One year, so much time

Gap year — two words that spell doom to any Indian parent!  We tried going back in time to reminisce about ‘that conversation’ with our parents about taking a break from academics and doing something different. Remember the moment you saw the mini-bomb go off in their heads, and as if on cue, your palms started to sweat?

For the longest time, high school (IX and X) and higher secondary school  (XI and XII) students believed what was told to them — study well, get a job that pays well and settle down — as fast as possible! These days, however, they are more aware of a life outside textbooks, and the idea of ‘gap year’, isn’t a bad thing at all. Recently, Malia Obama made the decision to take a break after school, and join Harvard only in 2017.

Closer to home, a few youngsters made the same choice after their 12th standard to make use of the year to prepare for colleges they really like, to travel, or work! Malavika Prasanna, an 18-year-old from Coimbatore, is currently approaching the end of her year off. “I am preparing for my Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) and was adamant about getting into the top law colleges in India. During the break, I signed up for ‘Make A Difference’ foundation and even travelled a bit,” she says.

Not surprisingly, she had to deal with a lot of scepticism from friends and neighbours, that latter of whom pointed out that the break will only delay her eventual marriage! “Once you have the support of your parents, you doubt yourself less. My life has changed and this experience adds to a resume!” she asserts.

MS Sivakumar, Dean of Students at IIT-Madras also agrees to the view. “A year off is a very good idea! Over the past two to three years, I have observed a lot of stress among students who just finished Class XII. If they use the one year as an opportunity to discover new people, places, ideas and cultures, it will give them a new perspective,” he says. On whether the choice will affect the way employers look at students, he says — “Today, things have changed. Of course, they will ask what you did during the break, but many employers would probably want to hire people who have experienced something like this.”

Life has changed for Aarooran Venkatachalan. Believe it or not, he dropped out of an engineering college to take a break, and it’s been three years — give or take a few. The break allowed the 20-year-old time to experiment with photography (capturing almost 2,000 strangers from all walks of life), travel, education and now led to his first entrepreneurship venture — Yuudoo. It is a printing kiosk service that is still in its nascent stages. “I love the gap year as it taught me a lot. I don’t regret doing it, but I also miss formal education. There’s a flipside to the story — those three years were hell and I didn’t have a lot of friends,” he cautions.   

Aditi Parekh, who took a break after high school to take up internships and tried unschooling (an alternative way of learning), advises prudence to people planning on taking a break. “The gap year is something you dive into, to explore your interests and plan your undergraduate education. I myself, picked up a lot of skills that I might require later on,” she says. Currently in her second year of college at Ambedkar University, New Delhi, she opines, “Many tend to glorify the benefits of a year off. You can’t just say, ‘If everyone’s doing it, why can’t I?’ You need to make a solid case and be strategic about it.” Her advice — be aware of the consequences and explore the year responsibly, with a back-up plan in mind.