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gap year schemes in the 'Big 4'....a waste of time?
I know of many really clever people, who went / are going to the top uni's, and they said that doing these schemes are all a waste of time....I mean, in my opinion, its great...but they are like, "No, uni's think that ur just takin a year out, even if u do sum work, which is pointless anyway...."
I mean, is it really? Do Uni's see a deffered entry on the application and think "uh oh, no committement to the subject / uni here...."
???
And i dont mean just pissing around for they entire year, I actually mean like proper work, like the schemes at Accenture, PwC, Deloittes etc etc....Are they a disadvantage?
And if u biuld up connections now, it may pay off in the future, u know, job wise....???
What do you think?
I mean, is it really? Do Uni's see a deffered entry on the application and think "uh oh, no committement to the subject / uni here...."
???
And i dont mean just pissing around for they entire year, I actually mean like proper work, like the schemes at Accenture, PwC, Deloittes etc etc....Are they a disadvantage?
And if u biuld up connections now, it may pay off in the future, u know, job wise....???
What do you think?
Reply 1
No, uni's think that ur just takin a year out, even if u do sum work, which is pointless anyway....
i actually heard the opposite, a lot of people have told me that unis like it when u get experience, you do have to get proper jobs with good references for when you do apply but if you take a gap year and work it helps you understand how things really work rather than just reading out of a text book and supposedly universities like that....i dunno thtz just what iv heard
Reply 2
I have no idea what universities think of it, but I have friends who did gap year placements at big London firms (Deloittes, KPMG etc.) and now have jobs there...so it might not pay off uni-wise, but if you impress partners at firms, you'd be in a good position career-wise. 
Reply 3
I don't think most uni's look at gap years negatively, admittedly people who take a gap year probably are less driven intellectually, but universities place increasing importance on character and 'personal growth' etc.
Im not sure how much use any contacts gained in your gap year would be 3-5 years later, and tbh im not really sure if taking a gap year working for some big company would be useful at all. I can imagine many people (maybe not you), starting work, realising they're not being treated as a real employee, hating it, and leaving or being miserable for a year.
You may find however that people who have 'pissed about' on their gap years benefit and get a lot enjoyment out of them. Getting a real job for 6 months then living away from parents and having to rely on yourself is something which any employer or university can respect.
Im not sure how much use any contacts gained in your gap year would be 3-5 years later, and tbh im not really sure if taking a gap year working for some big company would be useful at all. I can imagine many people (maybe not you), starting work, realising they're not being treated as a real employee, hating it, and leaving or being miserable for a year.
You may find however that people who have 'pissed about' on their gap years benefit and get a lot enjoyment out of them. Getting a real job for 6 months then living away from parents and having to rely on yourself is something which any employer or university can respect.
Reply 4
As I'm actually on one of the Big 4's gap year schemes at the moment, I think I'm in a fairly decent place to comment on this:
Taking a gap year does not mean you are "probably less driven intellectually". Some people who take gap years may do so in order to doss around for another year, however there are a number of other factors to consider. Many people take gap years in order to reapply for university and others take gap years to save up money. A large number of the Gap year students I'm working with have places at Oxbridge/LSE/Durham and other top universities, as indeed I do.
As far as contacts go, it very much depends on how good you are at networking and what you want to gain. . That's not to say that I (or any of the other Gap year people) are guaranteed a job at this or any other firm, but these things are designed to spot 'talent' early and retain it.. Also, I can't vouch for all of the Big Four schemes, but as far as my firm goes, I'm not being treated any differently from the graduates.
Basically, I think if you've got a good academic record and the rest of your UCAS is well put together, I can't see any university rejecting you or not considering your application as favourably because of deferred entry. There are some exceptions to this - notably heavily Mathematical subjects, which are difficult to pick up again after a year out - but I feel that that's fair as a general rule.
Taking a gap year does not mean you are "probably less driven intellectually". Some people who take gap years may do so in order to doss around for another year, however there are a number of other factors to consider. Many people take gap years in order to reapply for university and others take gap years to save up money. A large number of the Gap year students I'm working with have places at Oxbridge/LSE/Durham and other top universities, as indeed I do.
As far as contacts go, it very much depends on how good you are at networking and what you want to gain. . That's not to say that I (or any of the other Gap year people) are guaranteed a job at this or any other firm, but these things are designed to spot 'talent' early and retain it.. Also, I can't vouch for all of the Big Four schemes, but as far as my firm goes, I'm not being treated any differently from the graduates.
