Taking A Gap Year

By Author: Mathew Sabri
Total Articles: 33
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Deciding on a good university and the degree you wish to embark on can be a worrying decision. Many secondary school leavers are met with A' Level-anxiety that doesn't leave much scope for making clear, timely choices about where to study, or if they want to take that all-important gap year.

A gap year can offer time in which to weigh up their education options, but too, will open up a wide and varied experience of life before they do, which, is something not taught at school.

If the prospect of zooming straight from classroom-to-classroom fills you with dread, or alarm, and you feel an nagging sense that there has to be something else to experience before university, then why not consider taking a gap year?

It may be the case that there is a country or an area of the world that you have always dreamed of visiting but haven't yet had the opportunity. It could be that you've always wanted to work with orang-utans in Indonesia or help build schools, orphanages and water supplies in third world countries. It might be that you've always thought you'd make a good teacher of English or perhaps you've simply dreamed ...
... of travelling through somewhere that's completely different to your home surroundings.

Whatever your gap year dreams may be, this could be one of the few times in your life where you have the opportunity to throw caution to the wind. Once you start at university, you'll be limited to non-term time if you want to go abroad. And, if you are fortunate enough to get a job after your degree, the real world has limitations on holiday-time too.

It has never been so easy to organise a gap year, either. There are a multitude of organisations dedicated to helping students organise their travel experiences and now, providers offer travel insurance specifically designed for backpacking trips and gap years. The internet is a fantastic resource for finding out more about all kinds of different travel experiences, so have a browse and see what catches your eye.

There are, however, a few instances when a gap year could potentially be detrimental to your further education prospects. If, for example, you decide to spend 6 months working and saving and 6 months travelling, but things don't go to plan and you end up at home for a year, some of the more competitive universities could consider this to be detrimental to your application.
What's more, certain subjects are not conducive to gap years. Maths students are advised to go straight to university, so that their most recent studies in the subject are still fresh in their minds when they start. It is crucial to evaluate your own circumstances carefully before you decide whether a gap year is right for you.

If you have been saving up to go abroad in your gap year, you do not want to have to pay a fortune for gap year travel insurance. etravelinsurance.co.uk offer special rates to provide cheap insurance to protect you and your valuables