Internal Assessment Spring 2021

The article “Why Colleges Should Require A Gap Year” written by Johnathan Zimmerman focuses on why colleges should require students to “spend a year in national service”.  Zimmerman calls this year a “compulsory- service year” and its main purpose is to better our world as well as us as citizens.  He finds it important for students to really understand our education system and their purpose, which is to produce civically informed and dedicated Americans. 

Zimmerman’s main focus point is, “’One thing we could do that would change that would be to make it — if not legally obligatory but certainly a social norm — that anybody after they’re 18 spends a year in national service”. He goes on to back up his point with the statistics of Americans who feel that higher education is headed in the wrong direction and what other than students will benefit from a service year  He states, “61 percent of Americans think higher education is headed in the wrong direction”, “We’re creating better citizens, and a better country. It isn’t just that required service would benefit our students, who would be exposed to the diversity and complexity of America. It would also make our nation a more decent and humane place, for everyone”. Using these quotes and points to back up his thesis really helps the reader see the bigger picture. These details are mouth-dropping and readers can become very engaged in this article after reading them. Zimmerman is giving students the realization that this gap year is helping them and the country. With all the help the students are doing throughout the entire year, our nation can really be benefited. When establishing his stance on the situation Zimmerman was straight to the point. He connects to his audience by understanding what they may go through when they are going to college. 

I think Zimmerman’s point about having a mandatory service year is a good one. He really opened my eyes about the benefits that something like this can have for me as an American citizen, young woman, and college student. According to Zimmerman, “A handful of institutions — including Princeton and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill — already offer aid to students who want to defer their admission for a year. And last year, Duke announced it would provide scholarships for 15 to 20 accepted students who undertake approved gap-year projects.” Providing scholarships is a big help for all students these days especially when it comes to attending private, ivy league schools which usually cost the most. The more financial aid and scholarships that they are being given would lessen their stress about having to pay back thousands of dollars in loans in the future. During this service year we are giving back to our community and country which both have done a lot for us. At the same time, we are learning how to be dedicated Americans, helping the underprivileged and young kids.