The Pros and Cons of a Gap Year
By John Starr
Monday 28th September 2009
Monday 28th September 2009
John Starr reminisces about his gap year exodus and the temptations of a practical education…
I wish I was currently sitting in a hammock, under equatorial sun, sipping a cuba libre and listening to Bob Marley. Nearly two years ago I would have been doing exactly that. I travelled Ecuador for two months, having a month on the Galapagos Islands. I volunteered in India for three months, at the feet of the Himalayan mountains and I volunteered for a month in Romania, building a house for street youths. But why take a gap year? I thought I would probably forget everything I'd learned in school, and I was pretty close to being right, but I learned a lot more in one year than fourteen years in education, and I discovered so much about myself too. It was intensely hard to get funding for India, and the trips were all very costly. Despite this, I hardly thought of the price of what I was doing at the time; my mind was often occupied with the wonder, beauty or insanity around me. It is fair to say that I saw things on my year out that I couldn't possibly have imagined before and I also met people I still can't imagine existing in normal life. It might seem daunting to meet people who you don't know, or don't know your language, but some of the most inspirational people I now know are the ones I met whilst a stranger in strange lands. I also learned a couple of useful phrases in some colourful languages. Admittedly, I did find it hard getting back into the study ethic, but surely first year is all about adjusting? I would have found it harder not having the break from education, and a gap year seems to let all the cumulative knowledge settle and organise itself before attempting the ascent of higher education. Although, if I travelled again I would be severely tempted to drop out and carry on seeing the world. Having said that, I plan on travelling after my degree because, if nothing else, it helps enormously when it comes to deciding on what to do next in life. Basically, why take a gap year? Well, it’s a chance to feel the weight of responsibility lifted, it's a chance to have the freedom to explore worlds that will expand the horizons of your own and it's the chance to grow as a person. It is worth taking on board the risks of travel, but there are risks to everything, and common sense solutions. If you're a confident individual then you will discover much and if you're scared of the size of the world, you'll have your fear justified, but you will ultimately understand and appreciate the magnificence of the earth and the importance of its diversity. Any regrets? I should probably have learned to scuba dive. A gap year doesn't just mean paying for a good time, there are a lot of things to put on a CV and a lot of life's lessons that have become under-valued and clichéd in our limited society.
I wish I was currently sitting in a hammock, under equatorial sun, sipping a cuba libre and listening to Bob Marley. Nearly two years ago I would have been doing exactly that. I travelled Ecuador for two months, having a month on the Galapagos Islands. I volunteered in India for three months, at the feet of the Himalayan mountains and I volunteered for a month in Romania, building a house for street youths. But why take a gap year? I thought I would probably forget everything I'd learned in school, and I was pretty close to being right, but I learned a lot more in one year than fourteen years in education, and I discovered so much about myself too. It was intensely hard to get funding for India, and the trips were all very costly. Despite this, I hardly thought of the price of what I was doing at the time; my mind was often occupied with the wonder, beauty or insanity around me. It is fair to say that I saw things on my year out that I couldn't possibly have imagined before and I also met people I still can't imagine existing in normal life. It might seem daunting to meet people who you don't know, or don't know your language, but some of the most inspirational people I now know are the ones I met whilst a stranger in strange lands. I also learned a couple of useful phrases in some colourful languages. Admittedly, I did find it hard getting back into the study ethic, but surely first year is all about adjusting? I would have found it harder not having the break from education, and a gap year seems to let all the cumulative knowledge settle and organise itself before attempting the ascent of higher education. Although, if I travelled again I would be severely tempted to drop out and carry on seeing the world. Having said that, I plan on travelling after my degree because, if nothing else, it helps enormously when it comes to deciding on what to do next in life. Basically, why take a gap year? Well, it’s a chance to feel the weight of responsibility lifted, it's a chance to have the freedom to explore worlds that will expand the horizons of your own and it's the chance to grow as a person. It is worth taking on board the risks of travel, but there are risks to everything, and common sense solutions. If you're a confident individual then you will discover much and if you're scared of the size of the world, you'll have your fear justified, but you will ultimately understand and appreciate the magnificence of the earth and the importance of its diversity. Any regrets? I should probably have learned to scuba dive. A gap year doesn't just mean paying for a good time, there are a lot of things to put on a CV and a lot of life's lessons that have become under-valued and clichéd in our limited society.
