end of the day, distractions are everywhere and taking a year or two before entering college does not mean that they have a mature mindset. There is no guarantee that when students take a break from school, they will be more focused on their education than falling into distractions that do not serve them any purpose.
Not Joining College Immediately is not a Guarantee that Students Find Their Own Community
I am also not at all convinced that students that wait before joining college have a sense of community while those that rush to college do not. On the contrary, I agree that going to college helps students make college friends and build networks, which is an important aspect of their adult life. Some of the lasting relationships students have tend to emanate from college, and not going to college immediately denies students this opportunity (Gaxiola, 240). Finding a community to fit in is not merely about finding a job and cultivating connections within a work environment. It is about making friends in college that one can build a network with and maintain for the rest of their life. Undoubtedly, students should consider going to college immediately after graduating high school because the friends one makes during college tend to be permanent. College is also an excellent place to begin networking. One might never know how a connection forged in college can help their career later in life.
Not Joining College Immediately does not mean they are Prepared for College.
Furthermore, I disagree with the text on the notion that waiting before joining college makes them prepared for college. This is because it does not matter how long one waits before joining college because they will never do well if they are forced to do so. I believe that students should join college immediately as long as they select a career of their choice. No amount of time will be enough to prepare a person for college life if they are not ready. I believe that going immediately is better than waiting because students do not waste any time. The sooner they join college and get done with it, the sooner they can find a job and begin their adult life as independent beings.
Works Cited
Allensworth, Elaine M., Jenny Nagaoka, and David W. Johnson. “High School Graduation and College Readiness Indicator Systems: What We Know, What We Need to Know. Concept Paper for Research and Practice.” University of Chicago Consortium on School Research (2018).
Ah Yuen, Kali. Thisisuproar.Com, 2021, https://www.thisisuproar.com/post/why-you-should-wait-to-go-to-college-after-you-graduate-high-school.
Gaxiola Serrano, Tanya J. ““Wait, What Do You Mean by College?” A Critical Race Analysis of Latina/o Students and Their Pathways to Community College.” Community College Journal of Research and Practice 41.4-5 (2017): 239-252.
