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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Anyone else's DC having a Gap Year?

62 replies

Bowbridge · 08/08/2019 09:09

So A level results are out next week. On Monday, DC has announced that university can wait and they are going to have a gap year. They have obviously been thinking about this for a while as their plans are well thought through and detailed.

DC has worked all through the summer with university students. They have earned a good amount of money and listened to what others did in their gap year. It seems no one regrets having a gap year, but lots regret NOT having a gap year.

I would be interested in other young people's gap year experiences or plans.

Should DC defer their university place or reapply? Part of me thinks with grades in hand and having a year out they may want to apply for something completely different. It really is a sliding doors moment.

OP posts:
Needmoresleep · 08/08/2019 12:25

I will bump for you. DD decided on a gap year the Easter before she was going to start. She wanted to have a break from studying. She has absolutely no regrets and some of her peers envy her. She got her offer deferred, but we know others who subsequently changed their minds about either place or subject or both. One advantage of a gap year is they have direct feedback from peers, and a chance to visit friends at different universities. Tactics probably depend on results. If he just scapes into his course it is probably worth trying to get a deferral. He can always change his mind. If he exceeds his offer he ought to have a good chance of being reoffered the same course, or a more competitive one.

DD did a two week cookery course, then worked for three months (actually as a kitchen porter at the cookery school which was fantastic) then chalet host for a ski season, then Camp America. Nothing was very well paid but enough to travel in the US for a few weeks plus to start University with some savings.

The years maturity is a big benefit, whilst the cooking skills have saved her lots of money. Other skills have come into play: team work; resilience; admin (a US visa application is an education in itself); and odd things like getting faults and problems in her rental flat resolved. (A good rapport with the handyman is vital in a ski season.) Plus an understanding of how to balance work hard with play hard.

Go for it!

bananasandwicheseveryday · 08/08/2019 12:39

Dc quite deliberately decided not to apply for uni as at that point they were torn between two potential career paths, each of which required a different degree. So, they look a gap year, were lucky to have the opportunity to do work experience with one potential employer and then found a temp job in the other field. They decided pretty quickly which career they wanted and applied to uni accordingly. Since they had results in hand, all offers were unconditional which meant that they were able to plan specifically for the uni they chose. They also earned a decent sum to have as a cushion for when the loan and grant kicked in.
DC is now on their dream career and when asked, advises their Y13 students that when possible, a gap year is a good opportunity to build work experience, earn, travel and to be sure that the course they've chosen is indeed the right one.

Original poster
Bowbridge · 08/08/2019 18:53

That is reassuring to hear that your DC had such positive Gap Years.

Thank you for responding.

OP posts:
bevelino · 08/08/2019 20:04

My dd number 3 is currently on a gap year and has had a very productive time working, passed her driving test, done voluntary work, learnt how to cook properly and take care of household chores and is currently travelling at her own expense.

The only thing she hasn’t done is do the shopping as she and her sisters are a total liability in the supermarket, but that’s a whole other thread.

ColdCottage · 08/08/2019 20:21

I deferred and had a gap year. Best thing ever. I think all Uni goers would benefit from a year out of education be that working or traveling or both.

MummytoCSJH · 08/08/2019 20:38

I deferred, then changed my mind about course and could cancel my application and reapply. So it's really no issues whether they defer or cancel applications entirely. I completely agree with others saying gap year is worth it. Mine was not necessarily by choice but meant I started uni in a much better position!

SpeckledyHen · 08/08/2019 20:54

DS1 deferred . Worked , saved , travelled 6 months and went to uni totally energised and inspired by people he had met on the road.
Also as his offer was then unconditional he went to the top of the pile for accommodation and got first choice :)
DS 2 had no intention of going to uni , worked and progressed his band (guitarist) . Completely out of the blue the following year on results day he got a place at RG uni through clearing . A total shock I must say .
He loved it and like his brother got a First . Neither would’ve achieved this without a gap year as they were both ‘ done ‘ with studying when they finished their A levels .
The year of maturity can’t be under estimated imo .

Original poster
Bowbridge · 10/08/2019 08:12

It seems most have a mixture of work and travel.

I had a gap year many moons ago, but mine was purely work to save up to go to university. Three jobs - one 9-5, an evening job and a different one 6am-2pm at the weekend (70hrs a week). The money saved saw me through university.

I want my DC's gap year be more about travel and work experience opportunities.

OP posts:
TapasForTwo · 10/08/2019 10:45

DD is coming to the end of her gap year.

