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Students: wondering whether to take a gap year, or thinking maybe university isn’t for you? Living In … discovers the benefits of having time out and seeing where it takes you
ccording to UCAS, approximately 30,000 students each year choose to defer the start of their university career. Making this decision for a host of different reasons, we found out about the experiences of four young people, who feel that not heading straight into higher education has been the making of them.
EllA pETERS
“I never considered it a conventional gap year but I knew I didn’t want to go straight to university. It was tough not to follow the crowd, but I am so, so happy that I took the time to travel, work and experience life before furthering my studies. I will be graduating next summer from my four-year bachelor’s in international development management (major in sustainable value chains), Ella Peters which I am studying in the Netherlands. Currently I’m doing an Erasmus term in the Czech Republic and studying textiles engineering. “Not heading straight to university gave me the chance to really find out who I am, and not pressure myself into taking a course that my heart wasn’t set on (which was nearly the case!). It also enabled me to dodge a whole lot of unhappiness and debt! During my gap years (I actually took two), I worked as a superyacht stewardess (having completed the necessary course), travelled in Asia, did a ski season (where I learnt how to cook for 18), and spent time ISSUE ONE… SUMMER 2016
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in South Africa with my boyfriend. These experiences taught me so much more than I expected, from how to hold down a responsible, high pressured job and manage my money, to how to enjoy my own company – two months’ solo travel sorted that one out! I now have a very clear understanding of the direction I want to head in and am really excited about what lays ahead (and that is definitely not moving back in with Mum and Dad). If you’re not 100% sure that uni is for you, invest the time to explore other options, as there are so many alternatives out there. I like to live by: ‘You regret the things you don’t do more than the things you do’ and ‘Spend money on experiences over things’. These have both served me well so far.”
CAllum lOmAS
“I left secondary school without knowing what my true strengths and abilities were. I also had no idea what route to go down career-wise. My first fulltime job was working as a contract cleaner at the Tesco store in Saxmundham. Whilst here I realised that I made friendships very easily with new people and made good relationships with bosses and coworkers. As time went on, I did a host of jobs, from being a learning support assistant at my mum’s school for a short period before her retirement, to labouring nine hours a day over the summer. I ended
Callum Lomas
