Click here and scroll to 0.47.50 to hear the interview

Last week The Leap’s very own Milly Whitehead was interviewed by Mark O’Donnell for BBC radio about the effect of increased tuition fees on Gap Years. With students accross the land clamouring to apply for a University place before the costs go up in 2012 (in between student riots!) we’re hearing from lots of you worried that those life-long travel plans will need to go on ice. Do not fret….!

Firstly there are masses of opportunities to take The Leap and travel oversas during you Summer break. Even if you’re planning to go straight to Uni you have a 3 month holiday in 2011 and 3 month’s free every Summer for the next 2 years which you can put to good use. We have some fantastic 6 week Summer Team projects departing in July to Africa, Asia and South America which will allow you to squeeze the experience of a gap year into your holibobs! There’s been a big surge in applications for Leap trips in July 2011 (with some teams filling up fast) so book now to avoid disappointment. Even better, for those of you eagerly (or not!) awaiting A-Level results this August The Leap will get you back to England a few days before the exam scores are in…so you can still be here to bang down the door of your chosen Uni if needs be.

Secondly is the option of taking a gap year AFTER university. We anticipate that in future many more graduates will choose to take The Leap once they have their degree under the belt. Not only will these graduates have missed out on a gap year first time around but they’ll have the benefit of not needing to pay back a penny of their student loan until they’re earning big bucks (21K). Now if that’s not an invitation to take a post Grad gap year we dont know what is! There’s also the urgent need to prepare themselves skills-wise for a highly competitive, recession-hit jobs market. Many employers have commented that the experience of taking a ‘constructive’ gap year; planning independent travels, volunteering overseas and adapting to foreign environments generates candidates much better prepared for the work place. The message is clear- if you want to boost your chances of clinhing that dream job dont sit on your haunches, do something creative with your time during the Summers and post-University to develop your soft skills and demonstrate your winning personality.

Finally (although we had to be the bearers of bad news)…not everyone hoping to get to University in 2011 will be lucky enough to win a place at their chosen institution. Many of you will forced to take a gap year next year by default, whist you re-group and reapply for 2012. A massive surge in applications this year coupled with the large number of students from the previous academic year who missed out on a place and are applying for a second time means that there will be a huge shortage of places at University and next to no courses offered through clearing. You must have a gap year back-up plan.

Even if you’ve applied for Uni in 2011, put in the time to research your gap year options. Consult the experts like The Leap and the Year Out Group to find out the best options for you and collect fund-raising advice. Here at the Leap we have one of the lowest deposit fees in the gap year industry – it will cost  just £100 to reserve a place on your chosen team AND if your situation changes you can switch the time or team to a later date (i.e. Summer or post-University) without loosing a penny.

To listen to the full interview with Milly click on the icon above and scroll to 0.47.50. And if you need more advice from the experts drop us a line on 01672 519922.