URGENT HELP NEEDED: Gap Year before or after university as a mature student?
Hello,
I am 24 years old. I want to go travelling, and I also want to go to university. I don't know whether to take a 12 month gap year before completing 4 years of university, or do I go to university first and do a 12-month gap year after when I am 28 years old?
I am 24 years old. I want to go travelling, and I also want to go to university. I don't know whether to take a 12 month gap year before completing 4 years of university, or do I go to university first and do a 12-month gap year after when I am 28 years old?
(edited 8 months ago)
Original post by Dan1298
Hello,
I am 24 years old. I want to go travelling, and I also want to go to university. I don't know whether to take a 12 month gap year before completing 4 years of university, or do I go to university first and do a 12-month gap year after when I am 28 years old?
I am 24 years old. I want to go travelling, and I also want to go to university. I don't know whether to take a 12 month gap year before completing 4 years of university, or do I go to university first and do a 12-month gap year after when I am 28 years old?
I have questions:
•
What's your purpose of going on the gap year?
•
What job do you intend to do upon graduation?
•
What did you do for the last 6 years, and why did you decide to do a degree now?
If there is a specific reason for going on a gap year e.g. undertaking a major project, taking part in a massive charity event, go on a pilgrimage, etc. where you pick up specific skills or do things for religious reasons, then I can see why it's valid. If it's to take a break before going into a career or to go on holiday, then you're going to have little to no reason that the employer would accept.
They would also be asking about what you have done in the 6 years prior to doing the degree, and why you decided to do the degree now.
Original post by MindMax2000
I have questions:
For some employers in some roles, having a gap year after graduation can be seen as a bit of a red flag because it's considered a gap in your employment history. For others, they care less.
If there is a specific reason for going on a gap year e.g. undertaking a major project, taking part in a massive charity event, go on a pilgrimage, etc. where you pick up specific skills or do things for religious reasons, then I can see why it's valid. If it's to take a break before going into a career or to go on holiday, then you're going to have little to no reason that the employer would accept.
They would also be asking about what you have done in the 6 years prior to doing the degree, and why you decided to do the degree now.
•
What's your purpose of going on the gap year?
•
What job do you intend to do upon graduation?
•
What did you do for the last 6 years, and why did you decide to do a degree now?
If there is a specific reason for going on a gap year e.g. undertaking a major project, taking part in a massive charity event, go on a pilgrimage, etc. where you pick up specific skills or do things for religious reasons, then I can see why it's valid. If it's to take a break before going into a career or to go on holiday, then you're going to have little to no reason that the employer would accept.
They would also be asking about what you have done in the 6 years prior to doing the degree, and why you decided to do the degree now.
Hello,
Thank you for the your response.
The purpose of the my gap year would purely be to do some long-term travelling. And have fun! Simple as. If went to university now, I would fully intend on doing that trip as soon as possible after completing university. My most notable achievement, career wise, in the past 6 years in achieving a diploma is business administration, which I attained after completing an 18 month apprenticeship in November. Before then, not much, worked in pubs. Respectfully, I disagree. I do believe gap years are more widely accepted in today's society and viewed as such by employers.
I hope this helps answer your questions. And again, I massively appreciate you taking the time out of your day to help me.
Original post by Dan1298
Hello,
Thank you for the your response.
The purpose of the my gap year would purely be to do some long-term travelling. And have fun! Simple as. If went to university now, I would fully intend on doing that trip as soon as possible after completing university. My most notable achievement, career wise, in the past 6 years in achieving a diploma is business administration, which I attained after completing an 18 month apprenticeship in November. Before then, not much, worked in pubs. Respectfully, I disagree. I do believe gap years are more widely accepted in today's society and viewed as such by employers.
I hope this helps answer your questions. And again, I massively appreciate you taking the time out of your day to help me.
Thank you for the your response.
The purpose of the my gap year would purely be to do some long-term travelling. And have fun! Simple as. If went to university now, I would fully intend on doing that trip as soon as possible after completing university. My most notable achievement, career wise, in the past 6 years in achieving a diploma is business administration, which I attained after completing an 18 month apprenticeship in November. Before then, not much, worked in pubs. Respectfully, I disagree. I do believe gap years are more widely accepted in today's society and viewed as such by employers.
