Should You Do a Gap Year?
It’s becomingly increasingly popular for students to take a year out between finishing their secondary education and starting their university course. There are a wide variety of different things to do depending on your interests, why you wish to take a gap year and how adventurous you are. Some young people decide to remain at home and get in some work experience while others prefer to seize the opportunity to travel abroad. Whatever you decide to do, there are a number of benefits.
One advantage of taking a year out is that it gives you the chance to move away from home and become more independent. Looking after yourself and coping with all the household chores will be much easier to get used to if you don’t also have academic commitments to think about. You’ll only be responsible for yourself and can take the time to let your hair down after all the studying it took to gain acceptance to university. This year’s ‘breather’ means that you’ll return to academia with more enthusiasm for further education.
Many young people use their gap year to work and save some money for when they’re studying. Although the student loans package in the UK pays tuition fees directly to the university, many undergraduates struggle with the maintenance loan (which covers their living expenses). Having a little nest-egg put by will allow you to concentrate on your studies, not worry about money and if necessary, treat yourself to little luxuries now and again.
Even if you decide to do something worthwhile with your gap year such as voluntary work, there are many benefits of being in the workplace. Not only will it give you something to put on your CV to catch the eye of future employers, but you’ll learn many skills which will help in the future including teamwork, time management and learning to get on well with colleagues. You might even find that your year of paid or voluntary work leads you to your chosen career path. You might find yourself attracted to a profession which you would never have considered without this experience.
Even if you don’t put some money by, the experiences you gain from a gap year will last a lifetime. If you have financial problems when you’re at university, you know that a direct lender will be able to see through the bad patch. Instant payday loans online are both fast and convenient.
A gap year can also be compared to a voyage of self-discovery. You’ll learn many things about yourself – both strengths and weaknesses – which you would never have found out if you’d gone straight from the home nest to the relatively safe cocoon of university. You will encounter real life.
It might be hard at times dealing with problems like homesickness, but a year out between school and university is something that very few people regret even if it takes them time to recognise how it changed them for the better.
