The pros and cons of taking a Gap Year

Gap years are becoming increasingly popular amongst students who want to take time out of study to spend their year constructively abroad or at home.

There are different types of gap years. Gap years are often seen as a productive, positive experience by universities and employers.

The main types of gap years include travelling, volunteering abroad or at home or working in a paid position abroad or at home.

The Pros and Cons of Taking a Gap Year

Now let’s take a look at the pros of taking a gap year:

• You’ll gain a wealth of experiences which can, in turn, make you academically and socially better prepared for university life
• If you’re doing a working gap year you can put some of your finances towards tuition fees making you less financially stressed
• Learn new skills and about different cultures
• If volunteering you’ll have the opportunity to help people and make a difference which can be very rewarding
• You’ll gain work experience
• If you take a productive gap year this can be a massive CV booster and set you apart from the crowd.
• You’ll return to university feeling refreshed

As you can see there are many pros to taking a gap year but what about the cons?

The cons of taking a gap year:

• If you’re travelling during your gap year it can be very expensive
• If your friends are all at university when you return you’ll be set back a year and might feel left out
• You might be a bit rusty when returning to university with skills such as essay writing.
• If you don’t get prepared and organised for your gap year you might spend it in front of the TV watching Netflix and eating crisps – that really won’t go down too well on your CV

You now know what the pros and cons of taking a gap year involve and it’s time for you to decide whether taking a gap year is the best thing for you and most of all your future…