Directed Writing 1.

Write the script of a conversation between you and your parents in which you ask their permission to take a year off, to travel and sign up to work with an NGO, before you settle down to take up a corporate job. In your script you should: briefly explain what a gap year is and how it will help you in making your decision persuade your parents that it is a worthwhile activity for you to take part in Base your ideas on the material found in the article. Add your own details and opinions to make the conversation more persuasive. You should write about 1 2 sides, allowing for the size of your handwriting. Start your script: Me: Mum, Dad Ive decided to take a break from college and take up some voluntary work or perhaps travel before I take up my higher studies. Dad: Oh no, not another one of your crazy plans. (Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 15 marks for the quality of your writing.) OR 2. Write a letter to your parents persuading them to give you permission to take off a year before you decide on your college course. In your letter explain how taking a gap year will be beneficial to you help you to decide what to take up in the future Begin the letter: 'Dear Mum and Dad. Base your ideas on the material found in the article. Add your own details and opinions to make the letter more persuasive.

You should write between 1 and 1 sides, allowing for the size of your handwriting. Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer, and up to 15 marks for the quality of your writing. Break the mould TRENDS Students are increasingly taking that one year off soon after college to figure out what they want to do next volunteer at an NGO or travel

WHAT NEXT? Lots to choose from, actually! Final year of college! What plans next? Are you sitting for placements? Which Universities are you applying to? This endless tirade of questions is commonly heard by final year college students across the country. With the sheer volume of avenues that have opened up across all the streams of education today, students are spoilt for choice when it comes to making a decision about their future. There are universities and colleges offering interesting courses from communications, to management, to public health, to social work. So in effect, if you are an above average student with the right skill sets, there are mass opportunities available in the market today, offering safe and steady remuneration to match one's educational qualifications. But according to some college students, the picture isn't as rosy as it seems. A lot of social pressure is placed on graduates to grab a company with the highest pay package and largest benefits. The joy of financial independence comes at the cost of freedom, and not everyone is ready to pay that price. Tanvi Marathe, a final year student at MIT, Manipal University, says, I wasn't interested in getting placed straight after college, to land a normal IT job that any engineering student can get. I wanted to pursue my higher studies,

but I have decided to take a year off and explore other opportunities before I make any major decision concerning my future. Tanvi is one of many students taking a similar decision. The concept might be extremely new in India, but has been rolling around Australia and Europe for a long time. Referred to as the Gap Year', students fresh out of high school often take up to a year off before entering college. Working with not-for-profit organisations and NGOs, taking time off to travel, volunteering at home or abroad, or taking up free-lance assignments are some of the numerous options available to students and graduates, who are in the throes of major life decisions. Stephanie Macwan, 22, a Teach for India Fellow and business graduate, says, I decided to spend two years after college to teach in low-income schools in India, through the fellowship. I was eager to make a difference in any way I could and felt that it was definitely the right time. Though many of my classmates didn't agree with me, I didn't want to get into the corporate grind too soon. I live on a monthly stipend, which the organisation provides me and it suffices. This experience is challenging yet very rewarding and I'm more at ease about my future now, she says. When asked about her plans after the two-year fellowship ends, she says she will opt for a job in advertising or PR. So is it all really worth it? Calculating losses may be one way of measuring a break year, but it certainly adds invaluable life experiences, offers a fresh perspective and helps students gain a unique edge over their peers. Will companies and recruiters be as favourable as Universities and colleges in endorsing a gap year? If it's between two college graduates, one directly out of college and one that spent a year volunteering, travelling and living a unique experience, it's a no-brainer, says Mohammed Abbas, who handles recruitment marketing in India for a global IT company. Graduates with a unique experience and new perspectives are always preferred by employers. If students have taken time off to undergo diverse and interesting experiences, they always bring a fresh outlook that any company values in their employees, he says. If the argument that nothing in life comes for free holds true, then it certainly has most meaning for anyone daring to make a decision about taking a year off. Certainly it isn't a bed of roses; however, it affords students the chance to really discover what they wish to be doing in their future with more certainty than they would have, without taking a break year. ANNA REGO The Hindu- Tuesday, March 13, 2012