Gap years!!

[Eucalypt]

Hey guys!

I am a great believer in the gap year, and I couldn't see any recent discussions on them, so this is the place. I'd love for you to share your gap year experiences (pros, cons, transition to life/uni, etc). Please also feel free to ask any questions about gap years in general, or mine specifically!

My gap year:

I graduated from a smallish country high school in 2015, and at that point was completely over studying. I'd gotten into my dream course (Bachelor of Architecture and Engineering at Monash (I now do just Architecture, but that's another story)) but wanted a break before heading to uni. I looked at a heap of different gap year options; teaching English overseas, supervising students at an English boarding school, Defence Force gap year etc. I decided against the overseas gap years as I couldn't see myself coming back with much money, and I also wanted to use this experience to save some funds for uni.

I applied for the Defence Force gap year program, went through a multitude of interviews and tests before I was declared medically unfit (I have asthma). I was talking to my mum about looking for just a standard job (which I didn't want to do, I wanted to do something with my year), and she told me about her gap year working on a school camp. I applied for the exact same job that she did, a Residential Assistant at Chum Creek Camp, with Wesley College. I didn't hear back for a while and assumed I was unsuccessful when I got a call from one of Wesley College's other camps (yes, they have four). It was Camp Mallana (their lake camp) and they asked me to come down and interview. I was offered the job (yay!) and started early January.

My experience at Mallana was very different from what I was expecting, it was a great year of learning and personal growth for me. At Mallana they have a unique perspective on learning, one that feels very uncomfortable at times, but when you have a break-through it's amazing. My role involved leading groups of students through the program, supporting others leading students, and towards the end of the year, running sailing sessions (I had never been on a sailing boat before I started at the camp).

As part of my job, I was required to do a TAFE course (paid for by my employer). The actual study part was relatively uninspiring, but I met some great people there and got to do all sorts of really fun practical activities (kayaking, bushwalking, high ropes, rock climbing, first aid (so much fake blood) etc). It was also nice to have an actual qualification when applying for jobs afterwards, and some of my friends used it to get a part-time job in the field when they started at uni.

My transition to uni was somewhat easier than it would have been thanks to my gap year. I had to move out of home, and the skills I had acquired on my gap year made it easier, and I had also become used to being away from my family for long periods of time. The actual study bit was a little harder, I hadn’t touched maths for well over a year, so decided to do the uni equivalent of Specialist again. It was good to not jump right into Engineering Maths, but it still took a while to get my head around it again.

Anyway, that was my gap year, please feel free to share your stories, and ask me any questions you have!

[Joseph41]

At Mallana they have a unique perspective on learning, one that feels very uncomfortable at times, but when you have a break-through it's amazing.

Good post, thanks for sharing.

I'm interested to hear more about this bit specifically if you're willing to elaborate?

[Eucalypt]

I'm interested to hear more about this bit specifically if you're willing to elaborate?

Mallana's philosophy is about learning things for yourself. So much of learning today is about being spoonfed information, which doesn't set you up for solving complex world problems. Instead, students are given the tools they need for something, and then they are encouraged to learn themselves. This is the approach that we as staff members also took.

I'll explain a bit about how our sailing sessions worked so this makes more sense. We usually started by talking to them about wind, encouraging them to notice its direction, and think about how bird wings work. Then we gave them all the bits they needed to rig their boats and off they went. Our role was about being facilitators rather than teachers. As they worked we asked them questions to help further their consideration of certain things, but we didn't tell them how to do things. Once they were ready to head out we would pick a quiet patch and just let them experiment and learn how to control their boats.

During the first couple of days, students generally waited for us to give them answers but over the week they made amazing progress and learnt so much about themselves. I always found it amusing as most students would tell you they want more freedom at school; we gave it to them and many wanted to jump right back into their bubble.

It was a great experience for me, as I mentioned before it was uncomfortable not knowing, but I think it made me much better at solving problems myself, and I did so many things that I didn't realise I was capable of. I hope that answers your question! 

[fillycheese]

Hi there!

Thank for sharing. I'm thinking very seriously about taking a gap year... but basically have no idea what I want to do with it. Have you heard of any other places that take on people?

Also, how long did Mallana go for? Did you get a job once you got back?

Thanks!!

[Ionic Doc]

Hey,
I'm really keen on going on a gap year after I finish school as well, just to get some money, spend time with friends/family and my doggo. Although my parent say that taking a gap year is a waste of time, especially for someone like me who's aiming for med ( which already takes long enough). I was thinking of just working part - time, doing another VCE subject ( to boost my Atar) and maybe even work on my UCAT during the gap year? Is that a good idea?

[PhoenixxFire]

Hey,
I'm really keen on going on a gap year after I finish school as well, just to get some money, spend time with friends/family and my doggo. Although my parent say that taking a gap year is a waste of time, especially for someone like me who's aiming for med ( which already takes long enough). I was thinking of just working part - time, doing another VCE subject ( to boost my Atar) and maybe even work on my UCAT during the gap year? Is that a good idea?

Have you considered doing a certificate course if you take a gap year? Doing something like aged care (or childcare) would give you the opportunity to work in higher paying jobs whilst you're studying.

In the long-term scheme of things, one extra year to get to the career you want to end up having really isn't that long. It's not like you can't do other things and enjoy your life whilst studying - uni is an experience in and of itself, not just a means to an end.

FYI if you do take a gap year you'd probably be better off aiming for closer to full-time hours, rather than part-time unless you're spending your time doing something else as well (e.g. volunteering, or doing a VCE subject like you mentioned), you'll find that you have a surprising amount of free time once you don't have to spend time outside of school studying.

[Eucalypt]

Hi there!

Thank for sharing. I'm thinking very seriously about taking a gap year... but basically have no idea what I want to do with it. Have you heard of any other places that take on people?

Also, how long did Mallana go for? Did you get a job once you got back?

Thanks!!

Hey fillycheese!

I felt exactly the same way in year 12. When I was looking for work for my gap year, I tried to look at specific Gap Year programs, as opposed to a usual job like working in a cafe, because I thought there would be more opportunities to experience new things, and I also knew that they wouldn't expect me to stay on the following year (but I also know plenty of people who have done this and had a really great time).

Working at Mallana was my job for the whole year! I had a 12-month contract, but realistically I was finished at the end of November when school finished. In terms of getting a job when I got back, I didn't work for my first year of uni as I had saved enough from Mallana, and was lucky to have the support of my parents, and the following year I began work with atarnotes. Although it's very different to a school camp, I think my experience in education has definitely helped me.

For your gap year, your options are only limited by your imagination! Plenty of the posh Melbourne schools have their own school camps and these are generally staffed by people on gap years, as well as school camps that are open to the public. Lots of high schools also offer gap year programs in areas such as sports trainee and administration. My advice would be to not bother with any of those companies where you can pay a small fee, and they will connect you with someone (mega-dodgy). Instead think about something that you would like to do for a year, whether it be working for a particular company or a particular role, and see whether there are specific programs for it already, or find out if you can just work there for a year! If travel's more your thing, grab a casual job so that you can be really flexible (although I have no experience with this kind of gap year, so if anyone else knows, please share!) Most of the point of gap years are to have fun and relax, so pick something you enjoy!

What sort of gap years are you interested in at the moment?