Five reasons why taking a gap year is not the answer to university shortages and clearing

Below follows the text of an article written for British students in response to press reports that students should take a gap year in order to alleviate the consequences of restrictions in UK higher education institutions.

In the right circumstances (and with the right planning) gap years can be an incredibly rewarding experience. However, as a short term solution to the problem of excess demand for university places, they may actually be worse than useless.

If you find yourself in the unfortunate position of not having a place at university this year and the only advice offered to you is to take a gap year, you would be well advised to ignore it. Here’s why:

1. Lots of your peers have been planning their gap year for months, if not years. Arranging relevant work placements or taking part in volunteer schemes that assist in developing your curriculum vitae can be hard at the best of times. If you are looking for an opportunity to start next month, you can be certain that there will be thousands of others in the same position as you. Looking even further on the gloomy side, this will give you excellent experience of the dispiriting process that this year’s graduates are going through when looking for that first job post-university, with up to 70 applications for every graduate vacancy. On the bright side, however, if you delay your start at university by one year, your chances of graduating in a recovered economy will probably have improved slightly.

2. Taking a year out is no guarantee that you will get a place at your chosen university next year. Yes, you will have your grades already which might make things slightly easier, but there will be intense pressure on university places next year (unless there is a massive increase in funding for undergraduate education – don’t hold your breath!) and who is to say you will be any luckier then. It is quite realistic that next year’s students will need even higher grades as universities start to see the impact of the new A* grade.


3. Is waiting a year to get on with your education a good idea? Why take a gap, particularly one that you haven’t planned and didn’t wish for. Maybe you will lose focus and end up deciding not to go to university or maybe you will end up writing the year off and sit around just waiting for your place to materialise. Both of these outcomes are possible if you do not have a clear plan and objective to your (at least) one year out. Both of them are worse than almost anything else you could do at this point in your life.

4. Money Part 1. Maybe you will find a job that pays a reasonable wage that enables you to put some money aside for going to university. Ordinarily this would be a sensible thing to do but, by taking a year out to save money you may end up losing money in the long run because...


5. Money Part 2....As you will know there is a review of university funding taking place right now. You may have seen articles talking about a graduate tax in the news. This is just one of several possible changes to how you pay for your degree. There is not only uncertainty over what changes will come into effect but also when they will happen. If they start from October 2011, you might find that university will cost you a lot more if you defer entry for a year. One estimate is that if a graduate tax is introduced, your degree could cost you closer to £50,000 in tax than the current £30,000 in debt. Now, there is no guarantee that this will happen but there is certainly no guarantee that it won’t, either.

So, these are some reasons why you should think very seriously about following advice to take a gap year. In the right circumstances, with the right planning it could still be the best route for you.

But what else can you do if you find the worst happens?

Well, here are two suggestions – one from the government and one from me.

1. Start a business – There will inevitably be some stories of students leaving school this year who go on to found massively successful businesses. There will be very little press coverage of businesses that fail. Starting a business is a risk. It could be the best thing you ever do or it could be an alternative way of racking up extensive debts. I would argue that it is somewhat irresponsible to encourage school leavers or even recent graduates to set up a business unless that is part of their existing plan. It is also somewhat baffling that David Willetts, Minister for Universities (within the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills), seems to be implying that a degree is unnecessary preparation for setting up your own business as you can just as well do so without one. Where that leaves university business schools is unclear.

2. Study Abroad – We could list many reasons why you should think about studying abroad but the current situation means that you should investigate fully all options open to you. Even at this late stage we know of universities in Europe where you can study in English and get an excellent quality degree. There is no need to wait a year before entering higher education. Yes, your options are quite limited at this time of year and you may be better off waiting a while before going to do a full degree but there are lots of shorter courses that you could quite comfortably take instead of a typical gap year. For example, you might decide to learn Mandarin Chinese or take some courses at university in Canada while working in a ski resort. Rather than assume that a gap year has to mean a gap from education, have a look at some of the options abroad, ranging from getting straight on with your degree to doing something completely different yet still part of your higher education journey.