Thinking about travelling abroad but don’t know whether to go now or after uni? You’re not alone. As Lattitude’s Marketing Coordinator, my job partly involves attending careers events and talking to young people about gap years and volunteering abroad. Over the past couple of months I’ve noticed the “before or after” question cropping up more and more frequently. So when is the best time to take a year out? Personally I took my gap year before university, but as a charity we send 17-25 year-olds abroad to volunteer and I know lots of people who have travelled since graduating… so the truth is, that there is no “better” option. However, if you’re still struggling to decide, a good old pros and cons list never goes amiss.
Before uni benefits:
- Have a break from studying and exams before embarking on another three or four years of academic work.
- You can get all your travelling urges out the way before it’s time to grow up and get a proper job. After graduating you might feel the pressure to get a job straight away, so could end up abandoning the gap year idea altogether.
- A well-planned, structured gap year can boost your personal statement and help you get more uni offers. It will also help your CV stand out, which can help you gain other work experience while you’re at uni.
- Finance: you may think you’re poor now, but who knows how many overdrafts you’ll have accumulated by the time you graduate?
- If you’re not sure what you want to study or what kind of career you’d like to pursue, a gap year can give you time for reflection and sampling a variety of jobs, such as teaching, care work or medicine.
After uni advantages:
- You’ll be more mature in three years time, and you’ll probably have more of an idea of what you’d like to do in the future, so you can be more selective when deciding what to do during your year out.
- You’ve just done your A levels and you’re still in the swing of working academically. After a year in the “real” world you might struggle to get back into life as a student.
- If you’re savvy, you could get a job through uni and use the leftovers from your student loan to fund your travels.
- A post-uni gap year will give you more recent experience of living and working abroad, which employers will value.
- With no degree to study for after your gap year, who knows where you overseas experience will take you?
Still undecided? If in doubt, it is always a good idea to contact the universities and departments you are applying to, to see if their opinion on years out helps you make up your mind.