Pros:
She has work experience
Is currently volunteering
Is much, much more confident and independent than one year ago
She wasn't ready for university last year and is in a better place mentally to go
Has made new friends through work and kept them
She didn't get the course she wanted so reapplied and was accepted into her first choice university on another course

Cons:
The work she had only lasted until Christmas and she hasn't been able to find another job since
She has often been bored and lonely
She regretted her decision a couple of weeks after everyone left for university
I don't feel that she has used her time as productively as she might have done
She is worried that she has forgotten how to study

growlingbear · 10/08/2019 10:53

Really interested in this post.

I wish DC wanted gap years. I think they are so valuable and that they could have a brilliant time. But they don't. They are so certain it's unnecessary. I've been trying to persuade them to have one. They can learn how to be a responsible adult, pay their own way, overcome heartbreak, drink too much etc all on their own time not while paying through the nose to study. They can travel and learn very different attitudes to life. (I teach international students sometimes and they humble me when I realise how narrowly British my assumptions are.) they can work and have a head start on their CV after college for getting a graduate job.

Gap years are brilliant. Good for your DC. The only issue is that not all unis will accept the deferral and some might take the offer away and get you to reapply. (Mind you, even that's not a bad thing. I know so many students who switch course or drop out after one year because they didn't really know what they wanted to do. Again, a gap year would give them perspective and they're more likely to make an informed choice.)

I'm quite envious of you having a DC who has come to this decision. I know mine would benefit from it but won't listen.

errorofjudgement · 10/08/2019 11:16

My DD will be taking a gap year. It’s something she’s always wanted to do, and in fairness she’s looking at a course that generally prefers older students so was always unlikely to get an offer straight from A levels.
She’s excited and apprehensive - I think the cons above are all things that’s she’s aware of hence the apprehension.

However she has a part time job - starting on results day, and has been accepted on a part time course 2 evenings a week from September - I think she’s hoping to make new friends from this.

In her case, DD has been away for 2 years (boarded for sixth form) and found it was difficult to keep up with local friends, all but 1 of whom are planning to go to uni in September anyway.

However all of her sixth form friends are all taking a gap year too, so while DD will not have the money for far off travels, she is hoping to do some local European stuff for a few days at a time with these friends.

Plus trips just to visit and catch up

Plus auditions for drama school.

unitednations · 10/08/2019 14:25

DS wants to. Need to make his mind up by Thursday !

Plan is to work up to Xmas - bar jobs etc then go for up to 6 months in new year.

All going well on Thursday he will defer his uni place.

unitednations · 10/08/2019 14:26

We checked last week whether his course was open to deferring and uni said yes. So worthwhile checking before results day.

dementedma · 10/08/2019 14:36

All of mine had gap years and matured a lot because of it. I had two gap years myself before going to uni. I think its a really useful idea

Original poster
Bowbridge · 16/08/2019 14:29

University was happy for DC to defer. They had exceeded the grade requirement by 3 grades. Whether DC sticks with this degree/uni choice, only time will tell.

The leave to go travelling in a fortnight and will be gone for about 2 months.

OP posts:
Laniakea · 16/08/2019 15:22

Mine is - to work and save, if she does enough of both she’ll have a holiday before she starts next September. Deferring her place was fine.

I took a gap year years ago (medicine) & more recently my sister (UCL science) & niece (graphic/game design) have too. No problems going back to studying - my niece particularly has made a fortune working for a year.

NotWavingButMNing · 16/08/2019 15:26

Neither of mine was mature enough at 18, nor would have wanted it.

DC2 has just graduated though and is having a gap year.
DC1 went straight into a full on career and I wish in hindsight had taken a year to travel, chill.

TapasForTwo · 16/08/2019 15:44

"They had exceeded the grade requirement by 3 grades."

Would it worth applying to a different university?

Oblomov19 · 16/08/2019 16:26

I did a gap year before Uni. Spent travelling Russia, Israel, Egypt, Turkey etc. Had the best time. Am a big advocate for gap years.

funmummy48 · 16/08/2019 16:44

My DR has deferred her place, got herself a job and has plans to travel. I'm pleased for her as the GCSE & A Level years have been so stressful.

lovelyupnorth · 17/08/2019 14:47

My DD is off soon on a gap year teaching with a charity. She’s worked hard for it and should have an awesome experience.

Original poster
Bowbridge · 17/08/2019 15:32

That sounds amazing. Where will she be teaching? Did she organise it herself or through a gap year company?

OP posts:
lovelyupnorth · 17/08/2019 15:50

She’s teaching maths and IT. Organised through a charity.

lovelyupnorth · 17/08/2019 15:50

In west Africa.

growlingbear · 17/08/2019 16:02

Wow, I genuinely feel a tinge of envy reading this thread. I know it would be so good for my DS but he'll never agree to it. He's desperate to get on with uni life but he has an idealised view of how it will be and could really do with maturing a bit and developing his independence and social skills first. (They're not terrible but he'll enjoy uni more if he grows up in the wide world first.)

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