Gap years are worthwhile and becoming increasingly common amongst students.

The Independent has a gap-year student supplement in today’s paper.  If you’re taking a gap year before you hit uni, it’s a good read and full of ideas.  Of the more general articles, here are some goodies:

• Gap Year: Ultimate Listings Guide – Plenty of inspiration here if you need ideas to help with your planning.
• Which Gap Year Type Are You? – This may help you make sense of the direction you’d like to take, especially if you’re career-minded at the moment.
• Hot to Make Yourself Stand Out – This is an important read.  If you only have time to read one article, make it this one.  To make the point, here’s an excerpt that’ll get you thinking:

“I often ask rooms full of A-level students to stand up if they are ‘definitely heading to university’, and then ask those who ‘definitely know what they want to do in life’ to sit down. With most of the room left standing (even after asking those with “serious work experience” to also sit down), you can see the depth of the problem admissions tutors and graduate recruiters have. A room of ‘No goals’ and ‘Have done nothing’.

Remind the students that their decision to chase this empty goal will cost them over £10,000 and the sheepish silence descends.” [How to Make Yourself Stand Out – Independent]

This article is an even more pointed read, given that I have also just read about ‘Taking a Gap Year’ on the Educated Nation blog:

“In the land I am from, saying ‘I’m taking a year off before I start college,’ means one of two things: either you’re a slacker and have no direction and do not wish to succeed in life, or your parents aren’t going to foot the tuition bill and you need a little time to think before you leap into the Student Loan Chasm of Doom.”

So…did you have a plan?

Will you make a plan now?