[Magdalen] Gap year (or more)

[Roger Stokes]

On 30/05/2015 00:26, Jay Weigel wrote:
> Roger Stokes said:
>
> Glad you had a good time and that Samantha is enjoying life.  I read a book
> (College Unbound) a few months ago which questioned the value of a college
> degree in cash terms.  We are seeing the same over here in the UK.  With
> the increase in the number of higher education establishments, and the
> consequent increase in the number of young people graduating from them, the
> cash value of a degree (in terms of higher salary and better prospects)
> diminishes as the debt incurred in getting it increases.
>
>
> Which led me to contemplate something I've thought about increasingly in
> recent years, particularly since S/O and I were discussing our college
> years the other night and he stated that he was in no way, shape or form
> ready for university when he arrived there. Nor was I, and I floundered
> horribly for several years before finally giving up and dropping out
> altogether.

One of the points made in the book is the value of a gap year toi 
achieve some maturity and possible discernment about what the young 
person values as important.  I would also observe that going straight 
from a very directed school environment to a college which requires more 
self-discipline can be very demanding.

> I once asked my mother why she and my dad had pushed me so hard
> to go when I really didn't want to at the time, and her answer was that I
> didn't seem to have any idea of what I did want to do, so they thought I'd
> be better off in school. Yikes! That sounds like horrible reasoning to
> me.....! And they had to pay for it, too.

I must admit I drifted into university (via what I knew would be only a 
few months working) because it was the easy option and put off deciding 
what I wanted to do.  The choice of subjects was made in the same way, 
but that's another story as in hindsight I could have chosen better had 
I not assumed I needed practical skills for an engineering degree.

> I honestly would have preferred
> to try my hand at the working world, even if it didn't pay very much, or do
> some traveling, but that wasn't even a consideration back then. The concept
> of a "gap year" is completely foreign to Americans, which might be one
> reason why many American young people have such narrow horizons and frames
> of reference.

It was alien to Brits back when I left school as well.  The only reason 
I had that few months in work was because I took university entrance in 
December and could not start there until the following October.  America 
is also a very large country so you can explore different regions while 
using the same currency and not needing a passport.

> What's the difference and why do we push our kids into things they might
> not be ready for? Why can't we let THEM figure it out?

Any answers anybody?

Roger