Gap Year 101

Good evening readers,

Welcome back to the blog!

Exciting times are ahead, with Vienna less than a week away and South East Asia less than 2 months away! But this blog post is about neither of these. If you read my very first blog post, 'This is the Beginning', you'll know that I'm taking a gap year; the very topic I would like to discuss. If you're not sure whether to take a gap year, if you're doing your A-levels, going to college or studying at University, I recommend you keep reading.

To begin with, in my personal opinion gap years are not promoted enough at schools, so I'm using this opportunity to promote them here. Subtly and sneakily, I was taught at 6th form that it was preferable to go straight to University after A-levels instead of taking a year out, but now, less than 6 months on, I see that this is not the case. I've learnt that going to Uni, fresh out of school, is not for everyone. It's so important that people know that this doesn't mean that some are less mature than others. Maybe some people, like myself, just needed a break after 14 years of education. Maybe some people, like myself, realised that after Uni you might get a job, get married, have kids, and by the time you've retired you're old and frail and the opportunity has vanished (notice I said MIGHT, this is not always the case). Or maybe some people, like myself, just needed some time to properly think out what they really want to do with their lives. Many have it all figured out by 18 years old, but many don't and that's okay too. My brother, although he's become very successful in his field in recent years, knows he would have excelled so much more at university if he had taken a gap year, and because I'm a lot like him I took his advice (much to my Dad's dismay) and decided not to go to University this year. It was hard going against my Dad, but another important thing to remember is you can listen to what people have to say but this decision is for you, no one else.

Please note, I'm not trying to dissuade those who are 100% sure they want to pass off a gap year experience. However, I'd like to say, even though it's only December, taking a year out has been the best decision I've ever made. I'm working 3 jobs that I love, and I can meet up with my friends without stressing about deadlines, I've spent more time with my family, set up a blog, planned travels, AND I've still made time for Netflix. I'm so incredibly happy and I've not even been abroad yet! So if anyone is leaning towards a gap year but they're not completely persuaded, I would totally, utterly, without a doubt recommend it.

My advice for those considering a gap year is they are what you make them. You have over 12 months to make the most of so do what you want to do, and I don't mean sit in bed and watch Netflix all day. Get a taste of the working world and earn some money, volunteer abroad, make friends, find true love, visit amazing cities, go bungee jumping, climb Mount Everest, ride an elephant. The world is your oyster, so grab the opportunities as they come.

Before I finish, I would like to mention that this blog post is not directed at everyone. Some people are ready to jump into Uni life as soon as they've walked out of school. It's intriguing, and exciting, a chance to meet loads more amazing young people. I thought I was ready before I had considered my other options. My Dad's argument against me taking a gap year was that as soon as you get used to not having to study it may become harder to get back into the swing of it, which is true to some extent, however, I know I made the best decision for me. Everyone is different, so be selfish and think about yourself. It may be daunting but this will affect the rest of your life!

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Have a great week all!

Lizzy xxxx