Not sure about taking a gap year? Here’s my take!

hello zesties 🍋

first of all, happy grad to all jc/poly students!!! as y’all enter the next stage of life, many of y’all may be lost, and as cliché as it may sound - it’s normal! as 19/20 year olds who probably haven’t done anything except study, it’s hard to know what you want to do for the next 30 or more years of your life.

Personally, I chose to take a gap year after JC. Gap years are often shunned upon in Singapore (maybe because of the fast-paced lifestyle, the FOMO etc…) soo I’ll be sharing why I took one, my reflections and my advice for y’all who have just graduated from jc/poly - hopefully that’ll help y’all make a more informed decision 🤣

okay so starting with why - tbvh, I had an idea of what I didn’t want to do, which is an office job 🤣🤣 so I knew accountancy etc..weren’t my thing. I did well enough to apply for med, but at the same time, there’s sm sacrifices that I wasn’t sure if I really wanted it. Apart from that, I really couldn’t think of a job that would satisfy me. I’m p passionate about education esp for the underprivileged but a teacher just wasn’t it for me - imo it wasn’t challenging enough because you’re prob gonna be teaching the same thing every year ( don’t get me wrong, being teachers arent easy and prob will have challenges too - but imo it just wasnt enough to satisfy my desire to challenge myself..iykyk) I only knew that I wanted to have the ability to impact others in the future. But then again, business was not really ideal since it’s a complicated and cruel career and with my personality, I probably won’t be able to survive LOL.

So, I decided to try for Dentistry & as for Med..I didn’t complete my application LOL. I told myself if I couldn’t get dent, i’ll prob study overseas so no point putting other choices. BUT I ACTLY didnt get it..😅 so that was when I actly thought really hard about what exactly I wanted in my future - I loved education, but I also loved challenging myself, stepping out of my comfort zone and just, achieving as much as I can. I decided to volunteer, was fortunate to get a medical internship as well (found on IG - I applied w no expectations so when I got in I just told myself, why not?) and that’s when I fell in love with Med. And also the reason why I’m applying for Med this year, but with a firm mind and resolve that I will be able to commit myself to it for the next 30+ years of my life.

Reflecting back on my gap year, I’ll say it’s really one that was eye-opening, meaningful, and a year filled with self-discovery. I learned sm about myself - what I liked and what I didn’t like, my weaknesses, my strengths, and my future goals. It’s also one where I was really able to step out of my comfort zone and achieve things that, if I didn’t take a gap year, I wouldn’t have achieved.

1. Travelling - yes, I travelled ALOT. Went to genting for my grad trip, then to japan, aussie, taiwan, bintan and finally korea. I acknowledge that it’s not feasible for everyone, but it’s a big part of my gap year that contributed to my character, so I’m sharing LOL. Sometimes I wonder whether it’s right to travel so much, but then I think to myself - i prob won’t have the chance after school starts, so why not live in the moment right…so i went on many trips, mostly with my parents and some with the rest of my fam and my friends. Through the trips, not only was I able to spend quality time w my loved ones, I also grew to appreciate what I have and have h2h talks esp w my parents. The trips were fun, but i think mainly they were very healing too (iykyk)

My opinion is - if you really dont have the means, dont force yourself to travel. but do take time out to enjoy and bond with people you may not have been able to when you were studying, because after this, you prob wont have time again. a gap year shldnt js be all abt productivity, but also a time for u to enjoy urself and do things u couldn’t do!

2. experiences

I wld say, at the start of the gap year, make a list of what uw to experience and achieve by the end of the year so that you have a direction. for me, my key experiences were volunteering, a medical internship, starting my own non-profit initiative (have been my dream since JC) and entering a challenge that had a real impact. My medical internship allowed me to not just shadow doctors, but also allowed me to partake in research projects, innovations, organise health-related events and more (I wanted to include more details but I realised it was so long so I’m prob gnna make another post abt my reflection and reason for choosing medicine - if y’all want..🤣 lmk pls)

Volunteering was super eye-opening as well. I think apart from just knowing that you are giving back to society, the conversations I had with the patients (both elderly and children) really taught me many things and contributed to the reason I chose Medicine as well. And I think it helped me in terms of being confident and approaching others to talk esp if they are not of my age - I realised that tbh its rlly no big deal…

Then my own non-profit initiative, The Alora Project (@ thealoraproject_ on ig) it’s something I planned since JC but didn’t have the chance to work on because, STUDIES. So when I decided to take a gap year, I knew I had to start it. In school, I’ve always loved the aspect of teaching my schmates, and I knew how many people may not have ppl arnd them that cld help them w their studies, and sometimes teachers are really just too busy, ++ tuition is so damn ex in SG. So I thought of creating a bridge between students who did well academically and those who didnt && needed help!! I really believe in peer teaching esp because teaching/learning from someone who is not WAY older than you is sm more relatable and fun. So yes! I started the project. I think less of the aspect of helping others, I benefitted alot in terms of really developing leadership & communication skills to have set a direction for the project and led my team of volunteers (tysm btw, i rlly appreciate y’all!! & if anyone wants to join, pls do so!! dm us on ig haha) so yes, I think I grew sm from this initiative ESP SINCE I DIDNT HAVE GUIDANCE unlike if I were to start a project in school.

