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Gap years and Deferred places pages
Gap Years and Deferred Entry
If you are thinking of taking a gap year, ensure that you have discussed this carefully with your parents. A gap year can provide an opportunity to stand back from the pressures of university applications in Year 13 and to give you plenty of time to consider who you are and where you are going. It also allows you to try out new activities, to travel and to gain first-hand experience of the world of work. A Post-Award Application (PAA) completed after you have taken your A levels gives you the chance to focus on your A level studies without the distraction of university applications – and has the advantage that any offers you receive will be unconditional, since you will have already achieved the necessary grades. If you are not yet sure what you want to study, a gap year can give you more time to hone your intellectual interests and ensure that the degree course you choose is the right one.
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If you know what you want to study but also know that you wish to take a gap year, then you can apply for deferred entry. On the UCAS form, you need to tick the correct box to state the year of entry. Note that it is better to do this at the time of completing your UCAS form, rather than trying to persuade a university which has offered you a place for the Autumn after you complete your A levels to grant you a gap year – though some may be willing to do this, it certainly cannot be guaranteed. As some university departments are reluctant to grant deferred entry, it is always advisable to check before completing your UCAS form.
Make sure that you plan your gap year well – whether you apply as a PAA or deferred, the Admissions Department will be interested in what you have done and in whether you have spent your time productively, although they do not expect everything you do to be related to your studies.
Gapyears:ShouldItake ayear out?
ArticleproducedbyThe DailyTelegraph
Teaching English in Battambang? Kite-surfing in Jericoacoara? Rhino darting in SouthAfrica?Learning Spanishin Sucre?Or building sandcastles on the beaches ofKohTao?How didyou spendyourgapyear?
Traditionally a gap year has been taken between school and university by so-called ‘ gappers ’ , usually around eighteen years of age, who mix up backpacking and adventure with volunteering work, perhaps in health, education or conservation.
But recently the market has been shifting; graduates, career-breakers and retirees are taking time out, too. The nature of gap experiences has also changed becoming more structured aroundcareer, academic orpersonalgoals. Some assignments are brief; others may last for a year or more. Gappers are increasingly choosing to pull together a number of activities including paid work, fundraising, volunteering andlearning a new vocationalskilloverseas.
Supporters of the gap year say it is essentialin aglobalisedworld. “Forpushing yourself out ofyour comfort zone, gap years are a must, ” saysJonathan Bryan,
managing director of Discover Adventure, which specialises in fundraising for challenges that include trekking across the Sahara Desert or cycling through Rajasthan, India. “You meet people with different lifestyles and from different cultures;it is aboutgrowing up andfending foryourself. ”
But critics say they are self-indulgent andan unnecessary distraction. Recently a lawyer at HSBC made headlines by suggesting young people would be better served if they took a Saturday job at JD Sports rather than spending time seeing “ wonderful places ” . Sandie Okoro, global lead lawyer for HSBC Global Asset Management, said she was less interestedin those who have “ gone offto China and built an orphanage ” . She suggested that a job in a sports shop or supermarket is enough to help youngsters develop resilience and pick up valuable skills that will help them in the workplace. “Forget about going to China and changing the world or whatever, ” she said. “I want people who can come to me andhave hadrealexperiences. ”
Okoro ’ s comments show a surprising flat-earther mentality for someone ofher position at an international bank. The skills she lists can, of course, also be developed during agapyear overseas. At the very least, by choosing a retailjob in a city overseas, like Berlin or Barcelona, there would be the addedbonus of a foreign language skillandheightenedculturalcompetence.
On top of that, gap experiences can also endow participants with greater self-awareness and appreciation ofpublic service. They may arrive at university or their first (or next) job refreshed, focused and able to obtain more from their next chapter in life.
For some recruiters, a gap experience enhances a CV demonstrating a degree of know-how and employability. Fleur Evans, a top-level head-hunter at JCA Group, said she is very pro taking a year out. "A gap year creates more rounded graduates, ” she said, “but I do think you should work and pay for it yourself. "
Researchcarriedout by Work&Volunteer Abroad(WYSE), aglobalnon-profit association representing youth exchange and volunteer programmes, showed that nearly three-quarters of participants believed their experiences enhanced their ability to findajobor aplace in higher education.
Guilin, China Credit:Alamy
Even larger numbers spoke about a better understanding of international cultures. The report said “there are far-reaching knock-on effects; the participant returns home as a better informed, culturally aware and altruistic global citizen - one that feels more employable or ready for further study and is likely togo on to help other causes closer to home. ”
But not everyone will be convinced that conducting an elephant census in Tsavo, Kenya will aid an individual applying for a job in internationallaw. Some, like Okoro, may continue to insist a year on the high street will better arm them for the corporate world. “She ’ s not completely incorrect, ” said Steve Gwenin, chief executive of Global Vision International (GVI). “There ’ s a huge demand for practical experience from employers andthat couldbegainedon a Saturday job in the UK. But it can also be gained on a job which is part of a structuredgapyear. ”
GVI offers a number ofprogrammes withcareer development at its core which Gwenin claims are becoming increasingly popular. “More than 50 per cent of GVI’ s participants enroll in these types of programmes, ” he said. “They come away with certificates in leadership or teamwork, as well as transcripts in, for example, scientific researchcollecting data in marine conservation. ”
Until now, the UK has been agloballeader in boththe concept andpractice of the gap year. Estimates suggest that every year in this country up to a quarter
of a million young people engage in gap activities - and that has helpedyoung Britons stand out in the competitive internationaljobs market. But we should now take note that other countries are catching on, including the economic powerhouses ofthe USandGermany.
Stefan Wathan is CEO of the not-for-profit Year Out Group. He says about two-thirds of the 25,000people who take a gap year withthem everyyear are now coming from overseas. “This is a newphenomenon, ”he said, “ andthere is now anAmerican GapAssociation. ”
Responding to Okoro ’ s comments, Wethan said: “We(in Britain)usedto think the gap year was valuable so what has changed? Surely we want all young people to be out there learning languages andgetting new experiences. ”
In the US, Harvard encourages admitted students to defer enrollment for a year “to travel, pursue a special project or activity, work, or spend time in another meaningful way. ” Its website states that it has admittedstudents inpart because they accomplished something unusual during a year off. Tufts, Princeton and Brown universities offer a ‘Bridge Year ’ giving permission to incoming freshmen to engage in the service sector.
If the Ivy League universities in the US - often obsessed with the effective use of time and results that are measurable - are supporting gap experiences, that mustgo some ofthe way toproving the worthofstructuredtime out.
Gap experiences may not only better a CV but also better an individual. They can be a rich opportunity for personal development: a time to step back and reflect; to gain perspective on values and goals; to be removed from the pressures and expectations of familiar surrounds. Many head off to higher education with new visions of their academic plans, extracurricular pursuits, the intangibles they hopedtogain andcareerpossibilities.
The full value of time out may never be measured accurately yet it may pay dividends for a lifetime. The greatest proof on the worth ofgap years may be gained by speaking to people who have taken one. Few have regrets. Virtually allwoulddo it again.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/gap-year-travel/Gap-years-Should-I-take-a-ye ar-out/
