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While her fellow students prepare for the new semester, Chen Yanmei is on her way to Tibet.
当同学们正准备迎接新学期的到来时，陈艳梅（音译）已踏上了前往西藏的旅程。
The 19-year-old management major at Shanghai University has no plans to return to campus anytime soon as she's taken a gap year to travel.
19岁的陈艳梅就读于上海大学管理专业，自从她实施自己的间隔年旅行计划后，就打消了近期返校的念头。
"College life is not much different from high school," said sophomore Chen. "I feel burnout and study wears me out. So I think I'll take a year off and come back with renewed enthusiasm."
正在读大二的她说："大学生活同高中生活并没有太大的区别。我感到精疲力竭了，学业令我心力交瘁。所以我打算休学一年，重拾热情，再度归来。"
Taking a gap year in college has become more appealing to students. While experts say that taking time off could be beneficial, there are several hurdles.
大学间隔年越来越受到学生们的青睐。尽管专家们表示休息一段时间会大有益处，但我们仍面临着一些障碍。
According to Xinmin Evening News, an online survey conducted by Sina.com indicated that 73.3 percent of Chinese students say that they long to experience a gap year.
据《新民晚报》报道，由新浪网发起的一份在线调查显示，有73.3%的中国学生渴望能体验一次间隔年。
Geng Bin, of the students affairs office at Wenzhou University, supports this finding. Geng said: "We have received more students' applications for suspension in the last two to three summers. Many of them are trying to launch startups or to travel and put aside study temporarily."
对于该调查结果，来自温州大学学生处的耿斌（音译）表示支持。他说："在过去两三年的暑假期间，我们收到越来越多学生提交的休学申请。多数人把学业暂时放到一边，尝试去创业或旅行。
Yang Jia, a history sophomore at Beijing Normal University, took a year off to tour Australia on a working holiday.
就读于北京师范大学历史系大二年级的杨嘉（音译），就选择休学一年前往澳大利亚，一边旅游一边打工。
The gap year turned out to be a boost to his study on his return to campus.
事实证明，在他重返校园的时候，间隔年确实为他的学业注入了新动力。
"I found myself more confident and self-sufficient," said Yang. "And more importantly, during the year, I thought a lot and now I know what I really want. All my grades are higher."
杨嘉说："我发现自己变得更加自信自立了。更重要的是，在间隔年期间，我思考了很多，现在我知道自己真正想要的是什么了。各科的成绩也都有所提高。"
Gappers also have an edge in the job market. In a survey in 2011 done by YouGov, a UK-based market research agency, reported gapyear.com, 63 percent of HR professionals in the UK said that a constructive gap year spent volunteering or gaining work experience overseas made a job application stand out.
间隔年的行者们在求职时也颇具优势。2011年时，由英国市场调研机构YouGov所做的一项调查，调查表明63%的英国人力资源工作者表示一次自愿的空档年规划或者是海外的工作经验都能使求职申请出彩，该调查结果被发布在间隔年旅游网站gapyear.com上。
However, Xiong Bingqi, deputy-director of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, said that there is a different attitude to gap years in China.
而21世纪教育研究院副院长熊丙奇则表示，在中国对间隔年存在着另一种声音。
"In the West, as long as you earn enough credits you get the diploma," said Xiong. "So students can suspend their study and take leave."
他说："在西方，你只要修够学分便能拿到学位，因此学生们可以搁置学业休假。"
But in China, a suspension comes usually with a serious injury, sickness or other special reasons. Traveling is not one of them, according to Xiong.
熊丙奇副院长表示，但在中国，一般只有在遭遇严重伤病或其他特殊原因时才可以休学。而旅行并不在其中。
But Nanjing Daily reported early this year that some schools such as Nanjing University of Information Engineering and Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics are experimenting with students' "startups trading for credits". According to the plan, students can earn college credits by setting up businesses off campus. With a detailed plan and school approval, students can obtain time out.
但今年年初《南京日报》的一篇报道称，包括南京信息工程大学和南京航空航天大学在内的多所高校正在试行学生的"创业换学分"制。按照计划，学生们可以通过在学校外创业挣学分。只要具备详细计划并获得学校批准，学生们便可以休学一段时间。
But the newspaper also said that the specifics of such policy have yet to be worked out.
但改片报道同时也表示目前这一政策的细节还未制定好。
Geng Bin suggests an alternative for students. With more universities connected to their counterparts in the West, exchange programs can be a very good platform for students to travel and experience foreign culture while retaining their active status on campus.
耿斌建议学生们可以选择其他的一些替代方式。随着越来越多的国内外高校互建友好关系，各种交流项目为学生们提供了一个在保持校园活力的同时，还可以一边旅行一边体验异国的绝佳平台。
"At least for now when gap year is not very doable for most students, exchange programs seem to be the best choice," said Geng.
耿斌说："至少对于目前大多数学生无缘间隔年的状况来说，交流项目似乎是最佳之选。"
