Taking A Gap Year
What's the rush?
Okay, you’ve finished Year 12, you’ve been to Schoolies Week ( We know. Not what it’s cracked up to be, right?) and now you’re wondering if you really want to go straight back to study by taking up one of the offers you have received from University.
“I feel like I’ve been at school for ever and just want to get out and see a bit of the world.” You are not alone, which is why more and more school leavers these days are opting for a Gap Year.
A year away from full-time study where young people can explore other interests, travel, find some part-time work, write a book, start a band...whatever... I just want some Freedom!
I'm definitely deferring
If you have qualified to get into university but want to take a Gap Year before starting your course, you will have to defer your entry into Uni for one year.
Deferring is when you have received an offer of a place from the University, but you want to put it on hold and begin your course later.
You can apply to defer your offer for up to one year from the commencement date on your original letter of offer. If you have already accepted your offer, paid the tuition deposit fee and received an eCOE, your application to defer will be assessed, and if approved, a new offer will be issued.
After the new offer has been accepted, an eCOE will be issued. If you wish to defer for more than one year, you will need to reapply for admission. Your application will then be reassessed for entry in the new semester/year of study.
Don't waste your Gap Year
Gap Years are a great idea as long as you put them to good use. Don’t take a year off study or work to sit around at home and watch television.
Gap Years can take many forms. Obviously the best known one is where you’ve saved enough money to go backpacking through Europe, or Asia or South America or…well, the world’s your oyster.
But Gap Years can also be spent right here in Australia. It maybe that you didn’t quite get the HEC results you wanted to get into your favoured Uni course.
A Gap Year spent studying part-time and working part-time will give you the extra qualifications you need to get into the course of your choice and money in your pocket.
You might already have qualified for University but want to spend a year working so you can save some money or simply get some work experience.
Many students (and parents) like the idea of going overseas on a student exchange which generally means spending another year in High School living with a family or families from another country or part of Australia.
There are many groups that offer these exchanges.
Other students find organisations which offer unpaid work but free accommodation in countries where they animal welfare and conservation are hot topics. Still other organisations offer work teaching English or looking after children who have lost their parents.
Whatever you prefer, the most important thing is to get value out of your Gap Year.
What's in it for me?
Gap Years aren’t for everyone. You may be just itching to get stuck into the Uni course or job that you’ve always wanted to do and don’t want to delay the start for a minute.
Good for you. Go for it!
But if you’re tossing up whether to start straight away or explore Gap Year options there’s no doubt that a properly organised Gap Year can be of enormous benefit to you in the future.
A recent university study found that students who take Gap Years on average do 2.3 % better than students who don’t take a year off when they resume their studies.
Gap Years often can help you understand some of the issues facing people living in countries not as privileged as Australia.
Gap Years can provide you with a degree of financial security that you would not otherwise have had when you started your Uni course.
It can also help you decide whether you really do want to take the course you have been offered or go in a completely different direction.
And then of course, there’s the adventure, new friends and new horizons.
It really is up to you.
Find out more
Okay, you’ve finished Year 12, you’ve been to Schoolies Week ( We know. Not what it’s cracked up to be, right?) and now you’re wondering if you really want to go straight back to study by taking up one of the offers you have received from University.
“I feel like I’ve been at school for ever and just want to get out and see a bit of the world.” You are not alone, which is why more and more school leavers these days are opting for a Gap Year.
A year away from full-time study where young people can explore other interests, travel, find some part-time work, write a book, start a band...whatever... I just want some Freedom!
I'm definitely deferring
If you have qualified to get into university but want to take a Gap Year before starting your course, you will have to defer your entry into Uni for one year.
Deferring is when you have received an offer of a place from the University, but you want to put it on hold and begin your course later.
You can apply to defer your offer for up to one year from the commencement date on your original letter of offer. If you have already accepted your offer, paid the tuition deposit fee and received an eCOE, your application to defer will be assessed, and if approved, a new offer will be issued.
After the new offer has been accepted, an eCOE will be issued. If you wish to defer for more than one year, you will need to reapply for admission. Your application will then be reassessed for entry in the new semester/year of study.
Don't waste your Gap Year
Gap Years are a great idea as long as you put them to good use. Don’t take a year off study or work to sit around at home and watch television.
Gap Years can take many forms. Obviously the best known one is where you’ve saved enough money to go backpacking through Europe, or Asia or South America or…well, the world’s your oyster.
But Gap Years can also be spent right here in Australia. It maybe that you didn’t quite get the HEC results you wanted to get into your favoured Uni course.
A Gap Year spent studying part-time and working part-time will give you the extra qualifications you need to get into the course of your choice and money in your pocket.
You might already have qualified for University but want to spend a year working so you can save some money or simply get some work experience.
Many students (and parents) like the idea of going overseas on a student exchange which generally means spending another year in High School living with a family or families from another country or part of Australia.
There are many groups that offer these exchanges.
Other students find organisations which offer unpaid work but free accommodation in countries where they animal welfare and conservation are hot topics. Still other organisations offer work teaching English or looking after children who have lost their parents.
Whatever you prefer, the most important thing is to get value out of your Gap Year.
What's in it for me?
Gap Years aren’t for everyone. You may be just itching to get stuck into the Uni course or job that you’ve always wanted to do and don’t want to delay the start for a minute.
Good for you. Go for it!
But if you’re tossing up whether to start straight away or explore Gap Year options there’s no doubt that a properly organised Gap Year can be of enormous benefit to you in the future.
A recent university study found that students who take Gap Years on average do 2.3 % better than students who don’t take a year off when they resume their studies.
Gap Years often can help you understand some of the issues facing people living in countries not as privileged as Australia.
Gap Years can provide you with a degree of financial security that you would not otherwise have had when you started your Uni course.
It can also help you decide whether you really do want to take the course you have been offered or go in a completely different direction.
And then of course, there’s the adventure, new friends and new horizons.
It really is up to you.
Find out more
- antipodeans.com.au - An organisation which helps students organise a gap year. They have all the answers, from where to go, what to do, and what it involves.
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