Years upon years of late nights, shuffling papers and standardized testing surrounds students for most of their academic lives. The time around graduation should be a time of celebration for 12 years of work, only to be rushed into another 8 years of school and, on average, $30,000 in student debt.

Instead of rushing into financial insecurity and eating ramen noodles every meal for a decade, students may decide that they want to have a year of employment, assurance and financial security. A gap year is a break in between secondary school and higher education or a period of self discovery in a young person’s life.

In the United States, students who took a gap year in between secondary schooling and college were more likely to graduate with higher grade point averages than students who went straight into higher education according to the American Gap Association, a nonprofit accreditation and standards-setting organization for gap years.

If students wanted to just get out of going to college and avoid responsibilities, the gap year might look like an opportunity to do that to people that oppose that bridge of opportunity. In research done by Professor Karl Haigler and Educator Rae Nelson, it was shown that 90% of the students in a gap year program proceeded to college the next year.

Senior Madeline Battle has considered a gap year. Battle had planned to use her gap year to go to a developing nation and do volunteer work. Throughout the gap year she planned to go somewhere to work on more spiritual and self developed mindset.

Gap year gives a high school graduate a year to go out and experience the world and figure out what she or he wants to do in the world. Before going into college and paying money to start a career, students should want to figure out who they are and what they’re actually going into for a career.

Taking a gap year is not blowing off responsibilities, but a way to find one’s self. This path of self discovery can be by looking into careers, international travel and a way to get ready for college.

Students who take a gap year perform better than their peers once they get to campus, a bridge year allows one to transition between two very different phases while preparing for life beyond according to the Global Citizen Year.

Finding one’s self before becoming a more educated person is one of the most important graduation gift a high schooler can give to self.