Basically, I think if you've got a good academic record and the rest of your UCAS is well put together, I can't see any university rejecting you or not considering your application as favourably because of deferred entry. There are some exceptions to this - notably heavily Mathematical subjects, which are difficult to pick up again after a year out - but I feel that that's fair as a general rule.
Reply 5
Ogderlon
You may find however that people who have 'pissed about' on their gap years benefit and get a lot enjoyment out of them. Getting a real job for 6 months then living away from parents and having to rely on yourself is something which any employer or university can respect.
You may find however that people who have 'pissed about' on their gap years benefit and get a lot enjoyment out of them. Getting a real job for 6 months then living away from parents and having to rely on yourself is something which any employer or university can respect.
When I mean piss around, i actually mean done nothing. Obv, if u do something contsructive, thats good.
I dont understand why u cant get the self dependency u talk about, when u r on one of these schemes?
The two arent mutually exclusive, surely? U can 'live away from parents' and 'have to rely on urself' as well as working as part of the scheme....?
Reply 6
Ogderlon
I don't think most uni's look at gap years negatively, admittedly people who take a gap year probably are less driven intellectually, but universities place increasing importance on character and 'personal growth' etc.
Im not sure how much use any contacts gained in your gap year would be 3-5 years later, and tbh im not really sure if taking a gap year working for some big company would be useful at all. I can imagine many people (maybe not you), starting work, realising they're not being treated as a real employee, hating it, and leaving or being miserable for a year.
You may find however that people who have 'pissed about' on their gap years benefit and get a lot enjoyment out of them. Getting a real job for 6 months then living away from parents and having to rely on yourself is something which any employer or university can respect.
Im not sure how much use any contacts gained in your gap year would be 3-5 years later, and tbh im not really sure if taking a gap year working for some big company would be useful at all. I can imagine many people (maybe not you), starting work, realising they're not being treated as a real employee, hating it, and leaving or being miserable for a year.
You may find however that people who have 'pissed about' on their gap years benefit and get a lot enjoyment out of them. Getting a real job for 6 months then living away from parents and having to rely on yourself is something which any employer or university can respect.
this is probably the biggest pile of **** i have heard ever!!!...........
(1).i have a place at LSE for economics (as do many other at other top universities) and in NO WAY is a gap year for the 'less driven intellectually' - where the *** do you get off posting such a stereotypical view like that .......
(2). i am currently with a big 4 firm and in NO way do you get treated like a student, i get given big tasks (arguably not as big as say the people who are qualifying for there accounting qualifications but that is obviously understandable), never the less i still get the same tasks as other starter graduates, i still have to put in overtime if it is needed, only last friday i was in a client meeting giving a presentation (although i had a week to prepare for it) etc so you don't get 'donkey work' so to say...........
Reply 7
16
No university will discriminate against you for taking a gap year - most places think that it's a good chance to develop. Except for some reason, I've heard that if you want to do Maths it's not the best idea. 
What they might not like is if you apply for a deferred place - it effectively means that you're securing a place that someone potentially better could take. Places like Oxbridge or Edinburgh are infamous for this.
What they might not like is if you apply for a deferred place - it effectively means that you're securing a place that someone potentially better could take. Places like Oxbridge or Edinburgh are infamous for this.
Reply 8
^^^ agreed.......
taking a gap year when going on to read maths is a bad idea and should be avoided as many uni's believe that you will be out of practice.......
also your point with deferred entry is also correct as oxbridge are infamous for this.........
taking a gap year when going on to read maths is a bad idea and should be avoided as many uni's believe that you will be out of practice.......
also your point with deferred entry is also correct as oxbridge are infamous for this.........
Reply 9
Ariadne
No university will discriminate against you for taking a gap year - most places think that it's a good chance to develop. Except for some reason, I've heard that if you want to do Maths it's not the best idea.
What they might not like is if you apply for a deferred place - it effectively means that you're securing a place that someone potentially better could take. Places like Oxbridge or Edinburgh are infamous for this.
What they might not like is if you apply for a deferred place - it effectively means that you're securing a place that someone potentially better could take. Places like Oxbridge or Edinburgh are infamous for this.
Hmm...but if u were of the quality that Oxbridge and Edinburgh are looking for, and u would have got a place, does it make a diff?
Obv, if ur REALLY good, they're not gonna reject u if u take a defferred entry, but it seems to me like Oxbridge dont take the best students, and its some what of a lottery....
My question is, u know how Grades, PS, Interview, Reference, Xtra Curricluar are the main factors in deciding who gets a place, is whether u have a deffered entry counts as a (small) factor????
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