02 Sep 2019

Gap years often get a pretty bad rap. 

Many schools don't promote gap years or even particularly mention them, whilst others treat the notion with disdain. Meanwhile, some parents roll their eyes at the idea of a year off, claiming them to be a colossal waste of time.

In a Year13 survey, it was obvious that students are making decisions and conclusions on gap years without receiving proper information about their benefits. When we asked you guys how your school or careers advisor talked about gap years, nearly half of you said gap years weren't talked about at all, and an additional 19% said that they were talked about negatively. 17% of you guys also mentioned that your parents stopped you from taking a gap year.

There's no wonder why there's a negative stigma surrounding gap years.

 

Instead of dissing gap years, schools should be speaking about them on par with further education and employment. They're a prime time to recharge after high school, figure out what to do with life, earn some money or gain some work/life experience.

There's nothing slack about preferring to trek around Nepal than head straight into university or TAFE. There's nothing shameful about feeling lost after graduating high school and taking a year off to weigh up options. It's not a waste of time to earn some dosh rather than jumping straight into the next phase of life, getting burnt out before even beginning.

This positive information should be passed on to everyone considering taking a gap year, instead of just passing judgment.

I was told that universities wouldn't accept me if I took a gap year. Multiple high school teachers scorned the idea. "Why prolong the inevitable?" my careers advisor said. "You know that you want to go to uni. Why waste time travelling?".

I'm so relieved that I didn't crumble under this pressure to dive straight into uni. Instead, I spent my time travelling, working and finding clarity for my future. My dream university also accepted me, even admitting that they prefer students who took a gap year as they, for the most part, tend to show more maturity, world knowledge and an eagerness to learn.

I can't speak for every university, but all in all, my gap year was the best time of my life and I learned more than any classroom could possibly teach.

There isn't one clear route for everyone to take after high school. For some, a gap year is exactly what they need and has multiple positive benefits. This is why the negative stigma surrounding gap years needs to stop, so we can evaluate all of our options equally and fairly after high school.