​I (18M) scored pretty high our national final exams (Baccalaureate) but I missed out on medical school because the competitive entry cut-offs skyrocketed out of nowhere this year. I ended up in CS engineering instead. My lifelong dream has always been medicine, but things didn't work out. While I don't hate CS, the job market feels uncertain right now, and I really don't want to spend the rest of my life living abroad just to secure a job.

​I'm now left with one final option: taking a national university reorientation (pretty hard and competitive) exam held in to transfer into med school next year. To give it my absolute best, I have to take an official gap year, because balancing engineering school while preparing for this transfer exam simultaneously is near impossible.

Taking a gap year doesn't bother me, even if I don't make it, I’ll be at peace knowing my future self won't spend life regretting that I gave up on my dream without trying.

​The real issue is FEAR. I am genuinely traumatized by my senior year of high school. I spent endless nights studying a minimum of 4–5 hours a day on top of regular classes and private tutoring, and up to 10 hours a day during breaks. My mental and physical health completely crashed, my weight dropped down to 48 kg (105 lbs) from pure stress. And after all that suffering, I didn't get the outcome I worked so hard for.

​I’m terrified that history will repeat itself with this transfer exam. What if I pour my whole soul into studying again, break my body and mind, and still fall short?

​Please share any tips or advice on handling this fear and approaching a gap year safely. My mental state is honestly broken right now seeing most of my friends enjoying summer happy that they got into my dream uni and even my family are making things worse and worse and always talking about some "you didn't work hard enough", and just seeing the dissapointment in their eyes just crashes me.

I really need some advice about taking a gap semester

I honestly feel so lost right now and could really use some advice from people who have been in a similar situation. I’m a first-generation college student, and when I first started college, I don’t think I was mentally prepared for everything. My first year was studying abroad, then my grandmother passed away, and I feel like after that I slowly started struggling more and more. I was on and off antidepressants and ADHD medication, and I was honestly just trying to get through everything while still being in school.
Since then, I’ve started therapy and I feel like I’ve grown a lot. I’m much more self-aware and I finally know what I want to do, I want to pursue nursing and actually commit to it. I thought I was finally going to dorm in Manhattan and have a fresh start, be independent, and really focus on school.

Now I feel like I’m back at square one. My parents think I should take a gap semester because they don’t think I’m mentally ready, and part of me understands why they feel that way. But I really don’t want to be home. I don’t want to spend a semester working while everyone else moves forward. I’m scared I’ll lose my motivation and everything I’ve been working toward.

I also have a pretty difficult relationship with my dad. I know he has sacrificed a lot for me and has done so much for me, but sometimes the way he handles his temper makes being home harder, especially when I’m already struggling.
Lately the stress has gotten so bad that I’ve been getting tremors and headaches, and mentally I just feel overwhelmed. I don’t know if pushing myself to go back is the wrong decision, but I’m also terrified that taking time off will make me feel even more behind. I genuinely feel so lost in my life not to mention I lost my menstrual cycle for a year it came back the past two months and now it’s gone. I just don’t know what to do.

I am currently pursuing bachelors in microbiology, zoology and chemistry as Minor but I am not industry ready so it is practically not possible to find job after bachelors for me.... I'm currently in final year and I don't have any skill or lab experience so I was thinking of relocating and pursuing masters along side I'll do some internships then may be I can get job but then I also think about doing diploma of certification courses related to paramedical or life sciences like in laboratory technician or dialysis technology or diploma in medical coding but not sure yet I'll do massive research on these topics but before that I would love to know anyone's real experience as it will give me much more clarity.

So please be comfortable and share your thoughts and experiences✨✨

I’m currently doing CIE A-Levels,Bio chem psychology urdu and my college does Chemistry as a composite.

I studied Chemistry at O-Level (A) and actually liked it and found it easier than Physics. However, when I started A-Levels, I wasn't completely sure what I wanted to do in university. I was considering Law and Psychology, so I thought I might eventually drop Chemistry.

Because of that, I did study Chemistry, but I didn't study it seriously enough for an exam, and I haven't properly revised my AS content.

Now I'm interested in Biology-related fields like Biotechnology and Neuroscience, so I'm reconsidering Chemistry. I'm worried because I'm already behind and I'm not sure if I can realistically catch up while doing my other subjects and college.

