[Spolodaface]

Hi guys, I'm new to this forum.
Anyway I have a question. Me and my mate have different timing for our going to university. I'm going next year and he's going the year after, thus we can't have a gap year at the same time easily. I wondered whether I would be able to go to University for one year then take a year out after my first year to have a gap-year with my friend.

Would this be possible?
Do any of you have past experience with this?

Thanks in advance...

[Juno]

It would be possible to suspend your studies for a year. But bear in mind that you may not want to. You'll have made new friends, and then taking a year out would mean you'd be the year below them. Or you may have drifted apart from your friend and have different plans.

[Spolodaface]

eek, good point. It's hard to think really as he's my best mate and it'd be a shame to not have a gap year, especially to not have one with him.

[louisedotcom]

Well surely if you are going this year, and him next, by the time it comes to you being in your second year that will be the year he planned to start?

Would it not make more sense for you to do years 1 and 2, and during what would be your 3rd year and his second have the year out then? In the 3rd year many people go off for work or abroard placements anyway, so when you come back to complete year 3 after your year out there may still be some people on your course around so the friendship thing may not even really be an issue?

[lemily]

Why don't you defer a year now and both go on your gap year this year?

[Spolodaface]

I'd be going on my gap year next year. I could defer a year but that may be inconvenient in terms of money etc. Thanks for the suggestions so far. I'll have to think hard about this...

[Mel16]

Not as good as a gap year, but could you try to have a gap summer together instead maybe? You get pretty long summers at uni, and a reasonably long one before you go (at least 3 months, if your uni starts in october).