Today, widespread social pressure to immediately go to college in conjunction with increas

inglyhigh expectations in a fast-moving world often causes students to completely overlook thepossibility of taking a gap year. After all, if everyone you know is going to college in the fall, itseems silly to stay back a year, doesn&39;t it？ And after going to school for 12 years, it doesn&39;t feel9natural to spend a year doing something that isn ’t academic. But while this may be true, it ’s not a good enough reason to condemn gap years. There&39;s alwaysconstant fear of falling behind everyone else on the socially perpetuated “race to the finish line, whether that be toward graduate school, medical school or lucrative career. But despite commonmisconceptions, a gap year does not hinder the success of academic pursuits－in fact, it probablyenhances it.

Studies from the United States and Australia show that students who take a gap year are generallybetter prepared for and perform. better in college than those who do not. Rather than pulling studentsback, a gap year pushes them ahead by preparing them for independence, new responsibilities andenvironmental changes－all things that first-year students often struggle with the most. Gap yearexperiences can lessen the blow when it comes to adjusting to college and being thrown into a brandnew environment, making it easier to focus on academics and activities rather than acclimationblunders.

If you&39;re not convinced of the inherent value in taking a year off to explore interests, then considerits financial impact on future academic choices. According to the National Center for EducationStatistics, nearly 80 percent of college students end up changing their majors at least once. This isn surprising, considering the basic mandatory high school curriculum leaves students with a poorunderstanding of themselves listing one major on their college applications, but switching to anotherafter taking college classes.

It ’s not necessarily a bad thing, but depending on the school, it cancostly to make up credits after switching too late in the game. At Boston College, for example, youwould have to complete an extra year were you to switch to the nursing school from anotherdepartment. Taking a gap year to figure things out initially can help prevent stress and save moneylater on.

31.One of the reasons for high-school graduates not taking a gap year is that_____.

A.they think it academically misleading

B.they have a lot of fun to expect in college

C.it feels strange to do differently from others

D.it seems worthless to take off-campus courses

The word “acclimation ” （Line 8, Para. 3）is closest in meaning to_____.A.adaptation

B.application

C.motivation

D.competition

The most suitable title for this text would be_____.A.In Favor of the Gap Year

B.The ABCs of the Gap Year

C.The Gap Year Comes Back