Gap Year
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About
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Websites
Many young people decide to take a gap year between finishing sixth form or college and starting higher education. Most young people who take a gap year benefit from the experience - as long as they do something interesting and worthwhile! The range of things you could do including travelling, volunteering (locally, elsewhere in the country or abroad) or paid employment (including industry placements).
Your gap year could be:
- An opportunity to gain the skills or work experience needed for your higher education course
- Time to earn money to support you through your studies
- A chance to travel and expand your horizons by experiencing new places and cultures
You don’t necessarily have to do one activity over the whole year; you could mix and match to suit yourself. If you’re not sure what you want to do next a gap year could give you time to think through your options and plan your next steps. Follow this link for more information on a gap years.
If you plan on going into higher education you should check out your chosen universities’ views on gap years. You might also want to se if you’re able to apply for your course now but defer entry for a year. Doing this means that you’ll have your course place secured for after your gap year.
Possible advantages of a gap year:
- Can help to build your self-confidence, develop your skills and increase your self reliance
- Opportunity for you to travel and meet new people
- Chance to earn money to supplement your loan
- Voluntary work gives you chance to ‘give’ something back to others or the community
Possible disadvantages of a gap year:
- It may be difficult returning to study
- Travelling can be very costly – you’ll need to start saving
- It can be difficult to live on a student loan after wages
- You may have to ‘rough it’ at times
Please see the Websites tab above for sites that offer information and ideas.
