Gap year - pros and cons
There are pros and cons to taking a gap year
You need to think about how taking a gap year will affect your future plans. A well thought out and planned gap year can look good on your CV and develop useful skills.
Gap years may involve:
- Paid employment here or abroad
- Voluntary work
- Work experience with a relevant company
- Travel
- Cultural exchange.
You could do a split year - several months of paid work and then travel.
For
- Travel - a chance to travel and experience different cultures before concentrating on a career
- Motivation - time out to be certain about future plans
- Work experience - if related to career ideas it will be helpful and impress future employers
- Escape - from study and exams
- Money - working and saving to help meet the cost of higher education.
Against
- Finance - how will you fund it?
- Future plans - some admissions tutors have reservations about students taking a year out so check with the university
- Work routines - it may be difficult to settle into study again
- Money - you may miss a pay packet if you have had one.
About 7% of UCAS applicants decided to take a gap year and make a deferred application.
www.yearoutgroup.org gives advice and has links to all leading year out organisations.
www.realgap.co.uk provides advice and information on gap year and student travel abroad.
www.bunac.org/uk offers a range of work abroad and volunteer abroad programmes.