GAP YEAR REVIEW ARCHIE SIMMONS
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o some, taking a year off after school might seem like a much deserved break posthigh school. After the vigorous (attempt at) study, students definitely require more than just Schoolies and a long summer break to absorb the freedom that they have just obtained. In my opinion, taking the famed ‘Gap Year’ is the ultimate chance to step out of one’s comfort zone and ultimately experience the real world. Corny? Yes. True? Hell yeah. When my opportunity finally arrived in 2011 to go to school on exchange in France, I couldn’t be any more prepared. I had essentially grown up anticipating the fact that I would be going overseas after I finish school as my parents have always been huge advocates of what my dad likes to call a ‘life experience year.’ My experience in France was a wild one. Now, I’m using the word ‘wild’ in an unusual sense in that there
were some definite ups and downs throughout the year. These ups and downs, however, allowed me to finally understand what my parents meant when they used to talk about ‘putting yourself in someone else’s shoes’. It is with no hesitation that I say that in taking a year off, you grow as a person through learning things that you never would have at school. Adjusting once back at home, however, can be challenging, but one thing is for certain - you don’t lose friends while you’re overseas. You may not often speak to your friends back at home during your year abroad, but on returning, I assure you that all your nearest and dearest will be by your side to welcome you back. Yes, there will be stories and experiences that you missed out on back at home, but so what? By the time you will have returned home, think of all the stories and experiences of your own that you can recount to your
friends! But how can you afford to go across the world and live for a year? It is a great question that everyone asks. I say: do your research. Simply go online and type in destinations, different programs and organisations, and you’re bound to find one that suits your preference. And there are also companies that financially support you and send you overseas to aid or teach those less fortunate. And I’m not even mentioning scholarships…
“A YEAR ABROAD IS A FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN AMAZING THINGS” …If you’re one of those students who’s thinking, “Yeah but I could never get a scholarship…’ How wrong you are! I was once that student, and I applied
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anyway and got one, all because I was driven to do it and passionate about the opportunity at hand. If you’re not sure about doing a gap year, just have a think and chat with your parents. Trust me - you don’t want to start uni and in the first week think, “Oh I really regret not taking the opportunity to defer and travel or work or whatever…” I personally know many students who have deferred Semester 2 at uni because they have regretted not taking the gap year opportunity. A year abroad is a fantastic opportunity to learn amazing things – about yourself, and about the world around you. I dare you to take the gap year plunge and let yourself tread down an unexpected, yet exciting path of possibility. Archie is currently studying a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Melbourne