Gap years are becoming increasingly common amongst students. Normally they're taken before going to university, but some people choose to take a year out after university. Taking a break halfway through your course isn't normally advisable: it's hard to start studying again, and you've dropped back a year, which means you won't be with your classmates anymore.
There are many options available to you during a gap year, though it's important to make sure your time is well spent - the whole point about a gap year is that you do something worthwhile, adventurous, etc....
The main activities students choose in a gap year are:
Travel
Many students take the opportunity to explore Europe or another continent in a year. If you plan well in advance you can book cheap plane tickets, or get inter-rail tickets, which can give you unlimited travel anywhere in Europe.
It's up to you whether you keep travelling, or stop off in each place for a long enough to get a temporary job. The longer you're away for, the more money you're going to need, so make sure you cost it out beforehand! The details are up to you, though watch where you go (try to avoid warzones) and watch who you travel with. Spending 24/7 with one person for a couple of months can strain even the best of friendships...
Work
Lots of people get a years worth of employment in before going off to University. It helps to earn a bit of money and it's great experience if you can get a job relevant to your degree.
Remember that you can apply for work overseas as well - something a lot of people forget (good foreign language skills are very useful).
Voluntary work is becoming really popular, and is very highly thought of. There are many organised projects that you can go on, which give you the opportunity to travel, and make a real difference to people who need it.
Study
Some students continue their education for a year before going to University. This normally takes the form of a foundation year and is becoming a 'normal' requirement for admission to degree-level Art and Design courses.
There is always the other option which involves repeating some of your A-Levels to try and get higher grades. This generally happens if a student misses their first choice that they really wanted, or didn't want to go through clearing.
Let's look at the pros and cons of gap years...
Pros
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You may not know what to do after college, so having a year to think about it and explore other possibilities can be a real eye-opener.
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Gap Years give you the chance to gain in confidence, maturity and responsibility. All of these will be looked on favourably by Universities and employers.
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You get the chance to spend a year doing something worthwhile, not to mention explore a good chunk of the world; as long as you put your mind to it and organise it in time!
Cons
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You will start university a year behind your friends, but then age doesn’t matter at university, unlike school.
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Err, we think that’s it.
- Oh, some universities want you to go straight into higher education, because your knowledge needs to be spot-on from the start. For instance, if you're going to do maths, it's amazing how much you can forget in a year - which may leave you struggling.
Gap Years and Uni Applications
If you're applying to university, but thinking of taking a gap year, it's best to say when applying that you're considering deferring. You can also talk about this in your personal statement.
Remember that you can't re-apply next year if you've accepted a deferred place at a university, unless you withdraw your application over the summer when your A-Level results come out. Talk to your university application co-ordinator at college if in any doubt as to what to do - they should be able to help.
If you're interested in going to university, you'll need to check out the Alternative Prospectus
section of the site. It tells you all the information and tricks you should need in order to pick a university that's going to be great for you, and you can also find out what each Uni is really like - from the students who are actually there.
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