are gap years good ideas

julie03

my son is taking a levels at the moment and is talking a bout a gap year before going to uni

i am against as he isnt always the most committed of people , once doing something he sticks at it but its getting him to do it and i feel once he has a job and full time money then he wont want to go

he wants to do all this travel but at the moment has no funds to do it, so would need a full time job to pay for it all but wouldnt be able to do it as he would be working

i know that some unis prefere the slightly older experienced student, this is his argument and he says he will need a break after a levels
alot of these ideas are coming from his GF who he may not be with by the time A levels finish.

he has no money at the moment , neither do we but he doesnt seem inclined to get a job to pay for all these wonderful things he wants to do.

dont know what best to advise

devildog

yes, he's an adult and has to make his own decisions

Taking a gap year may be a good idea especially if he doesn't really know in what direction he wants to go degree/workwise(degrees too expensive just to do for the sake of it) and I am sure as an older person with 'life experience' this would be an asset to him.
The flipside, more people chasing uni places and increasing tuition fees!!

Oldernotwiser

I think that you need a really good reason to do a gap year or else it becomes a year long holiday and it will only help him to get into university if he uses his time positively.

Mankysteve

I wish I had took a year out, so i could have got a job an earned some cash and help my family out more as my mum wasn't well, but as to wherever it would have been a good idea in practice I'm not sure.

michthedolphin

Level with him.

You want him to go to university soon as.
He wants a holiday/break first.

Make a deal saying you'll pay for him and his girlfriend to have 2-3 weeks all inclusive holiday providing he goes to uni when he comes home.

7891368

michthedolphin wrote: »

Level with him.

You want him to go to university soon as.
He wants a holiday/break first.

Make a deal saying you'll pay for him and his girlfriend to have 2-3 weeks all inclusive holiday providing he goes to uni when he comes home.

Why would the OP do that?
They said in the original post they didn't have the money for it, as well as the son.

OP; I never took a gap year and most my friends that did planned to work for 6 months then travel, not even half managed. The current jobs market has made it difficult for people to work to 'quick save'.

I would advise against juts a holiday, maybe trying a years work in a role relevant to his degree might be helpful, then just a few week/month before he goes off to uni.

The money he could save during the year could help him enormously.

Voyager2002

If he is not sure about going to university, then a gap year is an excellent idea. Either he will eventually arrive at university determined to make an effort and do well, or he will decide that he is happy doing whatever he finds instead. Both outcomes are far more desirable than the default: going to university without strong motivation, dropping out in debt and finding that failure as a student makes it difficult to find any kind of job.

The_One_Who

If he wants to do a maths-related degree, then it is usually recommended not to do a gap year, because you get out of the habit of using what you know. Anything else, it is fine and what he does is up to him. I would advise against paying a fortune to a gap year company to do some volunteering abroad. You can usually do that for free.

[Deleted User]

Does he know what he wants to do at Uni? Maybe that's the real reason he's dragging his feet?

If he doesn't, then a year out may help him decide which path and degree to take, and save in the long run if he ends up in a degree he hates/has no interest in. But this will only be worthwhile if he plans the year appropriately in advance and undertakes work experience in various industries through internships etc. A low paid job in a supermarket will not be worthwhile, unless he's considering a degree in Retail - even then it's unlikely to be that relevant. And travelling the world with no plan and no money is not likely to be helpfull!

If he does know what he plans to do, then my advice is to get him to apply as normal to his chosen Universities, then when push comes to shove he's likely to take the Uni place instead of deferring as he hasn't the money in place to go travelling.

If when he gets to Uni, he still wants to "take a year out" and go travelling he can do it when he finishes (and if he's good with money management and gets a part-time job throughout Uni, then he'll be able to fund it). If not, his qualification (degree) may help him be able to work his way around the world, getting both varied experience and funding his travelling.

Not many students other than the very rich can plan a gap year pre-Uni these days. Anyone I know who's been on years out have done it after Uni and several years saving.

Oldernotwiser

I don't think that he should make a decision about this until it's clearer what's happening with raising fees otherwise it could be quite an expensive gap year!

jayme1

if you have no money and he has no money then how is he going to pay for uni? sure the tuition feee will be a loan and you may get a grant, most of which will go on accomodation, so how will he pay for food and the other university pleasures? perhaps a gap year to make the money needed is a good idea.

also I does sound like you think he has to go to uni, in the real world it doesnt make that much difference, only if he wants a job where a uni degree is required, like law, high graduate management ect.