Should I Take a Gap Year?

As a student looking to apply to university or deciding on the next steps of your life after A-level results day, you may be asking yourself, ‘Should I take a gap year?’ In this article we will explore some of the reasons students choose to take a gap year and help you decide whether you should too! 

It’s a purely personal decision that is one of the first independent choices you will make as an adult, so let’s deep dive into some information that will help you make an informed decision. Whichever way you are leaning, there are exciting times ahead!

What is a Gap Year?

A gap year is a year-long break typically taken between sixth form or college and starting a university course. It can also often happen after graduating. During this time, many people choose to work, travel, volunteer, develop skills or take some time to think about what they would like to do next. 

As a student leaving your school years behind, you will have been in full-time education up until this point and for some, going into university straight away may feel like the next natural step. On the other hand, you may feel yourself wanting a break from full-time education and taking a gap year gives you the perfect opportunity to do so.

This may depend on many factors like how easy you found full-time education from a social point of view, or if you struggled or thrived in the full-time education schedule and the workload that comes with it. Sometimes, you might just not be all that sure about what you want to do next…and that’s perfectly alright!

How Common is it to Take a Gap Year?

As of 2023 it is estimated that between 183,000 and 232,000 18-24 year-olds took a gap year. On average, 29,920 students defer their university courses to take a gap year each year! [1] This can be for a variety of reasons…

Image from teachingabroaddirect.co.uk [1] 

Many students often feel that they will be the ‘odd one out’ if they take a gap year, however, these statistics show that taking a gap year is a lot more common than you might think.

In a sense, it shouldn’t matter how common it is but rather what are the positives and negatives of you talking a gap year. It has to make sense for you as an individual from a financial, psychological and social perspective.

Many people will be tempted to grasp the opportunity of travelling the world with a small group of friends at a time when you are all coincidently independent and have minimal responsibilities. This is generally a unique time for such a trip, but is often not viable to everyone in the friend group which must be understood. 

Advantages of Taking a Gap Year:

Image from media.self.com [2]

Enjoy a Well-deserved Break

Before you decide to pursue higher education or enter into the workforce you may want to relax and enjoy yourself for a while, this can leave you feeling rejuvenated and excited for whatever it is you plan to do next, although if you do decide to relax make sure you plan out your year to ensure you’re prepared for when you start university or enter the workforce. 

Seeing the World

If you are planning on travelling you may also need to plan financially and spend a portion of the year travelling and a portion working - which might be in a job you'd least expect! That is often part of the charm of the travelling experience - so it makes sense to do enough research and be prepared for some surprises and memorable moments as you find your feet out in the world. Don't worry, you won't ever be alone either. Many thousands of like-minded individuals will cross your path wherever you go, even if you start your journey without a friend from home.

Work Experience

Taking a gap year gives you the opportunity to work in the field you’re planning to study in, this can help better inform you of whether that career is right for you and can better prepare you for your future career. This is more of a common requirement for Medical School applicants who rarely get accepted straight from school, but no matter your future degree, or plans for the future - gaining work experience as an intern or temporary role in an industry of interest can give you a peek into the future, helping you decide if it is something you enjoy before you commit several years and financial investment into it. Check out Sherpa’s blog on creating a CV after leaving school to help land you some interviews!

Developing Skills and Pursuing Passions

Taking a gap year gives you the opportunity to focus on self-development which can help you to develop transferable skills which can aid you in your future studies and career; it also gives you the opportunity to pursue hobbies to which you otherwise wouldn’t be able to dedicate as much time to, whether that is learning a language, volunteering or even a side-hustle. 

Schools are great for trying your hand at many different subjects, sports and activities but are limited in how wide they can stretch the curriculum. If you have a passion for something that you’d like to pursue, no matter how weird or wonderful, definitely consider giving it more time in this stage of life. In this life - almost anything can form the basis of a fulfilling career or business!

Earn & Save Money

Going to university can be expensive especially if you’re going to be living away from home, taking a gap year allows you to save up some money to help support yourself financially for when you begin your studies. 

If you do decide to work in your gap year make sure you give yourself enough time to relax and enjoy your time, before you know it you will be back to studying! Working full-time can make a year fly by even faster than when in school with a lot less holiday. 

The benefit of doing this early in adult life is that you will have the resources to put plans into action sooner than others your age and it’s one of the few times in your life you may be able to save on rent while still living with your parents if that is an option.  

Time for Reflection

Deciding on a degree course or career path to pursue for the next few years of your life is a very big decision and is often made in haste alongside your studies during sixth form/college, if you’re unsure of what to do next taking a gap year gives you more time to reflect and think about what kind of career or education you would like to pursue in the future.

Image from hotcoursesabroad.com [3]

Disadvantages of Taking a Gap Year:

Wasting Time 

Taking a gap year gives you a lot of free time which you may not be used to after following a school schedule for so long, therefore to make the most of your time write a plan of all the things you want to achieve in your gap year and make a timetable to hold yourself accountable, this will also help develop your organisational skills and time-management for the future, in the grand scheme of things a year is not that long so even if you’re not as productive as you hoped, it's not the end of the world.

Feeling Behind (or FOMO!)

Taking a gap year may feel like a more difficult decision to make if all of your friends are continuing education at university or working, however, something to bear in mind is that university has students of all ages and you will meet plenty of people who are in the same boat as you, therefore make sure the decision to take or not take a gap year is not overly influenced by those around you. You will find that even a few years of age difference is nothing at all when it comes to post-18 education!

Losing Momentum

For many, the transition from sixth form/college straight into university or the workforce helps maintain their momentum towards achieving their goals, by taking a gap year you break this momentum and it may be difficult to gain back if you don’t utilise your time wisely. This is potentially the biggest disadvantage if you are planning to study at a top university or a course that is quite intense. 

Keep in mind, there is quite a simple remedy and that is to just keep up with your studies along the way! Setting yourself some goals and practising every month or so with past papers, reading into your university syllabus or starting their reading list will keep you up to date. You can always ask an online tutor to help keep your mind fresh!

My Personal Experience:

When applying to university I chose to take a gap year because I applied for Medicine which is quite a demanding course; taking a gap year would give me time to relax which would leave me feeling rejuvenated and excited for the course by the time it started. 

I made the decision quite early on in sixth form and even though a lot of my other friends were planning on going straight into university this didn’t dishearten me because I had a plan of how I would use my time. In the end most of them ended up having to take a gap year anyway.

In my gap year I worked, learnt a language and travelled, all things I would have had much less time to do had I began university straight after sixth form. Taking a gap year also gave me time to think about whether I really wanted to do Medicine. 

Although I had wanted to be a doctor from a young age I was scared that the workload would be too high and I wouldn’t be able to maintain the work-life balance I wanted once I qualified. I spoke to a few different doctors and did plenty of research which helped me strengthen my drive to want to do medicine. 

I feel this helped me get through medical school easier. Overall for me, taking a gap year was very beneficial as it helped me decide whether or not I really wanted to do medicine and it gave me a break away from the education system to focus on other passions I had.

Concluding remarks:

Taking a gap year is a very personal decision and is dependent on your own situation. If you feel it is the right decision for you I would highly recommend taking one for all of the benefits listed above.

If you are unsure about whether or not to take a gap year, think about what you would spend your time doing if you did take one and reflect on whether you think it's right for you.

Also, keep in mind that some universities or courses may not accept deferred entry so please research and consult others before applying and ensure you get clarification before making a decision. I hope this helped make the decision that’s right for you. Enjoy the exciting times ahead!