Benefits of a Gap Year in STEM

What is a gap year and who should take one?

Taking a gap year means taking a break from STEM education or work for a period of time. Anyone can take a gap year – STEM students and graduates included. Those who take a gap year often do so to travel, gain new perspectives, focus on other aspects of life, or simply recharge before diving back into their academic or professional STEM careers.

Despite what the name suggests, a gap year does not need to last exactly one year. You may need more time to achieve a time-consuming goal or less time to fit it in before the next stage in your career. The key thing to be mindful of is avoiding an unexplained gap in your CV. It’s important to be able to account for all your time with gap year experiences and explain their benefits.

STEM students are more likely to go straight to university and miss out on a gap year than other disciplines, yet a gap year has been shown to have positive implications for STEM university acceptance.

Therefore, this article aims to explain why you, as a STEM student, can take a gap year, when the best time to take a gap year is, what you can do during your gap year and the benefits of a gap year to your future in STEM. By the end, you should feel confident about whether a gap year is right for you and have plenty of gap year ideas!

When can I take a gap year?

A gap year can be taken at various stages in your life, and more than once if you wish! The most common age range to take a gap year is 18–24 years old, with between 183,000 and 232,000 individuals in this age group taking a gap year in 2023. It’s important to choose the right timing for your gap year to avoid disrupting your learning or work life. The best time to take a gap year is typically during natural study breaks.

Here, you will find answers to the common questions surrounding taking a gap year at each of the three main natural study breaks in a typical STEM education:

1. Should I take a gap year before university?

A popular time for STEM students to take a gap year is after finishing secondary school and before starting their undergraduate degree. This means you should be in good company both on your gap year and once at university, with many other STEM students sharing gap year experiences and being of a similar age to you. Some common reasons for taking a gap year before university include: not feeling ready to leave home and friends, needing time to save money to fund university, and being unsure about your university choices.

You can take a gap year after submitting a UCAS application to university. If you have not been offered the university place you want, many students take a gap year to address any shortcomings in their application and reapply the following year. If you have received an offer, you can request to defer your start date but will need to provide a solid supporting explanation for doing so. Taking a gap year after submitting a UCAS application allows you to enjoy your gap year without having to apply to university after a gap year on your mind. A larger percentage of gap year students go on to university if they have applied before their gap year than if they have not.

If you want to apply to university after your gap year but are worried about how to do this, you can receive support from your school and also use PMT Education’s resources from wherever you are:

Can I take a gap year during university?

If you’re wondering if you can take a gap year during university, you should instead consider taking one before starting. Universities often have strict policies regarding taking a gap year once you have started your course, making it uncommon. Alternatively, you could consider a placement year if you would like a recognised year out of your undergraduate study to work in STEM.

2. Should I take a gap year before postgraduate study?

The natural study break between undergraduate and postgraduate study is another great time to take a gap year. You can apply to your postgraduate course before or after your gap year, but it may be beneficial to apply after your break.

Longer gap years are more common at this stage, and deferred entry is usually restricted to one year. Additionally, a gap year could help you find your niche for a research question for a master’s degree or explore career paths through vocational or conversion courses. Alternatively, it might be a chance to spend some time outside of STEM before fully committing PhD and a career in STEM academia.

Financial considerations are another popular reason for taking a gap year at this stage, as maintenance loans are not available for postgraduate degrees. Many students use this time to work and save money before continuing their education.

3. Should I take a gap year before starting work?

If you have finished your STEM studies (whether at university or secondary school) and are moving on to pursue your career, this could be another excellent time to take a gap year. Once in a professional STEM role, it is often harder to take a career break as workplaces provide incentives to remain within the field, working your way up the career ladder. Additionally, job contracts typically restrict holidays to an average of 28 days a year and getting permission for official leave for a gap year while employed could be difficult. Therefore, taking a gap year before starting work allows you to fulfil your goals outside of STEM, without hindering your professional development.

