It was with a deep sense of sadness that I attended my last staff meeting at St Lukes Hospital the other day. I have worked there for many years as a personal care assistant and have met and bonded with some quirky, lovely, funny, demented and outrageous elderly clients. In fact, I have worked there for exactly 4 years as I started working there the week after I returned from my gap year. Oh my, it seems like yesterday!
Yes, I deferred* my studies and it was a wise and wonderful decision. I fully support earning some solid cash and then tasting how 5.79 billion people live their lives. School is nurturing, supportive but oh so shelteres! There is a whole world to explore, and you certainly don’t want to leave it too late.
I chose to start my adventures of this big wide world by grappling with the tiny country of Israel (did you know it is one third of the size of Tasmania?!). I participated in an organised program that involved intense learning and leadership workshops, lots of partying, deep friendships, touring, farming the land and volunteering. I returned to Sydney with a renewed sense of passion and a different outlook of the world. It didn’t drastically change who I am, but I had seen and experienced so much that my gap year certainly has molded me into the young lady who writes before you.
Some people defer to help them decide what they really want to study at university and what they want to do in life (note that they are not necessarily dependent on each other!) This remark can be valid, but deferring for one year does not always guarantee enlightenment. Hardly anyone I went away with changed their preferences for university.
Others refute the gap year idea by claiming they know what they want to do and they’re afraid they won’t be able to settle back down. However, the course will still be there a year later, so even if you’re gung ho about studying Jane Austen literature, you still can! And settling back down is completely dependent on your personality. I certainly had no problems…in fact I was kind of craving the intellectual stimulation which I knew uni would provide. I know someone who started uni straight after school and then deferred after one semester because he couldn’t focus on his studies after 13 years of schooling.
I know taking a gap year is not for everyone. Financial, physical, familial or emotional hardships are a big deterrent. But if you have just a tiny spark of adventure and opportunity knocks, don’t be afraid to answer.
*Deferring involves accepting your offer from UAC and then informing the faculty in your university that you wish to defer. The following year, your offer will still be there and you must then enroll. Double check that the course you have applied for allows you to defer. Sydney University scholarships can be deferred.