by Nicole Georgina

Created on: May 08, 2008   Last Updated: September 10, 2009

How many recent high school graduates walk out of their senior year with the maturity, real life experience, and knowledge they need to create a future for themselves right off the bat? Not many. Taking time off in between high school and college can be the best thing a person can do for themselves. Doing so gives you a chance to grow and mature out of reach of mommy and daddy's hands, gain the experience you need to not crash and burn when attempting to find that perfect job right out of college, and gives you know-how to create a future for yourself.

For the most part, an eighteen year old right out of high school can mess up and make mistakes and come crawling back to mom and dad's waiting arms for help. Taking time off, moving out, and seeing the world for what it really is relinquishes the hold on that security blanket. Mom and dad will (hopefully) always be there for their children, but they should not be there for every blunder that is made. Freshman in college are not what one would call mature, but if more of them were just that they would think less on how many chicks they could score with or how their hair looks and more time on how maybe the grades they get now could affect them later on. Freshman often walk onto a university thinking about how free they have become and how many parties they can go to. However, a freshman that has already experienced being out on their own for a year or so is already thinking about the future and not about how many wild frat parties there will be.

Being out in the real world without the sanctuary of home can be overwhelming for some, if not downright terrifying. It's as if the fog clears and one can see distinctly that the outside isn't as clean, fair, and nice as it once seemed. To get ahead you need to know people, be clever and charming, and have the practice to illustrate that you can handle situations with a firm hand and a clear head. Getting an apartment right out of high school, doing your own laundry, making your own meals, and paying your own bills may not seem glamorous, but it's the only way to get experience. When a person has to struggle in the beginning, often times the end result is twenty times better. Applying this to taking time off from school, when a high school grad out on their own struggles, it makes them realize that college is not something to be taken lightly. After all, no one wants to struggle and paw their way out of holes for the rest of their lives.

Finally, an eighteen year old

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