School leavers

You may be looking at deferred entry or taking a gap year. This section provides specific advice on the options, and how taking a gap year after leaving school, college or university is most definitely a good thing!

If you need more information on any of the topics outlined below or have a question we've not answered, please give us a call or email us at info@realgap.co.uk

 What are the advantages of deferring a place at university?

You don't need to be studying Maths to work out that postponing university gives you 15 or so months to do something different, new and even life-changing! By deferring and taking a gap year, you're giving yourself a chance to do something unusual and rewarding - like taking time out to go travelling, trying out new things, discovering different cultures or getting paid work abroad to help you at college.

Plus! Taking a gap year often helps people mature and become more confident and able to deal with the demands of university.

What do universities think about deferring a place?

Most universities agree with us, in that applying for deferred entry and taking a gap year allows students to have a worthwhile, constructive experience. You should obviously check what your university-to-be says, but here are a couple of examples:

Queen's College at Cambridge University: “We are happy to encourage applicants in all subjects (even Maths!) to either apply for deferred entry or to apply post-A2. We think that time away from study between school and university offers students the chance to develop, mature and see something of the world.”
 

The Centre for Joint Honours (Science) at the University of Leeds: “We think a gap year is a very valuable experience for most students, as long as you have thought carefully about what you will do and how it will contribute to your further studies and career development. We find that most students who come to university after a Gap year are much better prepared to concentrate on their studies and also have useful life experiences to bring to bear on the subjects they are taking.”

Putting a Gap Year on your CV

Your gap year is likely to be one of the best experiences of your life and with a little bit of thought, you can make it work for you for years to come - something you might want to bear in mind over the next 12 months.

After university, or perhaps even during it, you'll be applying for jobs and your gap year can add a bit of sparkle to your CV. Employers look for people with transferable skills who've done something different, your CV will show employers that you're a bright, independent-thinking and motivated people-person whom they should be desperate to employ.