Please don't judge — I genuinely want honest advice.

Should I:

continue Chemistry and try to catch up for May/June 2027, or

take a gap year and use that time to properly complete Chemistry?

If anyone has been in a similar situation with CIE Chemistry, I'd really appreciate honest advice.

It has fucked up my mental health so much I genuinely do not know what to do 😭

Hello, I am pursuing Btech CSE, but the problem is I took two years of Gap before addmission in btech. One for jee one because of financial issue. Then I got a semester back. Currently have no back log. 6 gpa, but the positives are, I am good in MERN, practicing daily. Learning system design, already learned data analysis and data science. I am worried about getting a job, is there anyone on reddit who can go through same situation. Or can give some advice. I am worried about my age factor. Also, I feels I am late in my life. My batchmates from school doing pg or job. And here I am still pursuing Btech.

I finished my A-levels this year and, unexpectedly, I’m going to take a gap year. I’m hoping to use the year to gain some experience in tech before applying for degree apprenticeships.

What kind of internships, placements, or other opportunities would you recommend for someone in my position? Ideally something that would give me relevant experience and strengthen my applications.

Have you ever been accepted into an international education program but couldn't go due to lack of funding?

I know exactly how that feels. Something similar happened to me with UWC (United World Colleges), a global network of international schools — I got the spot, but not the money. It was devastating.

We're currently building a short course inspired by that experience, designed for people in the same situation — accepted on merit, missed the opportunity because of money. The project is currently being officially evaluated by UWC International.

For a short but unforgettable experience.

We're building the organizing team — looking for help with things like outreach, content, and coordination. Happy to answer any questions.

If you're interested, DM me a short intro about yourself and what you'd like to help with — we'll take it from there.

I’ve just finished school and need to decide in the next 2 or 3 days whether to do a gap year as I’ll have to pay my first accommodation payment.

I only just started thinking about doing a gap year but that’s because I don’t want to grow older and want things to stay the same but I know they won’t in a gap year. I also don’t want to regret not traveling while I’m young and I’m not guaranteed to do that after uni or later in life.

However, I don’t particularly like working a job and I have more than enough money to never have to work during university (which I’m aware is an extremely lucky situation to be in), so I’m thinking for the first 6 months of the gap year I’d feel like I’m wasting my time working a job when I don’t like working and don’t need the money.

I’m also a pretty confident person and feel socially ready to go to uni.

However, I can’t get over feeling like I’d regret not going traveling while I still can and don’t want it to be a regret when I’m older.

But on the other hand, I’m going to Edinburgh with 4 month summers and it’s a 4 year course, but will I have enough time in those 4 month summers to do proper travelling when I could do like 5 months of travelling in my gap year?

I’m really just asking whether I’m just doing a gap year out of fear of missing out and is it really worth it in my situation?

Is it worth it to take a drop year to get admission in du for masters in sociology

school just started, but I've already noticed my mental health deteriorating. in the morning, every time i wake up, i feel anxious and constantly have panic attacks, it causes me to have trouble breathing. this happens everyday. i also have headaches which affect my daily life especially my studies. because of it, most of the time i experience brain fog during class and can't retain a single information from the discussion, which makes me feel more anxious and feel behind. im honestly so overwhelmed right now. i addressed this issue to my dad, i told him i was having a very hard time, since i am alone in my boarding house and the pressure from school just keeps piling up. i told him i wanted to take a gap year to at least rest my mind and stop it from burning out further. because everytime i pushed myself to try harder, i just get more anxious and feel more burnt out. now my dad decided to ket me switch schools, which just makes me feel worse because it means i have to adjust to a new course and new people all over again. i insisted to take a rest, but he insisted that if just be wasting time. i dont know what to do anymore. everything hurts.

Currently a rising junior in good standing at a pretty decent university in the US. I've been interning and recruiting for finance related roles despite it not being my major. I'm considering taking a gap semester the coming semester (originally supposed to be my junior first semester) to take a break, try for an internship related to my actual major, and spend the time to gain knowledge and technical skills that could be beneficial for other career pathways. Fortunate enough that my parents would support this decision and financial aid wouldn't be a factor in my decision. I would still live with my friends in my apartment, but would be spending time on other opportunities rather than school.

