For such a positive experience, gap years have managed to attract a lot of negative baggage. Part of the problem is the name. Think about it – where else is the notion of a gap a good thing? Certainly not in dentistry. And any traveller worth his salt knows that you have to BEWARE OF THE GAP. If you’re trying to sell the notion of taking a gap year to your parents it’s quite likely that they’ll hear the word “gap” and think only of falling behind and a desperate race to catch up.
That’s why the gap year has to die.
Instead we think that you should consider a Research and Development year.
What’s the difference? Well, a gap year is when the Ruperts and Jocastas of the world go off on a £30k holiday where they build schools for elephants. A Research and Development year is a period of time when you can make a considered judgement about what to do next, but it’s also a phase when you can develop yourself – as a person, a potential employee and as a human being. Who could possibly object to that?
In fact the gap year has attracted so many myths and untruths that you might already have decided that it’s not for you. That’s fine. Feel free to skip ahead – provided you read and understand the information here:
5 Myths About Gap Years
1) - They’rejust for rich kids – NO, THEY’RE NOT. 2) They cost a lot of money – NO, THEY DON’T otherwise they’d just be for rich kids and we’ve just said that they’re not. 3) They mean travelling – NO, THEY DON’T. Thousands of school leavers take a gap year and stay within a 40 mile radius of their own bed. 4) Mean convincing your parents – WHAT! You really think your parents would object to you improving your employability, learning new skills and building up your life experiences? 5) Are a waste of time – ABSOLUTELY NOT. In fact, a gap year could actually save your life. Still want to skip ahead?
So what is an R&D year then and how could it save your life?
In the perfect world, all of the exercises and questions that refine your ideas about potential futures and guide you towards making informed choices – would be done while you were still at school. That would mean that you could get to your school graduation ceremony and annoy everyone by saying with confidence that you know precisely what you want to do next and that you’re genuinely excited about the future.
However, you’ve probably noticed that school is busy. Alongside lessons and exams quite a lot of other stuff happens. Friends, girlfriends, boyfriends (or both), parties, music, books, cinema, work and revision all tend to get in the way. As John Lennon once remarked, “life is what happens while we’re making other plans.”
So what happens if you get to the end of school and you still haven’t had the time to make the right decision? You take an R&D year. And one of the things that you do is your career research and figure out what’s really right for you. That way, rather than going off and getting a qualification in something you don’t want to do and building up debt that it takes decades to get rid of, you will make a better choice and, ultimately, avoid wasting your life. Add in the fact that you’ll have some amazing life experiences (which can be sold to parents and future employers as ultimate skill-enhancing opportunities) and you’ve got an unbeatable combination.
Deferring – A Smart Move
Deferring means asking for your university place to be held over until the next academic year. So rather than starting in September 2013, you’d start in September 2014 for instance. It doesn’t cost anything to defer, although you need to be aware that you might end up paying the fees at the 2014 rates – so keep an eye out for more increases.
In fact, most universities are in favour of deferment because they know that it can save you making the wrong choices. As an example The University of Roehampton state on their website, “We welcome students who wish to defer entry, and believe that applicants who decide to broaden their horizons by taking a gap year can benefit by bringing this wider outlook to their studies.” So how do you do it? It depends on if you know you want to defer when you apply to university. If you do you can let the uni know via your UCAS application and do a statement showing the benefits of your R&D year, provided the course you’re applying for allows deferment (most do). If you decide to defer after you’ve made your application, you can possibly still do it right up until quite late by speaking to the admissions tutor at your department. In most cases if you have a good reason they will be happy to allow it. Be warned, this varies by course, department and university so speak to your admissions tutor as soon as you’ve decided that an R&D year is for you, don’t delay.
