Gap Year Interviews Why did you choose to take a gap year? I chose to take a gap year because I wanted to gain some experience of real life before I attended university. I was also unsure of what I wanted to study and thought that taking a year away from academia would help me figure out what course would be best for me. What did you do during your gap year? During my gap year, I completed an Army Officer Internship, also known as a Gap Year Commission. This began with a nineweek course at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, where I learnt how to be an officer; I learnt how to manage a platoon of thirty soldiers both in barracks and on operations, as well as the basics of leadership. At the end of November, I commissioned as a 2Lt into the Royal Regiment of Artillery, and began working full time as an officer in 19th Regiment Royal Artillery. Over the course of the nine months that I spent there, I was lucky enough to experience a wide range of opportunities, from snowboarding in Austria, to subterranean warfare training in Gibraltar, and artillery live firing in Germany. Would you recommend doing an Army Officer Internship? I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone that wants to develop leadership skills in a real-world setting, and is interested in potentially making a career as an officer in the Army. What do you think you’ve gained from the experience? Through my time in the Army, I have gained invaluable experience in leading people, developed a stronger work ethic, and set myself up for a career as an officer. I have also made lifelong connections and friends from all walks of life. I feel I have grown up a lot over the last year and am now well prepared to take on any challenges that university may present me with. What’s next for you? I will be studying English at the University of Exeter, but am able to continue to work part time for the Army as a Reservist in The Rifles. Following university, I hope to attend the Regular Commissioning Course at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst to continue my career as an officer. ■
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OGA Chain 2023
Bea Watson CG 2022
Bea on exercise at Sandhurst
