To begin with, taking a gap year is indeed a way to recharge your battery on the road to success. As you know, university life is diverse but tiring, leaving you so much depression and disillusionment. By taking a gap year, you can flee from pressure and have some sort of relaxation, such as travelling around the world and enjoying the beauty on the Earth. During your journey, you have reflections on your current lifestyle and plan your next step.
Apart from relaxation, you would indeed learn things that are not taught at school, such as problem-solving skills. As the importance of whole-personal development is greatly emphasized in today’s society, a gap year is beneficial to personal growth. During the process, you can develop maturity, learn self-reliance and enhance social skills. More importantly, you probably gain exposure to various cultures you have not experienced before.
Besides, as you cannot afford the cost of the journey, it is necessary for you to apply for a job on the journey. As a result, you would not only earn some money, but also you can gain lots of working experience. Most important of all, you would become financially independent and learn to manage your budget. In the sense, you can take control of your own life independent from the others.
Moreover, in a more far-sighted view, the work experience will grant you a greater chance of being employed in the future. From an employer’s point of view, a gap year can be used as a differentiation mechanism for job applicants. Since you have learnt various skills such as budget management during the journey, you would have an advantage over other job applicants.
In my opinion, I recommend you to spend one year’s time on the journey instead of taking a two-year break. Although you do not really care at this stage whether you finish your degree or not, you would feel regret if you do not continue your studies. It is fortunate for you to get onto the course of medicine at university as it requires extremely high marks. If you spend two years for the journey, I am worried that you would not be able to further your studies after you have adapted to a long journey.
Despite the fact that there are numerous advantages for taking a gap year, I suggest that you should take deeper considerations before your journey. However, whether to go for a gap year lies in your personal decision. If you are determined enough to take this action, I hope that you can gain a fresher outlook in your life after embarking on the journey.
Best wishes,
Terry
