Vasquez 1

Ashley Vasquez                                                                                                

ENG 170

Professor Ouderkirk

16th April 2021

                                          Critical Reading Assignment:


The article “Why Colleges Should Require a Gap Year,” by Jonathan Zimmerman is about why college students should take a gap year and do that aid in helping them do a special service after graduation. There are beliefs that higher education isn’t heading in the right direction, and  the author Jonathan Zimmerman believes that a Compulsory Service year should be enabled so that we are able to build a better country with better citizens. 

  Zimmerman’s thesis is “that’s why our colleges and universities need to step up. Although the federal government is unlikely to require national service, we could. And the benefits would be extraordinary — not just for our students and our country, but for higher education itself (Zimmerman).” 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 (Zimmerman).” 

   Additionally, claim is “making service compulsory for everyone would erase the elitist shine of gap years, which are too often reserved for the privileged, and it would announce that our colleges are working for the nation, in the most elemental way: by providing an army of young Americans who will assist wherever they are needed (Zimmerman).” They both support the author’s argument and thesis that Compulsory Service should be enabled for students so that they do it during a gap year.

  The way in which Zimmerman is able to present his stance in a manner that is very intense. He questions why people don’t acknowledge higher education, and also implement the idea of a compulsory service year for students. Also, he is able to connect with his audience by providing reasons to support his claims on what a compulsory service can do for the world and the people on it.

     When it comes to Zimmerman’s proposal that college students should take a compulsory year service during their gap year, I disagree with this statement. This is because this argument has flaws when he says they should enable it, but where is the opinion of the people who want it enabled? Also, because a gap year would impact me in many ways since, I would do what I want or need to do, but this service seems as if it forces you to be apart of it.