Wait a year or straight on to Uni after HSC? (1 Viewer)

[Mambomeg]

i didnt take a year off coz i was facing 6 years at uni and didnt want to be too old when i graduated, but if i was doing a 3 or 4 year course, i definately would have taken a year off for a number of reasons
a) to earn money to pay for uni - you dont even realise how expensive uni is until you have to pay all the stuff upfront, especially at usyd
b) to let my brain work in a different way for a while, after 13 years of school, a change would have been nice
c) to decide what i really wanted to do, i think a year working in a job where i really wouldnt get far (say, as like a receptionist or something) would probably convince me to do my uni course

i worked all holidays in between hsc and uni, and i really was exhausted by the time uni started. whether u are taking a year off or not, u need to have a good few weeks of actual holiday beofore starting uni

 

[santaslayer]

I didn't take a year off because I would have been 30 by the time I got my undergraduate degree. It's really up to the individual in these circumstances. Do you think you can shake the laziness off after a whole year of fun? I personally couldn't but that doesn't mean your the same.

 

[mack]

Yes it must be very hard to get back to studying after such a long time off. I did no study last holidays and found it a nightmare to return to 3 hours a night studying. And they were only two weeks holidays.

 

[MuSaRuRWa]

Originally posted by santaslayer
I didn't take a year off because I would have been 30 by the time I got my undergraduate degree.

r u 25 now??

 

[doe]

i read somewhere that most people dont start full time work till they're 25

 

[thechosen1]

a few of my friends who finished yr 12 last year still havent found a job.... unless u already have one lined up, suggest u go straight to uni. i did, and although i wouldnt mind taking the year off, im kinda glad i didnt. i still remember all the things about essay writting and all that basic stuff u need for uni... good luck i hope u are happy with whatever u do.

 

[inasero]

you CAN and SHOULD go back to uni straight after the HSC for three reasons:

1) three months of holidays is more than enough, trust me. You will be so bored you will be dying for uni to start, strange as it sounds.

2) uni entry is becoming more and more competitive these days. Unless you're confident of getting the required UAI, then I wouldn't take the risk.

3) you might not be able to get back into the habit of studying. It was hard enough as it was for me to go back after three months.

obviously I can't tell you what and what not to do as your circumstances are different and my experiences are circumstantial. At the end of the day I hope you have taken these considerations into account however...

 

[Generator]

Ah, if you defer, isn't your place secure?

Also, the habit of studying seems like a very strange idea to me...

 

[flyin']

A year can be a very long time... Anyway, if you can be productive in that year, then do whatever you want. Of course, if you're not, and just going to be lazy and do nothing then go to uni. =p

Also burnout isn't a good enough excuse. You can burn out long before the HSC.. so do you just defer HSC as well. Also what about the rest of your life, can you defer that too?

 

[bluesky100]

I've heard varying comments and at times I think it's really more of an individualised issue, whether one takes a yr off, goes straight to uni, regains motivation or not.

- IMO, as others have said 3+months off seems to be plenty of time.

- My house mate at uni feels she is 'burnt out' from the VCE, doesn't have any motivation and is leaving all work to the last minute.

- My cousin in a completely different situation as chopped and changed her degree/course so often you can never be sure what she is really doing. I think she is now in her 3rd or 4th degree. Perhaps she would have benefited from taking a break in the first place, she took 6 months off, started this yr and it seems she is much more settled at uni now.

I dunno, I guess if your the type who once you are on a break cannot get back into 'study mode' go straight to uni.

Good luck!!

 

[cayte]

Yes, if you defer your course you are guaranteed of a place so the question of being accepted is irrelevant.
You do not forget how to study. You do not forget how to write essays. All you may do is lose accountability, which is really just a fancy word for "I couldn't be bothered". Or "I'm stupid". I guess that depends on the individual.
The majority of children (because that's what most of them are) who finish the HSC aren't mature enough to start Uni and just piss the rest of us off in first year.
If you earn above a certain threshold you will also qualify for independant youth allowance which is not to be sneezed at and should perhaps be mentioned to your father einstein.
And I agree Ms 12, a year off should be compulsory. If only youth unemployment weren't so high it may be a viable option.