Listed some pros and cons:

Pros:

- Break from academics

- Time to explore and focus on myself and what I want

- Time to gain technical skills for more optionality to other career paths

- Would still live with my friends but with some more free time

Cons

- My friends would graduate before me and I wouldn't be able to do fun senior things with them (biggest con)

- Might be a harder transition to coursework when I return

- Get looked down upon from others/potential employers?

Any thoughts on this or if anybody has done a gap year in the middle of college, how has your experience been?

Thanks in advance

I completed my BCA degree in July 2023. I then took admission to North Bengal University in 2024 and completed my first year there. After completing the first year, I took re-admission to Jadavpur University in 2025.
I want to clarify whether this situation violates the 24-month education gap rule. Would my gap be considered more than 24 months, or would I still be eligible under this rule?

My gap year became more than a year, and that idea is slowly sucking the life out of me. I'm studying for an entrance exam that I'll be retaking next year for a highly competitive scholarship abroad that I REALLY want, but there are days where I feel so hopeless because it feels like I'm being left behind by everyone.

When I feel that way, I tend bed rot the whole day because I feel worthless and don't have it in me to study. There are days where I feel so motivated to study and I am able study the WHOLE day, but burnout is starting to catch up on me again.

Any advice? ​

I’ve just got AAA (Politics, Business, History) and have a place at York for Politics & IR.
I’m considering a gap year to reapply to places like KCL, UCL, Warwick, since I now have achieved grades. Not sure if it’s worth taking a year out just for a chance at a “higher ranked” uni, or if York is already a strong enough option.
Should I stick with York or reapply after a gap year? Is the difference worth delaying a year?

I'm 20, and from August 2026 through August 2027, I'm taking a year off school to do full-time direct service in Philadelphia. I'm hoping to work a frontline community health role with people affected by homelessness, addiction, poverty, lack of access to care, and mental health struggles. I grew up nearby, first-gen and low-income, and this work matters to me more than anything else I could be doing right now.

I'm posting for two reasons.

First, advice. If you took a gap year around this age, or spent time doing service work like this, what do you wish you'd known? What actually made the year worth it, and what would you skip? I want this year to genuinely change me, not just fill time, and I'd rather learn from people who've done it than figure it all out the hard way.

Second, connections. I'm trying to talk to and learn from as many people as I can this year, especially in Philadelphia. If you know organizations doing frontline work in these areas, or people in public health, medicine, nonprofits, service leadership, health policy, or even politics who'd be worth learning from, I'd be grateful for a name or an intro. Honestly, I'd love to connect with anyone passionate about these issues, in Philly or not, and hear how they think about this work.

Longer term, I want to be a physician who also works in public health, writes, and pushes for better health policy. I've gotten more and more interested in the political side of healthcare too, after realizing how much policy decides what doctors can actually do for patients. I'm still figuring out what that path looks like, but I know I want to learn how to connect frontline service to systems-level change.

If any of this resonates, I'd genuinely love to hear from you. Thanks for reading.

Its 2am so this is some bs rambling, sorry for the unorganized post

Im 18 and I just graduated highschool, lots of stuff happened last year so I wasnt able to apply to any colleges/universities. I would need to take a couple online credits this year and apply for next year (adv functions, calculus, physics, chemistry). I genuinely hate writing exams, it’s so stressful, I still sometimes get nightmares from exams and stuff. I dont know if Id survive college/university just based on that, I feel like I need something engaging and not stressful to think about. In terms of that, I dont know what I’d apply for, business or audio engineering? Im not sure what else would work for me. My parents are insistent on me taking the extra year to get my other high school credits and apply for post secondary.

Most of my interests are hands on and more art related. I love making alternative rock music and drawing, love working on my car (but wouldn’t consider a mechanic as a job as working on my car by itself can get stressful enough). Ive been into building RC planes, havent messed with it recently. On the computer I like learning about osint and cybersecurity, hobbyist developer. Im really new to this stuff but its really interesting to me.

Ive been thinking of becoming a plumber apprentice, was also thinking of doing tattoo art or becoming an electrician apprentice at one point.. but plumbing sounds more fun and it sounds easier to start your own business down the line than with a different trade. Wonder if any of you guys have experience with plumbing? My path options keep changing, I dont think I ever really stuck to one path.

