The Student Room Group

any advice: uni/gap year?

hi,
just wondering if i could ask for yoooou lots personal opinions on my options for next year?

1)i'm thinking of either accepting my place at durham and getting straight on with it
OR
2)deferring my entry and going travelling
OR
3)reapplying to Cambridge- so just go travelling and take the risk of not getting into cambridge or durham

i know the first obvious question is whether i want to go travelling or not but i really want to do both... uni and travelling are equally attractive to me...

so any opinions are welcome? thankss!
Reply 1
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanyone?
Would traveling after uni be an option?
Will you only be traveling during a gap year?
How important is reapplying to Cambridge?
Reply 3
I'm reapplying next year; I got rejected from Cambridge for economics this year.
I'm going to get an internship at either accountancy firm/bank to enhance my application. And probably add a few other stuff to my CV as well.
Reply 4
dramaminedreams
Would traveling after uni be an option?
Will you only be traveling during a gap year?
How important is reapplying to Cambridge?


hi!
Not really, i won't have any money plus i'll be in debt- it seems like now is my moment :P

i'd have to work first. maaaaaaaaaybe do some sort of volunteering but dunno about that

i want to do postgrad study there soooooo i guess not the be all and end all.... it's Caaambridge though, and i feel like the whole getting pooled thing means i should have another shot at it, paticularly as a i felt my interviews were a shockingly bad reflection of my ability. you see?
take a gap year, have another shot at cambridge.

just make sure you get a decent job you'll enjoy to pay for your travelling
Reply 6
gyyy2807
I'm reapplying next year; I got rejected from Cambridge for economics this year.
I'm going to get an internship at either accountancy firm/bank to enhance my application. And probably add a few other stuff to my CV as well.


you excited about it? i would definitely do that if i wasn't doing something like philosophy... there's no job or training for philosophy so gap year is essentially about maturity and widening perspective etc etc rather than specific, focused learning in a career sense. that's why i'm confused i think
Reply 7
didgeridoo12uk
take a gap year, have another shot at cambridge.

just make sure you get a decent job you'll enjoy to pay for your travelling


yeah, you reckon?
i think i'm swaying towards this. i thought it could be interesting to go to an agency so that i get random jobs instead of samey boring work. i'll have a look about! :smile: thanks
well,I don't think there is much chance of being rejected from universities next year:
1) you have 3/5 offers at top 10 unis
2) pooled for Cambridge
However, this is assuming you get AAA at A2... at least.

On the other hand, a year is a long time, and you would be expected to read a lot more about philosophy for Cambridge interview. Traveling is bound to be one of the best experiences you could possibly have but working for it will take time and effort. Also, most of your friends might go to university, which can be quite lonely.
Reply 9
dramaminedreams
well,I don't think there is much chance of being rejected from universities next year:
1) you have 3/5 offers at top 10 unis
2) pooled for Cambridge
However, this is assuming you get AAA at A2... at least.

On the other hand, a year is a long time, and you would be expected to read a lot more about philosophy for Cambridge interview. Traveling is bound to be one of the best experiences you could possibly have but working for it will take time and effort. Also, most of your friends might go to university, which can be quite lonely.


this is properly difficult. hmmm. my best friend and my boyfriend are taking years out as well so not toooo worried on the lonliness front. good point about the reading though. i was thinking about travelling about for a bit on the search for philosophy talks, meetings, groups, 'wise people' haha. i don't know how to decide.
Reply 10
piiineapple
you excited about it? i would definitely do that if i wasn't doing something like philosophy... there's no job or training for philosophy so gap year is essentially about maturity and widening perspective etc etc rather than specific, focused learning in a career sense. that's why i'm confused i think

I'm not really excited about it, because it means I'll have to put effort into finding useful stuff to put into my application, and I would have preferred to get in this year. But, oh well, if I get in next year it'll all be worth it. so fingers crossed :smile:
Gap year, I'm on one atm and having a great time (Except starting work at 8am, but I enjoy the job) and I've not even been travelling yet!
Reply 12
Sounds like a gap year might be ideal for you........if you're leaning more towards travelling now, it's a good time to do it rather than 2/3 months into your degree when you might be thinking 'what if?' At least if you take the gap year, you'll always have the thought/plan of university at the end of it - what I mean is, it's not like you won't go to uni, just a bit later, which really isn't long in the grand scheme of things. Especially if you've got your heart set on Cambridge. Go for it.

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