‘To defer or not to defer… that is the question’
“Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, applying next year after receiving your A2 grades, or to take arms against a sea of troubles and apply now for Deferred Entry to uni in Sept/Oct 2009…”
A few weeks ago you were lazing in bed, contemplating the next beach refreshment or cursing the rainy, flood-ridden jinx of Rihanna’s chart-topping ‘Umbrella’. Already teachers are frightening you with your UCAS buzzword and application deadlines. The
dilemmas of the next 6th form party and football’s offside rule seem so simple.
We asked our wise Guru to let you all into the scary mysteries behind Deferred Entry.
WHAT IS DEFERRED ENTRY?
Assuming you are in Year 13, Deferred Entry allows you to secure a university place for September 2009 now, a year after the majority of your mates who will probably
head for university next Autumn.
First of all check the admissions policy on Deferred Entry for each course you choose. If all is well, you then tick a box on your UCAS form to ask a university to consider you for deferred entry. Or if you decide to defer after submitting your form, you should contact the relevant departments stating your reasons for the change and how you will spend your gap year.
Once you have been offered a place, you have to meet any offer by August 31 2008.
WHY APPLY FOR DEFERRED ENTRY?
If you know you want a gap year before uni and are definite about your choice of course and university, Deferred Entry is the best way of ensuring you have a place all arranged before you embark on your year out.
SO WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES, GURU?
• It’s a breather from education. All you have seen since birth is a nursery, school or college. There is a world outside and it’s important to get a glimpse of it before the end of your degree! So many 25-30 somethings are saying they regret their degree choice; this is a way round that.
• Interviews, open day visits and other administrative niceties (bar applying to your LEA
for loans, grants and fees which you can’t do until early 2009) are all sorted and won’t interrupt lavish gap plans.
• If you want the security of a planned, set schedule, there’s the reassurance of a place ready for 2009.
• The motivation of a real university offer will inspire your final year of 6th Form studies.
• If you don’t get accepted at your first choice, you can have a second stab next year with more confidence and experience.
• Trust me on this one! Alongside the birth of your first child and seeing the White Stripes live, a gap year is one of the best experiences you can ever have, so take the plunge! I never regretted my Guru gap year and have fond memories of its range of
activities.
• It frees you for a year of networking, work experience and earning solid cash.
• Graduate employers might be less likely to let you defer a job offer to satisfy the wanderlust so do it now! Also funds might not allow that later.
• You can apply through UCAS as normal and only chance your arm about Deferred Entry even as late as Results Day. It’s not a fully Guru-endorsed policy but you can ask if your uni would consider it!
• From the forums on www.thestudentroom.co.uk, the majority of students are convinced it’s the right move: ‘It keeps momentum and motivation and allows two goes.’ ‘I emailed several universities and they all said that it was better to apply for Deferred Entry instead of after applications.’ ‘While it may seem less stressful doing your exams without the
pressure of having to meet an offer, you’ll still know the grades you need to be considered for a place so there’s still stress!’
ARE THERE ANY DISADVANTAGES?
• Some universities or departments may want to see what the 2009 cohort is going to be like and therefore be more wary of offering too many places too early.
• If you are unsure about your course and university, it’s best to take longer to make that decision and apply after receiving your grades.
• You may just want to get on with your 6th Form studies, avoid the distractions of interviews and Open Day visits and learn from the experiences and mistakes of your peers. You can apply next year with excellent grades and look more mature. Universities
might love you more than the younger applicants.
• September 2009 is a long way off! If you change your mind about your course, it can be awkward. you might need to withdraw from UCAS and apply again for 2009. If you had qualms after January 15 2009, you would end up looking in Clearing that August.
• The adult doom and gloom posse will be convinced you’ll never return to education.
• The money earned might make tempt you into scrapping uni and avoiding the perils of the student budget.
• Some worry that their friends will leave uni a year earlier and snap up jobs.
• Some unenlightened souls will bracket you as a waster thinking gaps are just for rich kids to doss around all day, flexing Mummy or Daddy’s credit cards to the max. Mind you, they probably count all students in that waster category already!
• A lot of courses involve a placement year, exchange programme or university transfer anyway, defeating the need for deferring and having a gap year.
HOW DO UNIS VIEW DEFERRED ENTRY?
If you feel it is right for you, that’s almost a good enough reason, but you must check with each uni you are considering. Policies differ, but from a Guru scan, 99.9% are in favour as long as you have an interesting plan. They know they gain a maturer, wiser, more confident and more committed student when you start your course.
Aston University says it recognises the advantages some students can gain from a gap year, and its admissions team is happy to discuss Deferred Entry.
As long as you cover carefully in your Personal Statement why you want to defer and what you are planning, you will usually be considered on the same basis as applicants for the current year. Many like Newcastle University confirm they value the wider experience and increased maturity of students who defer, though they are just as happy to receive applications after candidates have received their grades. They also confirm that if you wish to defer entry after submitting your UCAS form, you should write, indicating the change of plan and outline your new plans.
Universities do not expect you to spend the year totally and exclusively involved in activities connected to your degree but, especially for competitive courses, it would be wise to show how your experiences will be really beneficial for your intended uni study. They all recognise that a year (or more) working to save money for university is vital for many students.
AND CAN I JUST CHECK THAT EMPLOYERS WILL BE HAPPY WITH MY PLANS?
Employers want YOU. They want someone with passion, initiative, charisma, the Wow Factor so they will definitely like your plans as long as you can sell them well on paper and in person.
WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE AND WHO CAN I TALK TO?
Talk to your own careers guru, Connexions adviser, Head of 6th, university admissions officers and current students. It may take more than 1 year to really decide a course… that’s no problem. It’s your life and your choice! Do what feels right for you.
Useful websites, as ever, include:
www.gapyear.com
www.woodyswebwatch.com
www.ucas.com
www.thestudentroom.co.uk
www.hotrecruit.com
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