Why should international students pursue a gap year?

Why should international students pursue a gap year?

    During the height of the pandemic in September 2020, I remembered the feeling of being burnt out from taking online classes. I was not absorbing the material in class and struggled to keep up with lectures. At this point, I told myself that I would need a break after the quarter ends, to recharge and reconnect with the things I love doing. As such, I submitted my request for a gap year. This decision is one of the best decisions that I have made thus far and here is why.
    Being an international student, I rarely get a chance to go home for an extended period of time. This is usually due to summer school and summer internship, stripping away my opportunity to fully reconnect with my hometown. As such, pausing school allowed me a full year of living in my country, I was able to see my parents and live with them for longer than usual. During the pandemic, the majority of my friends who studied abroad in different countries returned home. This allowed me to reconnect with friends who I have not seen in over 4 years and it was amazing to see how they have grown. Therefore, the first benefit of taking a gap year is that you would get time to meet your old friends and loved one back at home.
    Moreover, international students often struggle with finding an appropriate internship in the U.S, and so the alternative is to return to their own country to pursue one. In addition, I remembered that most of my classes taught me more theories than the application of them. As a result, I wanted to see where these teachings could be applied to real world scenarios and getting an internship or job is the step to help me achieve this realization. When I flew home, I applied to different companies and fortunately, I was accepted to a major corporation for a full-time position. Being in the position helped me see how my interested industry operates and gave me a clearer understanding of the jobs that I wanted to pursue later in my career. Notably, I was able to network and made new professional connections, especially with my mentor who taught me essential industry skill sets. Thus, by stepping off from school, I was able to see the significance in my study and further explore the specific areas within my major that I have interest in.
    While there are benefits to taking a long break from academia, there are also many disadvantages and repercussions associated with it such as pro-longing graduation time, VISA-related issues and financial setbacks.  When one enrolls in a gap year, they are risking not being able to return to the U.S. since there always exist uncertainties in the VISA interview process that made student unable to return to study abroad, Additionally, while enrolling in a full-time position does provide some financial incentives, the salary will not be comparable to one with a completed degree in majority of companies. As such, students who cannot afford to gap a year should not and instead focus on finishing their degree in order to get a higher chance of earning more. In conclusion, having a break from the stressful and competitive environment in universities is freeing. However, students must ensure to stay disciplined and spend the time off wisely, in order to benefit their career opportunities. Moreover, it is also important to take into consideration one’s mental health when weighing the pros and cons. How are you feeling about school? Listen to your mind and body because sometimes you have to take a step back to realize the important things that make you want to get out of bed.