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How many gap years is too many gap years?

Considering you're not going to uni to study Maths, is it bad to have 2 or 3 gap years between sixth form and uni? If you're going to utilise them well?

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Reply 1

username4961788

Original post by biofrance

Considering you're not going to uni to study Maths, is it bad to have 2 or 3 gap years between sixth form and uni? If you're going to utilise them well?

No joke but I've been on 1 for 4 years.

Reply 2

ajj2000

For which subject at university and what career? In general no, but there can be exceptions.

Reply 3

biofrance

Original post by 250322052512

No joke but I've been on 1 for 4 years.

Have you been working full-time for those gap years, or travelling??

Reply 4

biofrance

Original post by ajj2000

For which subject at university and what career? In general no, but there can be exceptions.

I'm particularly keen on Warwick, but there are several others I'd go to (Edinburgh, York..). I'm hyper-aware these are good unis so I don't want to ruin my chances of getting into them. There are non-Russell ones I'd consider too, but if I had a choice...
Subject - Preferably something that combines science and language (I've seen degrees like Biomedical Sciences with French, for instance).

Reply 5

ajj2000

Original post by biofrance

I doubt that will be a problem - the course is not hyper competitive and I don't think biological type subjects are as concerned about people losing their skills as some others can be. What are you planning on doing for your years off?

Reply 6

vicvic38

Uhhh, I'd say.... 80? Because you'd probably be dead.

Jokes aside, so long as you keep up to speed on your subject in the year before you plan to go to uni, there is no amount of gap years I'd consider too many.

Reply 7

username4961788

Original post by biofrance

Have you been working full-time for those gap years, or travelling??

Travelling and retaking.

Reply 8

__itertools__

Original post by biofrance

Considering you're not going to uni to study Maths, is it bad to have 2 or 3 gap years between sixth form and uni? If you're going to utilise them well?

I took 3 gap years for personal reasons and am going to university to study maths this year. Not sure why you said, "Considering ... to study maths" there but you should be fine.

Reply 9

ReadDed

About to enter my 3rd gap year...I think take as many "gap years" as it takes to find out what you want to do (so long as you can stay productive) . If I knew what I wanted to do I would say one is ideal, Just because of social pressures of not going uni (especially when you have the grades) and it can be hard to to keep a good perspective... Eg you might feel like **** that your friend is about to graduate from a bottom tier uni when in 3 years you can graduate from a top tier uni

Reply 10

biofrance

Original post by ajj2000

Ok, this is gonna be a long read. Massive apologies in advance :colondollar:

. You can see just how many thoughts are swirling round my head on a daily basis...
_______

Well, this summer I finished my A-levels - but I completed them a year late (personal issues rather than academic) so that has already set me back by a year in relation to the traditional trajectory of going to uni aged 18.

Now, it's the start of my first gap year (but it feels like I'm on gap year number 2, because most people my age have already done their gap year if that makes sense). I'm going to do 3 months of volunteering with ICS (fingers crossed I get accepted at the Selection Day) in Nepal or Tanzania.

I'm also considering Camp Canada, au pairing, a month-long voluntary programme in Fiji in the communities and a 3-week voluntary programme in Costa Rica for conservation. But first off, I'm getting a job in retail until December to earn some money and get some experience of work. That means I'm probably not going to be able to do all the travelling I'm wanting to do, but I guess the two shorter voluntary programmes are things I could do in a uni summer holiday if I had to, so I won't be devastated to miss out on them for the time being.

Thing is, I want to do at least one more a-level because I only left sixth form with 2 a-levels. And with me being away for a whole three months with ICS - and probably other travel too - I don't really want to pile on the pressure with having to study in between or alongside travelling. I thought about it, but then I realised that ICS really is my priority now and it's not like I'll be able to pack a couple of psychology textbooks..
Part of me wishes I could travel, work and study in one gap year and then get off to uni in Sep 2020, but :s-smilie:

.

So that's why I'm considering another gap year in 2020-2021. Then I'd be able to just enjoy my travelling and volunteering this year without stress, and then the next year do 1 or 2 a-levels (whereas if I did it this year I'd definitely only do 1) as well as RAF reserves (you only have to do a couple of days a month so not a big time commitment but definitely something I want to do) and more part-time work.

If I were definite on the double gap year idea, I'd also jump at the chance to work abroad in Canada for a 4 to 5-month ski season because it's something I'm desperate to do but it's such a huge time commitment that it seems implausible at the moment. Plus, I'd be able to keep studying for that a-level while I was over there in Canada - not something I'd be doing on an evening in rural Nepal with ICS... Also thought about Australia. Either way, I'd need a double gap year to even consider working in Canada or Australia because you can only ever get one working holiday visa in your life for each of those countries (and that lasts up to a year I think) so it'd be a bad use of a once-in-a-lifetime visa if I were to only go for a few weeks! I'd want to make sure I had a decent amount of time out there to make the most of having that visa.

Having two gap years (three if you consider my extra year at sixth form) would mean I'd be entering uni as a mature student, which tickles me for some reason :biggrin:

. Hopefully the process is no different to apply as a mature student??

Reply 11

biofrance

Original post by username4961788

Travelling and retaking.

Cool, have you enjoyed your gap years?
What have you done on your travels out of interest? :smile:

Reply 12

biofrance

Original post by __itertools__

I took 3 gap years for personal reasons and am going to university to study maths this year. Not sure why you said, "Considering ... to study maths" there but you should be fine.

I always had the impression that universities are really particular about you not taking a gap year if you want to study Maths.
My brother always wanted to study Maths (at Cambridge - so maybe it's just them who have this rule?) so he knew he couldn't have gone on a gap year even if he'd wanted to.

& Thank you :smile:

Hope uni goes well for you.

Reply 13

ajj2000

Original post by biofrance

Having two gap years (three if you consider my extra year at sixth form) would mean I'd be entering uni as a mature student, which tickles me for some reason :biggrin:

. Hopefully the process is no different to apply as a mature student??

Cool - sounds like you have some worthwhile (if extremely costly!) plans. I think if anything mature students can have a smoother ride getting university places. Might be worth checked what you have to do to show independence and get the full student loan (if you would not have done so otherwise).

Reply 14

biofrance

Original post by ajj2000

Thanks!

I appreciate it.

Reply 15

biofrance

Tbh, I think what will be costly is all the flights. And I'll have to pay for the cost of the Fiji and Costa Rica volunteering programmes if I do them too, but other than that..!
In all seriousness, though - ICS is government-funded, and then as an au pair and a camp counsellor I'll be paid (not a fortune, but it's decent and would more than compensate for my flights). And I wouldn't get loads of money from the RAF Reserves either, but still, even just one or two days of work would easily cover the cost of sitting 2 A-Levels.
And if I go to Australia for a few months to work, well, they have one of the highest minimum wages in the world :smile:

So I'm not saying I'll be making money while I'm on these gap years (I don't even want to look at the prices of flights to Australia etc.!), but someone please tell me if I'm being naive here.. :biggrin:

Reply 16

ReadDed

Don't volunteer through a company...They earn money off you and I doubt they pay you? Go through "workaway.com" and find someone that will house and feed you and then money wises should be fine.
If you want to go for 3 months I would try to get around 3 grand (Excessive) by working for a month or two, I also had the plan to study but it didn't work out... Normally once you abroad your perspective on exams may change a little