For students at BHASVIC, whether you’re in your first year or second year, taking a gap year is certainly something you should consider. For first-years, it’s still a distant choice that isn’t urgent, but still can be beneficial to look into. Whereas for second-years, the deadline is approaching quickly and if you’re not already certain about your future plans, it’s seriously worth looking into gap years. So, what is a gap year?
So what is a gap year?
Assuming that somehow you’ve survived this long without knowing, a gap year is simply a year-long break from education. It’s about choosing to do meaningful activities like travelling, working, volunteering, before you start an apprenticeship, or more commonly, before going to university. UCAS reported that every year, over 30,000 students in the UK defer university by a year and sources such as “wheretherebedragons.com” reported that an astronomical “96%” of gap year takers “believe that taking a gap year helped improve their self-confidence”. Most importantly, “The Gap Year Association“, argued that “Students who had taken a gap year were more likely to succeed (at university) with a higher-grade point”.
Despite the tonnes of research and statistics on gap years that is available, I took it upon myself to speak to a BHASVIC alumnus who is currently navigating their gap year. I interviewed Lucy, a 19-year-old ex-BHASVIC student who is currently on her fifth gap year. Only joking! She’s in her fifth month into her gap year.
So, why did she take a gap year? “Well, for me, although it’s a very basic answer, it was because I wanted to travel and earn some money before going into university. I felt it was the right decision, especially for me personally. It's a path that I’ve chosen for myself to hopefully set me up for success further down the line. It just feels right.”
Lucy does have a point as her reasons are among the most common ones for a gap year. An estimated 56% of students travel during their gap year, and over 80% work during their gap year.
So how is she finding her gap year? “So far, it’s been very enjoyable. I’ve never really been one to get FOMO [fear of missing out] so that hasn’t really been a problem. But yeah, it’s been really good to have a break from the environment that comes with being in full-time education. It’s been productive yet also a much-needed restful time so far and having the freedom of not being confined to a schedule, getting to hang out with friends whenever and just having an overall healthy mindset with it, has been great.”
So would she recommend a gap year to any current BHASVIC students? “Honestly, it really depends on if you like having structure and a schedule to your days, also whether or not you’re desperate to move away to university. But personally, I’d really recommend it to anyone considering one, I’d say that there aren't really any cons apart from perhaps FOMO, but FOMO fades especially as after you’ve taken your gap year, you’ll still get the university experience. But you certainly don’t need to take one, and don’t take one if you're just doing it because all your friends are taking one or if you’re not going to do something with it. At the very least do some work and still incorporate rest as it is definitely a part of it, but don’t dedicate the entire year to just that. The same with travelling, it’s an amazing thing to do, especially when considering the fact that otherwise you wouldn’t have that much time to do it, but with the expense of it, it’s definitely worth working alongside that.”
After speaking with Lucy, the takeaway is clear, a gap year is a personal choice, but it can be highly beneficial. It can prevent burnout, build confidence, develop your character, as well as give you a well-deserved break.
So how do you take a gap year?
Well, if you’re a first year, all you have to worry about at the moment is applying to the form group of the pathway you want to take for next year - you can decide later whether or not you want to take a gap year.
However, if you are a second year who wants to go to university, you can defer the start date on your UCAS application by choosing the following year after your gap. If you have already submitted your UCAS application and did not select a deferred date, do not panic! By contacting the universities, you can still ask for a deferral, whether that is before or after receiving offers. However, keep in mind that they may not always accept the deferral, in which case you can either reapply the following year or not take the gap year. But if this article has taught you anything, let it be that either way, you can still succeed in life after college.