The Big Decision:Should I Take a Gap Year?

By Elsa Lim

Gap Year（间隔年，空档年）起源于上世纪60年代的嬉皮士浪潮，主要是西方国家的年轻人在进入大学之前或者毕业之后做一次长期的旅行（通常是一年），从而在步入社会之前体验与自己生活的社会环境不同的生活方式。做出这个决定其实并不难，需要的只是迈出第一步的勇气！

It may not be for everyone, but taking a year out can help you gain valuable experience—and even make you change course.

When I applied to university I thought seriously about taking a gap year. After a year at college, I was utterly demoralised.1. utterly: 完全地，彻底地；demoralise: 使……士气低落，使……丧失信心。I hated the early mornings, and felt that I wouldn’t have the motivation to attend university. I felt the best course of action would be to defer my application and have a year of saving up, hopefully gaining more work experience—and maybe even fit in some travelling.2. 我觉得最好的做法就是推迟我的入学申请，用一年时间来存钱，希望能累积更多的工作经验——甚至能抽出时间来旅行。defer: 推迟；course of action: 做法，行动步骤。I applied for two universities: one for a 2013 entry, and one for a 2014 entry, so that I could decide what to do at a later date.

In the end, I decided against taking a gap year—I wanted to study English literature, and thought a year out would mean my essay practice would diminish3. diminish: 减少，缩小。. I also knew that I could still keep my job at my local newspaper and my part-time job while I was there.

Weighing up all the options, a gap year no longer seemed relevant.4. weigh up: 权衡；relevant: 重要的。

The idea of spending a year away from home is something that appeals to nearly everyone. So why is taking a gap year still considered the wildcard5. wildcard: 万能符。?

“We saw a presentation on taking gap years at college, and it is something I would have genuinely loved to do,” says college student Holly Brooks. “But none of my friends fancied6. fancy: 想要，喜欢。it, and I didn’t want to go it alone,especially considering the expense over the course of a year.”

For a teenage student, the prospect of providing for yourself, miles away from home, can be daunting7. daunting: 令人畏缩的，令人气馁的。. This is the primary reason many give for not ticking the deferred entry option box and booking the round-theworld plane ticket.8. 这是很多人不选择延迟入学、预定环球之旅机票的主要原因。tick:标以记号。But with an increasing number of gap year companies providing travel and trips abroad to suit any need, it is becoming easier to tailor9. tailor: （根据特定需要）打造，制作。a dream trip.

The company i-to-i, for example, offers opportunities to teach English,work with wildlife, volunteer with children and building projects in locations such as Australia, Costa Rica, China and Cambodia.10. Costa Rica: 哥斯达黎加，拉丁美洲国家；Cambodia: 柬埔寨，亚洲国家。These schemes give you the chance to volunteer for a worthy cause, as well as to gain some valuable work experience.

You can also find gap year companies, such as Real Gap Experience, that cover everything from internships11. internship: 实习。abroad to paid work and volunteering—all in the same place. It offers ideas and inspiration to kickstart12. kickstart: 快速启动。your travelling dream.

But gap years don’t have to be all about travel. You can have a beneficial year out of education and stay right where you are. Stephanie Wood wants to be a mental health nurse, but with allied health courses being some of the most exclusive and competitive around, she is taking a year off from education in order to gain an edge through work experience:13. allied health: 综合医疗保健；edge: 优势。“My plan is to get a job that directly relates to my course for the next few months, so I can really gain a deeper understanding of the healthcare system. Working there over a stretch of time will both give me an impression and insight into the working world of nursing—knowledge to help me through university when I choose to go.”

Choosing to take a year out can help you gain valuable experience as well as give you the opportunity to save up some funds to help you with accommodation when you get to university, living costs, food—or even just extra cash for freshers’14. fresher: 大一新生。week.

Lead tutor at Thomas Rotherham College, Hilary Jaques, says students should take advantage of the support offered by their school or college: “The advice that I would give as a tutor would be to apply to university to try and secure a place for deferred entry. Then the student has something to aim for, and something to fall back on. They also get the benefit of all of the application support offered in college, and they won’t have to do it themselves the following year. The student could always withdraw and reapply if their circumstances were to change.”

Jack Flight took the option of deferred entry, and ended up changing his course. “I went to Omaruru to work with the children in a village there, after taking sports at A-Level. I wanted a year out, but to do good at the same time, and the months I spent there inspired me to change my career course and go down a social work path when I got back home.”

Gap years aren’t for everyone. Readjusting to an academic timetable after spending time abroad can be a shock. You also need to consider the practicalities15. practicality: 实用性。, from financing your gap year to surviving without home comforts.