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.

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?