In fact, there are many benefits of a gap year before entering the workforce. Individuals will likely mature in their gap year, gaining the global awareness they need for the multicultural world of work, and developing key skills employers value.

Remember, if you are raring to go to university or to move on to postgraduate study then there will always be opportunities to take a gap year in the future as there are multiple appropriate times.

Why take a gap year?

Beyond providing time to recharge after an intensive period of study, the benefits of taking a gap year at these natural study breaks are that you have the opportunity to learn more about yourself, your goals, and your interests before pursuing the next chapter of your life in STEM.

It is extremely important to know why you are taking a gap year. This awareness will not only help you to plan what to do in your gap year effectively but will enable you to explain the study break to universities and employers. Contrary to common concern, a gap year can be viewed positively by employers and universities, provided you can account for your time and evidence the benefits of taking a gap year.

Disadvantages and benefits of a gap year

There are many other benefits of a gap year, which form the varied reasons why people take one. The table below highlights some of the benefits of taking a gap year, alongside the disadvantages some people report.

Benefits of a gap year	Disadvantages of a gap year
Develop key transferable skills: from organisation, budgeting, and time management through travel, to self-motivation, discipline, and teamwork through employment	Finding valuable gap year experiences can be challenging
Create international connections: having others who share your interests (in and out of STEM) can expose you to more opportunities in your STEM career	Both gap years in the UK or gap year travel may leave you feeling lonely if you are trying to pursue experiences alone (but organised programmes can help reduce this)
Become independent: slowly adapt to being away from home and independent before experiencing this at university or work in a new location	Not going to university at the same time as the majority can be challenging, especially if you want to be with close friends for support (but there are plenty of others taking a gap year too!)
Fulfil a desire to explore: becoming globally aware and breaking everyday routine	If you are driven by STEM and your studies/work you may feel lost in your gap year or struggle to find other motivations
Take a break from study: resetting to be in the best position to fully commit to the next step	Some people feel they forget their knowledge or find it hard to go back to the intensive learning that STEM demands, after a break
Earn money: by working in a gap year people can save to fund a STEM degree. More advice on how to fund university can be found in our bursaries and scholarships article	Gap years can be expensive and might leave you worse off financially if you do not work along the way
Explore your options: discovering interests, gaining experience, and confirming your commitment to a field for entry into a STEM degree or job	People may be dissuaded from completing their STEM education as they discover other interests or priorities and studies show that those who took gap years earn less on average
Focus on other important matters: elements of life outside of STEM, such as family, friends, health, and wellbeing	Still having home as your base during a gap year can be hard for those who wish to leave home sooner

What to do in your gap year: Gap year ideas for STEM

What you do in your gap year is usually determined by your reasons for taking it. No two gap years are alike, with experiences spanning gap years in the UK or abroad, keeping busy or resting, pursuing hobbies or work, or an eclectic mixture of all the above. The table below suggests some STEM gap year ideas to suit the different for taking a gap year.

Reason for taking a gap year	Gap year ideas
To become independent	Shorter travel to STEM sites (CERN) Science residentials (biology camp) Temporary work in your field of interest
To fulfil a desire to explore	Longer travel to STEM sites Antarctica) Temporary work in your field abroad STEM voluntourism (volunteer abroad) STEM gap year courses abroad
To take a break from study	Gap year travel STEM extracurricular activities Volunteering in STEM
To earn money	Temporary work abroad or in the UK in your field of interest
To explore your options	Work experience STEM internships (eg. Sanger Institute) Online courses and bootcamps STEM gap year courses
To focus on other important matters	Gap year in the UK Being a carer Spending time with loved ones Wellbeing support

What to do in a gap year with no money

If you are wondering if you can do a gap year with no money, this section is for you. Gap years don’t have to come with a financial loss. While spending the year travelling without work might strain your budget, many come with a cheaper price tag. For example, by volunteering you may be able to find accommodation and food in return for work, helping to reduce your cost of living across the gap year. Or working during your gap year can allow you to earn in your gap year, which can help offset the costs of a STEM degree, without necessarily sacrificing gap year travel!