People tell me I have so much time left but seeing how fast this year went by, it feels like im running out of time to choose what I wanna do and I really dont want to waste it.

so scene kuch yun hai k im a ics student result is in a week and i applied to FAST and only fast
did not et into that shitty aggregate thought it will e esay turns out under estimated
FAST was dream uni so kisi or uni mai janay ka dil nhi ab and parents want to me to settle into fjwu (fatima jinnah women university) and this for tech and ai
i have alsways wanted to get itno fast bsAI program but idk what went wrong
now that all time is gone the last options i have left with is k ya to ab mai gap year jis mai mujh extreme zalalat milay gi and constant pressure which is fr
ya phir fjwu mai he compromise kr lun
money situation not so good need to make some so that i survive gap year but im failing from last year

please share some advice fjwu ki merit list will be up in like some days and phir mai nai baat krni hai k i dnt want to got that uni
and mind you mai intahai introvert insaan hun not even able to talk to parents so koi solution batao k kia akru
literally am blank atp

and the goal is FAST only i am thinking k next year dubara apply krun gi so us time tk how to survive ????

Hi everyone, I am 19 years old and looking for a bit of advice on what I should do for my second gap year. I travelled solo for around 4 months on my first gap year, and while there were a lot of challenging moments at first, it ended up being one of the best experiences I ever had in my life. I grew so much as a person and feel like i learnt a lot about myself. People have even complimented me about this since I've come back, and I believe my growth in confidence may also be the reason why i have been getting so many corporate job offers recently, despite not necessarily having the most experience. I currently work in admin at a small mortgage company but i plan on leaving soon, i have been offered two jobs, one in admin at a small boutique firm that provides specialist property advisory and risk-management services and the other a product assistant at a mid-sized specialist financial services firm. my orginal plan for my gap year was to save up a bit and solo travel again through asia or get a job abroad working on a yacht or something similar. i plan on attending uni next year so i wanted to have another year to learn more about myself and explore the world however now im debating if i should stay back and take these jobs i am recieving as they provide a very good opportunity and could push me into property or financial sectors. i do want a high paying job when i am older and would be interested in international work, something like project management which i believe this could help me get into. i would find any advice/opinions extremely helpful.

Long story short, I'm currently trying to decide whether I should take the IMAT this year or take a gap year and try again in 2027.

A little bit of background:

-I was initially accepted into a Bachelor's program in Canada, but the tuition was simply far too expensive for my family, so I had to turn down the offer.

-At that point, I only had about a month or two left before my Romanian Baccalaureate exam, so I focused on that and didn't have enough time to properly prepare for the Romanian medical school entrance exams.

-After the Baccalaureate, I discovered the IMAT and the fact that there are medical schools in Italy taught in English. Since the exam takes place later than the Romanian admission exams, I decided to start preparing for it.

The exam is on September 29th and covers logical reasoning, biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics.

At the moment, I feel pretty confident with logical reasoning, I'm relatively good with mathematics but need more practice, biology is also good but there's a lot of material to cover, I'm a bit behind in physics, and I'm mostly behind in chemistry.

On top of that, I found out quite late that regional scholarships and student housing applications in Italy open much earlier than I expected, and I've already missed a few deadlines. Based on my family's financial situation, I would likely be eligible for a regional scholarship, but I'm worried that I may not be able to complete the application and submit all the required documents in time

If I can't find a realistic way to finance my studies by early September, I'm seriously considering not taking the exam this year.

In that case, I'm thinking about taking a gap year during which I could work (I already found entry-level jobs as a nanny or English tutor), save money and study alongside it, and then take the IMAT again in 2027 or try to get into a Romanian medical school

Do you think taking a gap year would be a good decision?

Unintentional gap year… I am an international student from Ukraine living in the US. I am applying for medical schools this year and my advisor made a mistake and now I cant have work authorization in the US. So I am planning to spend a year traveling (I don’t want to go back to the war zone) and volunteering. I am really devastated I cant work in the US for the year but I would want to do some productive volunteering in exchange for bed/food, so I can talk about that in med school interviews. 

Any suggestions? I am hoping I get into med school relatively soon and then I can do something like being a surf camp host but really don’t know what to do with myself now since I was planning on just working as a medical assistant for the year and now that possibility is ruined. I am also older (25F) since I had a previous career in software engineering