I decided to do a follow-up on my previous post regarding my gap year goals, because I didn’t realize that you were going to be able to relate to this (but apparently, some of you from Instagram can!). My last post was quite a matter-of-fact blog (how depressing) and not something that you might find useful at all. So in this quick post, I’ll address some things regarding gap years:
What is a ‘gap year’? Often denominated as a ‘sabbatical year’, it’s usually a year taken off from the burden of academics, either right after high school, or during undergrad/graduate school.
Why? This can be due to various reasons, but the main reasons that I have seen people do this is to switch their focus to something they couldn’t invest their time in while in school, e.g. backpacking, volunteering, learning new skills and/or languages, working, etc. – to gain experience. Whether it’s because you were rejected from the college of your choice, you couldn’t afford to go to college yet, or you deferred your college admission, it’s a huge opportunity to get experience in the field(s) that you are passionate about and improve your lifestyle in all aspects.
How? Regardless of when you’re taken the gap year, you know that you can’t just decide to take a gap year without any form of plan. A year is a pretty long time, but you know that a year can also pass in a whiz. I made my own gap year list a bit too late (because this was not premeditated), but if you’re highly considering it, then the best thing you can do is plan an open and flexible list to see if you’re bound to take advantage of the year or not. I highly consider looking for inspiration online (like I did) when it comes to planning, and breaking down your plan into different categories and sections, always making sure that they’re realistic and specific plans that you can follow through.
This is an article that one of my school teachers sent me to cheer me up, and I recommend it to you if you’re looking to become more familiar with this gap year thing. If you’re a senior in high school, or somewhere in the middle of your university career, and you’re considering taking a gap year (or thinking that it might be a possibility), the first thing that I would recommend you do is plan what you would do. If I had planned mine sooner, I would have been able to handle better these last few months.
Please leave a comment regarding any thoughts/questions that you may have on the subject!
6 Comments
I took a 3 months break before starting college but did not get much done. I’m now in my first month of college and I’m terribly busy, I am enjoying it though!
Hope you will enjoy your gap year!
I’m glad you’re enjoying your first year of college 🙂 Thank you Carynn!
I never took a gap year but I know quite a few people that did for a lot of different reasons. Some wanted to travel, while others just weren’t sure what they wanted to do next. I graduated university last year and while I enjoyed university I found that I wasn’t sure what my next step would be and if I’m honest I’m still not completely sure. This year has basically been all about trying to adjust to the end of my academic career, earning some money and try and work out what’s best for me. I wish you all the best during your gap year and for everything that follows. 😀
It really depends on the person. I personally wouldn’t have chosen to take a gap year completely on my free will, but I think it’ll be beneficial in helping me become more decisive about the career path I want to take. And thank you so much for your comment 🙂
I’m not taking a Gap Year, mainly because I hate school enough that I can’t stand the thought of anything pushing back my college graduation date any farther. My mom tried to talk me into one, but I didn’t. I may take one between undergrad and grad school though.
Here’s wishing you the best!
I’m sorry you hate school D: I hope college isn’t that bad, and it probably won’t be! School and college are two veery different systems, plus you already know what you want to major in, so you’ll dive right in decisively 😉