Hi,
I know and have pretty much always known what I want to study at uni and what career I want to go into - landscape architecture, so I have no doubts about that. I know what university is my first choice, and my second, and my third. However, I've just started year 13 and work load has got a lot heavier for me, and it's dawned on me that before I start uni may be the time in my life I have the most freedom to do my bucket list stuff and personal development etc - my uni course is 5 years and I know that I want to get straight into my career after that, and I want to have a family some day and a really successful career. I have dreams of travelling Europe but I don't know if they're very realistic. I could get a job nearby that I enjoy enough, like at my local garden centre perhaps, save up some money, take up some new hobbies, then go travelling for a month, and still have a little money left as a start for uni finances. I've really never considered this route before - would the gap year drag on forever, or would I regret it if I didn't step out of my comfort zone and try some new things? I'm very academic and always revising- would I be able to get back into this rhythm again after a gap year?
Also, when do I have to decide if I'm going for the gap year or straight to uni? Can I defer my offer on results day for a guaranteed place the following year or would I have to make this decision before my exams?