 

[braindrainedAsh]

I don't think you can make a sweeping statement like "a year off should be compulsory" though...

If I had been stuck in my shithole country town for another year working at my parent's business (because jobs are so hard to get out here) I would not be any more mature from it, I assure you.

Moving to the city, living independently and working for different bosses and meeting lots of new people have helped me to mature more than I ever would have by staying at home for another year.

 

[cayte]

Well perhaps you're one of the few. But you don't need to stay at home in your year off, it's not like you're chained to the town in which you grew up. Travel, work, leave home, teach, do something. I can assure you it would be of more benefit than hindrance, particularly if it were compulsory. Some European countries still have military service after school. This isn't necessarily the best option, but it's considered a part of life and isn't minded is my point.

 

[braindrainedAsh]

Unfortunately for me it would have been difficult to leave home without a reason to go... plus financially I would have spent all the money I had saved up for uni if I decided to travel or something..... I have the travel bug real bad but no way to finance it at this stage of my life.

Don't even get me started on compulsory military service...

I think the way things are is fine. it is up to the individual to make the best choice for themselves.

 

[eLmo]

Yes take a year off!... but not to bludge at home- travel or work. Otherwise just go straight to uni

 

[asha_ramirez]

I'm in year 12 this year, next year I'm TRAVELLING! Yay! I was considering going straight to uni, but I thought I needed time to sort out exactly what I want to do, because I don't have a set idea of what course I want to do at uni etc, so for me its more of an intrum year to figure out what I want to do, and experiencing other countries will hopefully help me do that. *fingers crossed*

 

[shelley]

Dependson teh individual, i think if id taken a yr off to travel i never would have gone back and i woulda regretted that

That said im not teh sort of person who finds being idol very enteratining (hence ive been on holidays 3 days and im starting to climb walls) it is very much personal

sweeping statements about it being compulsary take for granted that hsc students are immature and dont know what they want. And just cos u took a yr off doesnt necessarily mean ull discover maturity...theres a few in my lectures who drive the rest of us nuts

Just follow ur own ideas, i mean i had every intention of defering then i got to the end of december and decieded no id had enough time off and id go!

 

[Mambomeg]

yeah i wanted to travel, but i couldnt afford it, working part time in high school does not provide you with a lot of money. i'm going to europe at the end of next year, in between 2nd and 3rd year, because i'm older, and i reckon i'd be more able to cope with any problems and stuff that crop up while travelling. plus i'll have my credit card to rely in in an emergency, which i didnt have straight after school.

you dont have to travel after school because its a "now or never " sort of thing, if you're ony gonna travel coz u reckon u cant later on, thats not a good reason, dont go off into the world by yourself until you truly feel ready, other wise you'll end up a poor homesick kid crying in a corner.

 

[Zeitgeist]

Originally posted by Mambomeg
i didnt take a year off coz i was facing 6 years at uni and didnt want to be too old when i graduated, but if i was doing a 3 or 4 year course, i definately would have taken a year off for a number of reasons
a) to earn money to pay for uni - you dont even realise how expensive uni is until you have to pay all the stuff upfront, especially at usyd
b) to let my brain work in a different way for a while, after 13 years of school, a change would have been nice
c) to decide what i really wanted to do, i think a year working in a job where i really wouldnt get far (say, as like a receptionist or something) would probably convince me to do my uni course

i worked all holidays in between hsc and uni, and i really was exhausted by the time uni started. whether u are taking a year off or not, u need to have a good few weeks of actual holiday beofore starting uni

I will be going straight to uni, too. Mainly because I'll be going for honours, a MPhil and a DPhil. Assuming I don't take any time off between the courses, that's 8-10 years before I leave uni.

Loooong road ahead.

 

[jhakka]

I'm doing my HSC this year, and I plan on working between HSC ending and uni starting (assuming I get in). I figure I'll be sick of not being at school and having a boring job that I'm in mostly for the money, if not the experience, in the first place.