While scanning quickly through the course of my lifetime, it seems that I have spent an overwhelming and approximate 16,000 hours of my existence sitting before a desk at a public school. At first this number seemed small, until I accounted for the number of hours I have used up sleeping, eating, walking, etc, not to mention the hours spent working on school-related activities at home. All in all, it appears to my disappointment that I have exhausted most of my life – redundant, predictable, humdrum – attending class. For many, graduation will not mark an end or even a significant pause of this habitual lifestyle, for after a short two month summer "break," the path continues on with college or university studies.

Though I do not suggest for everyone to decline their college acceptances or immediately reevaluate their future plans, I am suggesting that there is an alternative to immediately beginning a new school year. Usually an option found at the bottom of a school’s enrollment form, so as to hide from any eye-catching locations, deferment is a request to delay enrollment for typically a one-to-two semester period, depending on the school. Obviously not the preference for most or even a significant percentage of high school seniors, the mention of deferment receives mixed reactions, ranging from a puzzled look of confusion to outbursts of rage and disappointment. The sad fact is that deferment is not commonly accepted among parents, teachers, and students who strongly believe that college must immediately follow high school. To them, interrupting the years of education is a lousy decision that will no doubt venture a student off track and into a world of laziness, low pay, and meaningless endeavor.

"My counselor told me she would try everything in her power to stop me from deferring for a year, unless it was incredibly necessary. Basically, you become unaccustomed with school and school work, and it becomes very tough to get back on track once you enroll. Your math and science skills get rusty, and you simply fall behind everyone," Ivan Duschatzky, senior at Miami Coral Park High School, said.

Most people assume students will just slack off for a year, not taking into consideration everything else that can be accomplished during their spare time. With the current troubled economy, defering students can take jobs to pay for their education. The financial reason alone prompts many to defer for a year. Other students join volunteer groups for community service or concentrate on personal hobbies. Either way, after a year, students are generally more mature and probably have a better idea on what they want to study throughout college. According to The CollegeBound Network, only 37 percent of college students graduate in four years or fewer. To be constantly changing majors is tiresome and wasteful. In the end, the same amount of years is spent obtaining a Bachelor’s degree than as if one deferred. So, rather than spend an extra $2,000 to $50,000 amid indecision, why not postpone the whole deal? By the time you enter your first year of college, you might have an idea about what you want to focus on for the next several years of your life.

"Students deserve to have the right to defer college," Lara Fourman, senior at John F. Kennedy High School, said. "While getting a college education is important and provides students with a more advanced level of skills when entering the workforce, if students feel that taking a year or semester off will provide them with a meaningful experience, they should take advantage of this time when it is available to them."

In order to defer, it is usually necessary to make a request to the school of choice. If the request is granted, rather than enter the new school year, students will be given a time off (typically a year) and will be admitted at a later time, without reapplication. Most schools will accept deferment requests to open spaces for students on the waitlist.