Advice + Info
Gap years
Gap years can provide you with an opportunity for work experience, travel and personal growth.
If you're travelling, the best option is to submit your Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) form as normal but defer entry for a year. If you're using it as a chance to earn some cash then you can apply the following year giving you more time to think about what you'd really like to do.
Some universities love the idea of a gap year, others are not so keen. If you've got your heart set on a particular place, but are determined to take a gap year, make sure you check with them first about deferring your entry for a year to avoid any disappointments.
Gap years require a lot of planning. There are a huge amount of options but there are also loads of places to get advice. Start at:
- www.gapyear.com is a pretty comprehensive source of info, where you can also chat to other gappers to get help and advice.
- Foreign Office - www.fco.gov.uk/travel - for information on travel safety and current hotspots for international disputes (places like Iraq, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe aren't the safest places to go, for example). They also have a good gap year site - www.gogapyear.com
- Lonely Planet - www.lonelyplanet.com - is always a source of sensible, interesting and useful advice.
- Rough Guides - www.roughguides.com - more excellent guidebooks.
Also check out the gap year links on the Get Connected Now website.
For events and activity pages bookmarking will mean you get email and SMS reminders.
For normal pages bookmarking makes the page appear in your Top 5.