To earn money, you could either do temporary work in the UK or work abroad. The job does not need to be in STEM to give you the transferable skills for university. However, if you are interested, you could also look for an entry-level job in STEM or at our temporary STEM jobs for gap years in the next section.

To reduce spending, voluntourism is a great option. From farms to hostels, all sorts of opportunities are out there and it is an easy way to meet others on their gap year too. The skills you acquire from organising these agreements, working and living with others and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, are all attractive attributes to STEM university admissions and employers.

For advice on how to budget if you want to backpack or travel without working, check out the blogs and advice from the many others who have been in similar situations.

 

How to plan your gap year around STEM

To benefit from a gap year the most you will need to formulate a solid plan for how this will fit into your STEM career path. Consider what you want to do in your gap year, what you want to gain from your gap year, and how you can demonstrate what you gained to a STEM employer or university.

You can be fully supported in your planning, either by opting for pre-organised gap year experience programmes or by seeking full support from gap year advisors. Alternatively, you can plan your gap year yourself with the wealth of resources available to help you. Either way, there are options which can help you relate your gap year specifically to STEM.

Pre-organised STEM gap year experience programmes

For STEM gap years involving travel:

• Intern HQ — Offers international STEM internships for gap years
• Global work and travel — IT internships in Italy, Voluntourism on Darwin’s Galapagos Islands, and gap year courses, such as marine science in South Africa
• Projects Abroad — Voluntourism programmes from medical internships in Peru and dentistry in Nepal to engineering in Sri Lanka
• International Citizen Service — Well-recognised volunteering opportunities abroad, including those combatting climate change and teaching science
• Go Overseas — Language courses abroad to develop your logical thinking
• Operation Wallacea — Conservation expeditions for biology students
• SALVE International — Data analysis programmes in Uganda

For STEM gap years in the UK:

• National Citizen Service — Well-recognised volunteering opportunities in any area that interests you or a paid year of service programme with employers in STEM

STEM gap year advisors

• SSA education — Offer advice on finding STEM gap year courses abroad
• Year Out Group — A professional body providing personal advice on planning your gap year, able to help you incorporate STEM
• WorkAway — Helps with self-organised voluntourism opportunities by connecting you with individuals with similar interests in STEM across the globe who offer accommodation in exchange for work (you pay for membership)
• Thatch Travel — Find experienced travellers with similar STEM interests that offer consultations to help you plan backpacking trips or shorter visits

Resources to plan your STEM gap year

• PMT Education’s corresponding articles can help you with finding STEM entry-level jobs, work experience, online courses, and bootcamps in the UK
• NVCO — A list of UK volunteering opportunities
• Online blogs — Read about current STEM students’ experiences of taking a gap year

For volunteering and working abroad, you must ensure you have the correct visas and permissions to work in the country you are travelling to, consider your safety, seek advice, and always get travel insurance. Some of the easiest countries to gain a working holiday visa for as a UK citizen are those in the commonwealth or Europe. There are plenty of resources and programmes available to support you with this process.

 

Is the gap year experience worth it?

This article has highlighted both the disadvantages and benefits of a gap year in STEM, depending on when you take one, what you do in your gap year, and your current circumstances. Note that a gap year is not for everyone, especially those driven by STEM education who feel they might otherwise be lost without it. However, for many a gap year allows you to step away from the pressure of the STEM education pathway that you would otherwise be funnelled through until you reach work, to instead learn about yourself, look at the wider picture to inform what you want from your life and hopefully return to STEM with matured priorities.

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If you are excited about taking a gap year but are wondering how many other people will be taking one at the same stage in their STEM pathway as you, you can use the comments section for this article to discuss gap years with others in your situation. Start by commenting with what stage of your STEM pathway you are at and how you would like to spend your gap year.

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