The final exams are over – you need some time to recharge your batteries, and you are feeling unsure which career path you wish to pursue and have decided to take a gap year before university.
At this point, you are young and energetic enough to embark on adventures, and old enough to take responsible decisions.
A gap year, traditionally, is meant to be a break from studying – it allows you to recharge your batteries and gives you the mental space required to reflect, explore different options, and eventually figure out which higher education and career is best suited to your life. How can you make the most of it?
Have goals
As much as your gap year should be fun, you will benefit from it most when you have goals. You can have more than one goal for your gap year. You might wish to check in with yourself:
- How realistic is it to achieve my goals during my gap year?
- What do I need (to do) to achieve them?
The idea is to not set yourself up for failure and create a sense of achievement which can boost your confidence and motivation for the upcoming university years.
Make a plan
Just taking a year off without a plan can easily lead to getting lost – it can be exciting to go with the flow, however, you will not benefit from getting carried away.
How do you intend to spend your gap year and reach your goals? Nowadays, many people take gap years and share their experiences, insights and lessons learnt – get inspired. It requires your effort to research, budget and create a plan – this alone brings personal growth and value to your gap year.
Once you have a plan in place, your mind will be clear and focused. Allow some flexibility, keeping in mind that plans might need some adjustment along the way due to unforeseen circumstances.
Explore and gain life experience
If you have an idea of which career path you want to choose, it can be beneficial to explore this further by doing an internship or some part-time work. If you’re unsure about your interests in life, you might wish to do some voluntary work in different areas.
Many young people choose to travel during their gap year – exploring and gaining life experience can be combined! You might even wish to explore your options to study abroad.
A gap year can help you get out of your comfort zone, learn a new language surrounded by native speakers and broaden your horizon by interacting with all the people you are going to meet. Going abroad does not have to be expensive, you might wish to check student exchange programs and scholarships during the planning phase.
An additional language, international experience and new skills will make your CV, university and future job applications stand out from the crowd.
Save money
The idea of travelling during your gap year and exploring the world often comes with the thought of empty pockets afterwards, this does not need to be the case. Should you decide to work during your gap year – whether at home or abroad – you might be able to put some money aside that will help you during your university studies.
Earning an income and budgeting will teach you valuable lessons for life. You might be able to have a car for more efficient commuting to university or simply save up to be able to travel and explore further during semester holidays.
In whatever way you decide to use your gap year, make sure your plan and goals are aligned with happy moments and valuable experiences for life to look back at. If you struggle to set up your goals and/or plan, reach out for professional support to make the most of your gap year. You might also benefit from mental health counselling during the final bit of your gap year whilst preparing to continue your academic journey and “getting back on track”.
If you think that you can benefit from professional support on this issue you can reach out here.
Franziska Richter is a transcultural counsellor with the Willingness Team, offering counselling sessions to individuals and couples. She is particularly interested in sexuality, relationship issues, trauma and general mental health.
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