I hope this helps answer your questions. And again, I massively appreciate you taking the time out of your day to help me.
The purpose of the my gap year would purely be to do some long-term travelling. And have fun!
Then I would do the gap year before you head off to uni.
My most notable achievement, career wise, in the past 6 years in achieving a diploma is business administration, which I attained after completing an 18 month apprenticeship in November.
Well, so long you have some experience to go off from. The worst sort of scenarios for most students is to head off for a gap year solely having fun but still have no relevant work experience to put on their CV.
Respectfully, I disagree. I do believe gap years are more widely accepted in today's society and viewed as such by employers.
Feel free to disagree; it's a free country. I am just relaying the information I gathered from employers. I could be wrong, but if I am not then it's worth pointing out for your reference.
Just out of interest, what sort of degree are you doing and what sort of job do you see yourself doing after uni? I have an inkling that it's business related, but I rather not speculate.
Original post by MindMax2000
The purpose of the my gap year would purely be to do some long-term travelling. And have fun!
Then I would do the gap year before you head off to uni.
My most notable achievement, career wise, in the past 6 years in achieving a diploma is business administration, which I attained after completing an 18 month apprenticeship in November.
Well, so long you have some experience to go off from. The worst sort of scenarios for most students is to head off for a gap year solely having fun but still have no relevant work experience to put on their CV.
Respectfully, I disagree. I do believe gap years are more widely accepted in today's society and viewed as such by employers.
Feel free to disagree; it's a free country. I am just relaying the information I gathered from employers. I could be wrong, but if I am not then it's worth pointing out for your reference.
Just out of interest, what sort of degree are you doing and what sort of job do you see yourself doing after uni? I have an inkling that it's business related, but I rather not speculate.
Then I would do the gap year before you head off to uni.
My most notable achievement, career wise, in the past 6 years in achieving a diploma is business administration, which I attained after completing an 18 month apprenticeship in November.
Well, so long you have some experience to go off from. The worst sort of scenarios for most students is to head off for a gap year solely having fun but still have no relevant work experience to put on their CV.
Respectfully, I disagree. I do believe gap years are more widely accepted in today's society and viewed as such by employers.
Feel free to disagree; it's a free country. I am just relaying the information I gathered from employers. I could be wrong, but if I am not then it's worth pointing out for your reference.
Just out of interest, what sort of degree are you doing and what sort of job do you see yourself doing after uni? I have an inkling that it's business related, but I rather not speculate.
Hello,
Thank you for reviewing my response, and responding as you have.
I do not understand? Are you a professional adviser?
I would be looking at studying Environmental Management at university.
In truth, I am still on the fence. On paper, going travelling before university does have significant benefits, most notably financially and youth. However. part of me does feel as though university would be more stable, as in, once I start, for 4 years I would be in a stable and consistent environment. And, I have been on about going to university for longer than I have been on about going travelling.
But, there is also the big drawback of time. Going to university this year is an awfully rushed and stressful experience. I can apply through clearing to do a course at Salford University. I haven't yet visited this university, and they are hosting a post-a-level results day open day on Saturday. Salford is a 2 hour drive from where I live.
The tops pros of going to university this year are:
I finally get to experience and go to university after talking about going for the past 6 years.
It will offer me a stable environment.
I have the 4 month summer breaks to travel.
I can maybe, if I am sensible with my money and work during university, still take my gap year of travel after university when i am 28 years old.
Top cons of going to university:
It is quite a rush, being as it is currently the 18th August, to go to university this year.
It isn't guaranteed that I will be able to take a gap year of travel after university, nor have the money to do so.
I will be older when I take my gap year of travel.
Tops pros of going travelling:
I have the money to do so right now.
I will be younger when I travel.
If I complete a working holiday during my gap year of travel, and earn as much as I spend, when I enrol in university the following year, I can use my savings to fund summer vacations, instead of having to store this money to ensure I can take a gap year after university.
