Gap year student transitioning to uni

Hello to whoever is reading this. I’m currently on a gap year and will be going to university in September. Just wanted to ask if anyone else who had previously done a gap year and then went to uni:

1) how did you feel about the transition from being at home doing little to nothing academically, and then having to jump back into the academic routine so suddenly?
2) Was it hard?
3) How long did it take you to adjust?
4) What skills did you have hone again?
5) Or maybe the transitioning was completely fine for you?
6) was your university willing to help you readjust or were you on your own?

And just any information and tips in general would suffice, I’m quite scared about having to readjust when it’s time, I’m at the point where Ive even forgotten how to write an essay. Thank you in advance to whoever responds to this :smile:

Reply 1

Szara_SOAS

Official Rep

Original post by dee7xz

Hello to whoever is reading this. I’m currently on a gap year and will be going to university in September. Just wanted to ask if anyone else who had previously done a gap year and then went to uni:
1) how did you feel about the transition from being at home doing little to nothing academically, and then having to jump back into the academic routine so suddenly?
2) Was it hard?
3) How long did it take you to adjust?
4) What skills did you have hone again?
5) Or maybe the transitioning was completely fine for you?
6) was your university willing to help you readjust or were you on your own?
And just any information and tips in general would suffice, I’m quite scared about having to readjust when it’s time, I’m at the point where Ive even forgotten how to write an essay. Thank you in advance to whoever responds to this :smile:

Hi!
I took a gap year and also had some of these concerns before starting university.

I found the transition a bit challenging at first, but honestly, it wasn't as tough as I thought it would be. The biggest thing I had to work on was essay writing. The assignments I was set at university were a lot longer and required more in-depth research than the ones I was used to writing, so it took a little while to get the hang of them. However, I think a lot of people have this problem, regardless of whether they took a gap year or not, since the mark schemes at university put more emphasis on original thought and critical thinking.

Luckily, most universities offer plenty of support that can help with this transition. Mine held writing workshops at the beginning of the year, and I regularly went to my lecturers' and tutorial lead's office hours throughout the year to clarify assignment requirements, ask about the mark schemes, and go over my assignment feedback in further detail. You'll also have an assigned Academic Advisor, who's a first point of contact for any personal or academic concerns. So, my biggest tip is to be proactive and make use of the help and resources around you!

I hope this helped and good luck! Feel free to give me a shout if you have any other questions.
-Szara

Reply 2

dee7xz

Original post by Szara_SOAS

Hi!
I took a gap year and also had some of these concerns before starting university.
I found the transition a bit challenging at first, but honestly, it wasn't as tough as I thought it would be. The biggest thing I had to work on was essay writing. The assignments I was set at university were a lot longer and required more in-depth research than the ones I was used to writing, so it took a little while to get the hang of them. However, I think a lot of people have this problem, regardless of whether they took a gap year or not, since the mark schemes at university put more emphasis on original thought and critical thinking.
Luckily, most universities offer plenty of support that can help with this transition. Mine held writing workshops at the beginning of the year, and I regularly went to my lecturers' and tutorial lead's office hours throughout the year to clarify assignment requirements, ask about the mark schemes, and go over my assignment feedback in further detail. You'll also have an assigned Academic Advisor, who's a first point of contact for any personal or academic concerns. So, my biggest tip is to be proactive and make use of the help and resources around you!
I hope this helped and good luck! Feel free to give me a shout if you have any other questions.
-Szara

Hi Szara!
This was really helpful, wow, thank you soo much!! This tips really do calm my nerves so thank you! I’ll definitely take on board the utilising my lecturers and tutors help. That’s so cool how soas holds writing workshops! I’m going to call up my university and ask if they do anything similar. Thank you so much once again :smile:

Reply 3

BCU Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post by dee7xz

Hello to whoever is reading this. I’m currently on a gap year and will be going to university in September. Just wanted to ask if anyone else who had previously done a gap year and then went to uni:
1) how did you feel about the transition from being at home doing little to nothing academically, and then having to jump back into the academic routine so suddenly?
2) Was it hard?
3) How long did it take you to adjust?
4) What skills did you have hone again?
5) Or maybe the transitioning was completely fine for you?
6) was your university willing to help you readjust or were you on your own?
And just any information and tips in general would suffice, I’m quite scared about having to readjust when it’s time, I’m at the point where Ive even forgotten how to write an essay. Thank you in advance to whoever responds to this :smile:

Hi @dee7xz

I also did a gap year before starting uni. I found that I really enjoyed going back to studying after having a break from it during my gap year. I think the most important thing for me was to plan out my weeks so that I could keep on top of the work that I had to do whilst also enjoying being at uni.

I was a little bit nervous about assignments, however I found that my first couple of modules included lots of guidance for how to write our assignments. There are also lots of resources available to support with developing academic writing and study skills.

Hope that helps and let me know if you have any other questions!

Sophie.
BCU Student Rep.