Lastly! Youth Action Challenge. Y’all, if you are taking a gap year, I’ll tell you to PLEASE join this challenge. Basically you will come up w a solution to a problem (like pw) BUTTT this time, u actly get a grant to implement it. Which I thought was SO cool. okay but depends on the theme also - I really felt strongly in this year’s theme which included caregivers, so I went ahead with it. Tbvh, my journey wasn’t smooth sailing AT ALL. I had to form a team, and it’s impossible to see who is there for portfolio and who is truly committed, so yes, a situation similar to PW situations happened. I was p disappointed cause this was a challenge that they chose to enter themselves, so SHLDNT THEY HAVE INITIATIVE?! okay but yes, the entire experience tested my patience, but I also learnt how to communicate and work as a team, delegating tasks to the strengths of others, navigating challenges, networking with others. It was nice to talk to people who had more experience and genuine passion. ANDDD i’m super duper happy and proud because our hard work finally paid off and we got the maximum grant of 50k (like actly…we cldn’t believe it too) so now I’m still working on it to hopefully have a successful launch in SG (pls support when we do hehe 🫶🏻🫶🏻) && talking to sm organisations (both gov and non-gov) really taught me sm and of course, i thk I became a little more professional 😌😌 HAHAHA okay but fr, it’s a once in a lifetime exp because its for THE YOUTHS and i wldn’t recco to join when u’re in sch because u rlly need the dedication and commitment, which u wont have esp during exam seasons (ok not wont have, but its extremely diff and if ure gnna half-ass it, i’ll say dont waste ur time and the time of every other mentor who volunteered to help u)

So yes, alot of insightful and fulfilling experiences during my gap yr hahaha

3. Working on hobbies

I love baking and dancing, and a gap year means more time to really experiment and try new things, like the bao that I made (my first try btw, i think it turned out super well?!) && stepping out to attend open classes on MY own (actly not intimidating anym, because tbh everyone js minds their own business during dance classes HAHAHA) & also made more friends!! I wanted to learn guitar too but unfortunately, its erm..still in progress and its SO HARD EHFHEJDNJ if anyone wants to teach me pls lmk

4. trying new things

so I finally tried content creation (as u can see..HAHAHAHA) just to see how it was like. I def didn’t take it vv seriously because I had other projects on hand, but it was fun experiencing getting invited, sharing my thoughts w other people, and just making new friends!! and def also the feeling of achievement when u land a paid deal 🤭🤭🤭

And finally…the most asked question - does it get lonely? Well, most of my friends were either in Uni or NS, so yes, sometimes I do question whether I made the right choice, and I do feel that it’s a pity that I’m not experiencing what my friends are experiencing. ESPECIALLY when my TWIN sister is in uni - so seeing her go out w her uni friends, study w her uni friends and js having the UNI experience does make me feel kinda left out sometimes :/ but i guess ntg is ever only good - a gap year allows u to do things that others dont have time to do, but it also means u dont get to experience what they experience. but imo u’ll grow out of it after sometime and u js gtta embrace that everyone’s life is diff and STOP BEING A FOMO 🫣🫣

okay but on a serious note, a gap year might have been the best and most significant decision of my life. if you’re like me, not sure what uw to do, or nt sure if u can survive the course uw, or udh the results to get into ur desired course and dw to retake, then i’ll say to take the leap and take a gap year. one advice though- your gap year experience is going to be very dependent on your choice. so u’ll really need to have the discipline to go out and do things instead of lazing at home (okay i’m a victim but some days won’t hurt)

so again, if u’re choosing to get a gap yr, my advice is to make a plan of everything u want to achieve so that u have a direction! & don’t be afraid to try more things - i only got a medical internship because I knew I really wanted medicine afterwards. If you’re still unsure, go explore more industries! Don’t be afraid to ask, u miss 100% of the shots u don’t take! oh and, please PLEASE don’t make earning money ur goal - unless thats the only reason u took a gap yr. for me, everything I experienced during my gap year was unpaid so I worked adhoc part time (via apps like staffie, werksg) + part time tutoring to earn some living expenses! Travel w family was funded by parents 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻 but ya, to me, i think the experiences taught me alot and I felt that it’s worthed it, hence I wasn’t too bumped to take on those opportunities and not get paid at all.

anyways, lmk in the comments if y’all hv any questions - I may not be the BEST advisor but i’ll try my best hahaha

omg and BLESS EVERYONE WHO READS TILL HERE 😅😅

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