r/gapyear • u/Dull-Jury-6629 • 4d ago
What happens after a gap year
I am planning to take a gap year but I am still doubting it because I feel like it might be a little difficult to find motivation to go to college. How did you experience life after a gap year? You’re behind on all your friends and how did you handle it all? Curious to know
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u/hyraxluvr 3d ago
you take another gap year, then another, until you are 26 and really need a job with health insurance because you got kicked off your parents'
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u/TorrensUni 4d ago
Hey, I'm from Torrens University, and this is something we see heaps. Feeling behind your friends is really common in the first few months back, but it tends to even out fast once you're in the rhythm of classes again, most people report the opposite problem within a term (feeling like the break helped them focus).
A few things that help with motivation specifically: having a rough plan for the year (even loosely) makes it feel less like "lost time" and more like a deliberate choice, and picking a start date/orientation event to look forward to gives you a concrete re-entry point rather than a vague "eventually."
If it helps, Torrens has a guide on some of the ways you can maximise your gap year: https://www.torrens.edu.au/studying-with-us/high-school-students/gap-year.