Tops cons of going travelling:
If I go travelling this year, I may not end up going to university next year, or ever.
It would be one more year of not going to university, one more year behind everyone else (I'm 24, people go uni typically at 18, 6 years behind, would be 7).
Thank you so much for your continued support.
Original post by Dan1298
Hello,
Thank you for reviewing my response, and responding as you have.
I do not understand? Are you a professional adviser?
I would be looking at studying Environmental Management at university.
In truth, I am still on the fence. On paper, going travelling before university does have significant benefits, most notably financially and youth. However. part of me does feel as though university would be more stable, as in, once I start, for 4 years I would be in a stable and consistent environment. And, I have been on about going to university for longer than I have been on about going travelling.
But, there is also the big drawback of time. Going to university this year is an awfully rushed and stressful experience. I can apply through clearing to do a course at Salford University. I haven't yet visited this university, and they are hosting a post-a-level results day open day on Saturday. Salford is a 2 hour drive from where I live.
The tops pros of going to university this year are:
I finally get to experience and go to university after talking about going for the past 6 years.
It will offer me a stable environment.
I have the 4 month summer breaks to travel.
I can maybe, if I am sensible with my money and work during university, still take my gap year of travel after university when i am 28 years old.
Top cons of going to university:
It is quite a rush, being as it is currently the 18th August, to go to university this year.
It isn't guaranteed that I will be able to take a gap year of travel after university, nor have the money to do so.
I will be older when I take my gap year of travel.
Tops pros of going travelling:
I have the money to do so right now.
I will be younger when I travel.
If I complete a working holiday during my gap year of travel, and earn as much as I spend, when I enrol in university the following year, I can use my savings to fund summer vacations, instead of having to store this money to ensure I can take a gap year after university.
Tops cons of going travelling:
If I go travelling this year, I may not end up going to university next year, or ever.
It would be one more year of not going to university, one more year behind everyone else (I'm 24, people go uni typically at 18, 6 years behind, would be 7).
Thank you so much for your continued support.
Thank you for reviewing my response, and responding as you have.
I do not understand? Are you a professional adviser?
I would be looking at studying Environmental Management at university.
In truth, I am still on the fence. On paper, going travelling before university does have significant benefits, most notably financially and youth. However. part of me does feel as though university would be more stable, as in, once I start, for 4 years I would be in a stable and consistent environment. And, I have been on about going to university for longer than I have been on about going travelling.
But, there is also the big drawback of time. Going to university this year is an awfully rushed and stressful experience. I can apply through clearing to do a course at Salford University. I haven't yet visited this university, and they are hosting a post-a-level results day open day on Saturday. Salford is a 2 hour drive from where I live.
The tops pros of going to university this year are:
I finally get to experience and go to university after talking about going for the past 6 years.
It will offer me a stable environment.
I have the 4 month summer breaks to travel.
I can maybe, if I am sensible with my money and work during university, still take my gap year of travel after university when i am 28 years old.
Top cons of going to university:
It is quite a rush, being as it is currently the 18th August, to go to university this year.
It isn't guaranteed that I will be able to take a gap year of travel after university, nor have the money to do so.
I will be older when I take my gap year of travel.
Tops pros of going travelling:
I have the money to do so right now.
I will be younger when I travel.
If I complete a working holiday during my gap year of travel, and earn as much as I spend, when I enrol in university the following year, I can use my savings to fund summer vacations, instead of having to store this money to ensure I can take a gap year after university.
Tops cons of going travelling:
If I go travelling this year, I may not end up going to university next year, or ever.
It would be one more year of not going to university, one more year behind everyone else (I'm 24, people go uni typically at 18, 6 years behind, would be 7).
Thank you so much for your continued support.
Are you a professional adviser?
No, I am not professionally. I am a forum helper, and some of us come from a variety of backgrounds.
I would be looking at studying Environmental Management at university.
If you're looking to go into environmental management professionally post uni, then I would check with those professionals to see how your gap year would affect your prospects. To my knowledge, those roles tend not to be as competitive as say working in a consulting firm or working for a big corporate, but I am not sure whether your application is still as competitive
Going to university this year is an awfully rushed and stressful experience. I can apply through clearing to do a course at Salford University.
