If you have this question on your mind, the first thing I will tell you is: only you can decide for yourself. At the end of this post, you can watch all the videos out there. People can tell you it’s a waste of time. People can tell you it’s the best thing you will ever decide to do. Just like any decision, it’s what you think that matters.
Regardless of which camp you choose, decide for yourself and no one else.
Why do I want to take a gap year?
- I don't know what I want to do with my life
- I don't want to go into university during Covid
- I don't know what I want to study yet, and want to take some time to discover
- I want to learn more about things outside the educational system
- I want to challenge myself and see what I can do in this one year.
All of these are valid. In fact, if you can convince yourself, well then they are valid.
Think of a gap year as creating a space in your life, to structure it however you like. You are granted this free 365 days to create a lifestyle you have always dreamt of - you can fill the days with whatever you’d like.
To begin, let’s brainstorm all the things you really want to do. Take a paper and make a mindmap of all the things you would do, if you have one year of time - that you didn’t have anything you needed to do. Don’t doubt yourself or hesitate to write down the ideas, just do it. Stop here, and do it. Continue reading this only after you have done that.
Okay, welcome back. Now, whatever crazy ideas you have come up with - well, that’s possible. You have dreamt up ideas that are fathomable by humans. Now in 1 year, identify the ideas that you know for a fact will be impossible because of EXTERNAL reasons (Ex. travel restrictions because of covid)
The goal here is to cross out as little as possible.
From there, circle 3 things that you want to do the most. It may feel hard to choose, but just do it. Circle 3 main things.
Then ask yourself:
If at the end of my gap year, I am able to do these 3 things, will I be glad I took a gap year? Will I be grateful I took 1 year of 80 years of my life to do these things? If your answer lies on the spectrum of an “okay” to an “I guess”, it is possible that you don’t feel that excited about taking a gap year.
If your answer is something along the lines of “Omg.” or “It would be the best year of my life”, then chances are you REALLY want to take a gap year - you just haven’t acknowledged your deep desire yet.
Well, the most important lesson I learned in my gap year is to give myself permission to seek opportunities that will make my heart sing. Deep down, I think you know. You just haven’t admitted it to yourself, maybe.
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