“Man can only discover new oceans if he has the courage to lose sight of the shore,” said André Guid (Bonnes Lectures). A gap year, by definition, is a year during which you travel, work, etc., before continuing your studies. Studies have actually shown that students who take a gap year have had higher GPAs than was predicted for them from their high school grades (Fox Business). Students can use a gap year to gain independence and confidence, discover new career opportunities, and truly find themselves while gaining new and exciting experiences. Gap years are more common in foreign countries, such as England. British school systems are quite different from American schools. The British education system has two main levels, primary and secondary (Collyer and Dunn 2). Children start primary school around age six and finish around age eleven. After primary school, they attend secondary school from ages eleven to sixteen. At the end of secondary school, British students have the opportunity to continue their studies at university, between the ages of sixteen and nineteen. To further pursue their studies, students have the opportunity to pursue university studies; It is between college and university that most students take a gap year. American schools have three main schools: elementary, middle, and high school. American school systems also begin around age six, when children enter elementary school. Once primary school is over, around eleven o'clock, the students continue their education at secondary school. Middle school lasts three years and ends when most children turn fourteen. After middle school there is high school where children go for four years and finish at eighteen...... middle of paper ......14.Gove, Philip Babcock. “Gap year.” Webster's Dictionary. Springfield, MA: G. & C. Merriam. Merriam Webster. Web. Holmes, Bradford. “Decide if a gap year makes sense for you.” American News. USNews & World Report, July 8, 2013. Web. March 9, 2014.Katz, Gillian. “Gap Year Advice: 3 Good and 3 Terrible Reasons to Take Time Off Before College.” Teen from the Huffington Post. HuffingtonPost. Web. Kernn, Rebecca. “7 questions to ask when considering a gap year.” American News. US News & World Report. Internet. March 10, 2014O'Shea, Joe. "More students should take gap years before going to college (essay) | Inside Higher Ed." Inside HigerEd.com. January 16, 2014. The web. March 09, 2014. Sutherland, Paige. “Colleges offer students a paid year off.” Star News [Wilmington] March 15, 2014, 10A sec. :n. page. Print.Harries, Jack. University: good or bad?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eawg6khLKwg