Well, I would make sure you pick the right university for your course. You are after all spending at least 3 years there and you get finance for your first degree only once (should you wish to do a second bachelor's degree, you generally need to finance it yourself unless you can get third party funding like through the NHS). You want to make sure your first degree is the one you want and it would help you get where you specifically want to go.
I finally get to experience and go to university after talking about going for the past 6 years.
I appreciate the eagerness. 6 years is a long time. However, should you insist on a gap yea, 7 years isn't going to make that much of a difference to 6 in my opinion. The only thing I would be wary of is whether the universities would still deem your level 3 qualifications as valid after X number of years (some have 2 year time limit before they ask you to take them again, some allow for up to 5 years; you would need to check with the individual university's undergrad admissions). If they don't, then you would need to revise whether you should go this year or not.
I have the 4 month summer breaks to travel.
Then I suppose it depends on where you inted to travel to, and whether 4 months at a time is enough for it.
It is quite a rush, being as it is currently the 18th August, to go to university this year.
As above, I would check whether it's the university and the course you want to do. It's not a good idea to make this sort of decision when rushed, and it's not particularly wise if you haven't done enough research about the course. What research have you done in terms of the sort of jobs that you want?
I will be older when I take my gap year of travel.
Whilst there is no age limit to when you can travel, a number of the people you tend to come across tend to be in their early to mid-20s. I don't know whether this is a factor for you.
I have the money to do so right now.
If you manage your money well, you can still have the money after uni as well. I think this point is more about whether you have the discipline to put off spending the money.
If I go travelling this year, I may not end up going to university next year, or ever.
Then I think this is a matter of whether you want to do the specific degree you want or not. If you want to do the degree enough, then you would still come back and do it irrespective. I would then ask yourself why you specifically want to do a degree in environmental management and why is it that you want to go to university.
The other option is to do a degree abroad.
It would be one more year of not going to university, one more year behind everyone else (I'm 24, people go uni typically at 18, 6 years behind, would be 7).
I don't think this is as big of a factor as you think. Whilst it's true that you have less to relate to people and you might be a little behind the times, it doesn't mean that you can't befriend or socialise with people.
Some of my uni mates who I met at uni during my first year were well in their 20s and they got on fine with their coursemates. In fact, if they never told us their ages, I wouldn't have noticed that they were significantly older (if anything, they might have been considered postgrads). It's not as big of a deal as you think.
I even come across a postgrad who was in his 60s after spending a lifetime in engineering before he studied my subject to go into research during retirement.
I think people become a lot more wary if you look like a 50 year old when you're in your mid-20s. That sort of aging is unhealthy for anyone.
Ultimately, when you decide to do your travels is up to you. What consequences that come of that would also be down to you. I am only here to give you another perspective.
If you feel like you want another opinion on it, feel free. The opinions I think matter more are the professionals who are doing the sort of work that you would like to end up doing upon graduation.
(edited 8 months ago)
Original post by Dan1298
Hello,
Thank you for reviewing my response, and responding as you have.
I do not understand? Are you a professional adviser?
I would be looking at studying Environmental Management at university.
In truth, I am still on the fence. On paper, going travelling before university does have significant benefits, most notably financially and youth. However. part of me does feel as though university would be more stable, as in, once I start, for 4 years I would be in a stable and consistent environment. And, I have been on about going to university for longer than I have been on about going travelling.
But, there is also the big drawback of time. Going to university this year is an awfully rushed and stressful experience. I can apply through clearing to do a course at Salford University. I haven't yet visited this university, and they are hosting a post-a-level results day open day on Saturday. Salford is a 2 hour drive from where I live.
The tops pros of going to university this year are:
I finally get to experience and go to university after talking about going for the past 6 years.
It will offer me a stable environment.
I have the 4 month summer breaks to travel.
I can maybe, if I am sensible with my money and work during university, still take my gap year of travel after university when i am 28 years old.
Top cons of going to university:
It is quite a rush, being as it is currently the 18th August, to go to university this year.
It isn't guaranteed that I will be able to take a gap year of travel after university, nor have the money to do so.
I will be older when I take my gap year of travel.
Tops pros of going travelling:
I have the money to do so right now.
I will be younger when I travel.
If I complete a working holiday during my gap year of travel, and earn as much as I spend, when I enrol in university the following year, I can use my savings to fund summer vacations, instead of having to store this money to ensure I can take a gap year after university.
Tops cons of going travelling:
If I go travelling this year, I may not end up going to university next year, or ever.
It would be one more year of not going to university, one more year behind everyone else (I'm 24, people go uni typically at 18, 6 years behind, would be 7).
Thank you so much for your continued support.
Thank you for reviewing my response, and responding as you have.
I do not understand? Are you a professional adviser?
I would be looking at studying Environmental Management at university.
In truth, I am still on the fence. On paper, going travelling before university does have significant benefits, most notably financially and youth. However. part of me does feel as though university would be more stable, as in, once I start, for 4 years I would be in a stable and consistent environment. And, I have been on about going to university for longer than I have been on about going travelling.
But, there is also the big drawback of time. Going to university this year is an awfully rushed and stressful experience. I can apply through clearing to do a course at Salford University. I haven't yet visited this university, and they are hosting a post-a-level results day open day on Saturday. Salford is a 2 hour drive from where I live.
The tops pros of going to university this year are:
I finally get to experience and go to university after talking about going for the past 6 years.
It will offer me a stable environment.
I have the 4 month summer breaks to travel.
I can maybe, if I am sensible with my money and work during university, still take my gap year of travel after university when i am 28 years old.
Top cons of going to university:
It is quite a rush, being as it is currently the 18th August, to go to university this year.
It isn't guaranteed that I will be able to take a gap year of travel after university, nor have the money to do so.
I will be older when I take my gap year of travel.
Tops pros of going travelling:
I have the money to do so right now.
I will be younger when I travel.
If I complete a working holiday during my gap year of travel, and earn as much as I spend, when I enrol in university the following year, I can use my savings to fund summer vacations, instead of having to store this money to ensure I can take a gap year after university.
Tops cons of going travelling:
If I go travelling this year, I may not end up going to university next year, or ever.
It would be one more year of not going to university, one more year behind everyone else (I'm 24, people go uni typically at 18, 6 years behind, would be 7).
Thank you so much for your continued support.
Hey @Dan1298,
Its great to hear you're interested in studying with us! I think its great you're really thinking through your options (I LOVE a good pros and cons list), and think you've really captured good points! I think the only thing I would suggest is applying this year and deferring (if you already have your grades), as if you were thinking of travelling for a year you might be away when University applications open via UCAS, and not have the time or documents with you to do it. I know you mention waiting to apply via Clearing next year, but as we can't confirm which courses might be in Clearing each year it does come with the risk of you waiting a year to apply directly via Clearing and the course not being available! If you decided this time next year to not go to university as you were loving your new life elsewhere (who could blame you?!), you'd be able to give us a call and decline your place.
I'd also not worry about being older than other students - you find people of all ages at university, and I think you'd find that the experience and memories you'd gain from a year of travelling would be worth the wait to go to university. When I did my undergrad degree, one of my coursemates was in her 70's and had decided to go to university once she retired for the sheer enjoyment of the subject! A good chunk of my course was in their mid 20's too, so you'd definitely not be on your own.
Obviously the decision is entirely your own. I know a lot of students think about going travelling post university but struggle to do so due to cost of living, which is obviously a factor to consider regarding being a student - would it be possible to work alongside your degree and save at the same time? Its something to consider, especially if you'd regret not getting to travel.
I hope all of that helps, even if it only gives you more pros/cons! If you fancy making an application via Clearing this year (even if it was only to defer once we've reviewed it) you'd be welcome to give us a call on 0300 555 5030, and one of my colleagues on the Clearing lines would be happy to help.
Let me know if you have any queries!
Becky
University of Salford Rep
Quick Reply
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