Too much pressure to go to University too soon?

That's right, that point of revision boredom has come where I throw the paper on the floor, lose my pen inside my bed somewhere and grab my laptop to add to my new 'serious' blog. Well it really isn't that new anymore I just only have one piece or writing on it and that simply isn't enough.

I've recently decided that a gap year is in order. I can't pay to do the dance course I got on for September so I'll be spending next year putting clothes on rails in a poorly paid student job. Or carrying food from an angry chef to an ungratelful customer in a resteraunt. Who knows, in true Josie fashion I haven't started looking for a job for next year yet I'm just assuming one will turn up. One thing I'm sure of though is that my year of being a lazy 'between A levels and degree' teenage, still holding onto Mummy and Daddy's wallet is alot more appealing than throwing myself into university next year.

The majority of my friends are all spreading their half grown wings and tottering to the edge of their nests to throw themselves of the side circa September 2010. Alot of them will catch the wind of educational success and glide to safely, walk out with their degrees in three years and land reasonably well paid jobs. But there'll always be those that realise they weren't ready to make that leap yet, that realise they should've stayed up in theirs next being fed worms and snuggling up in a familiar bed. But it's too late, they've jumped and their falling fast. Failing with their wrong decision and crashing onto the floor helpless and alone to be picked apart by the scavengers down below.
What I want to know is what you do if you're one of those unlucky few that have misjudged what they want? Nine percent of all students embarking on higher education in 2006 had dropped out by 2008. That's 9 of every 100 students that almost put themselves £30,000 in debt for something that wasn't even right for them .

The fact of the matter is that students these days are under more pressure than ever to go to university to get a degree level qualification. Which is of course a great thing to have, but what if that isn't for you? We're all put encouraged to complete UCAS during our final year of A levels, but as a eighteen year old, I know that not all of us know what we want from life yet. Also, the pressure is on to go as soon as we're finished with college and if we've half heatedly applied for a course we think that maybe would suit us and we've gotten offers, it's tempting to accept them and go to study something we don't really want to somewhere we don't really want to go. And that's when students drop out and realise they hadn't wasted precious gap year time being miserable in some dirty student halls typing out reams of dull essays wondering why they miss home so much.

If we were taught the benefits of gap years, taught how during a gap year you can earn some much needed cash for when you find the university course that's right for you, or that if you take a gap year you can travel and see some truly fascinating places and learn more about yourself, then maybe none of us would ever go to university. But what I'm hoping happens for me is that I'll be able to travel abit, earn some cash and sort out in my mind whether I can choose between dance and writing. The benefits will be endless and I'm going to make sure I get the most out of my year. The rest of you who are heading off to univerisity, hopefully your choice will have been the right one and you all have the time of your lives, but if you find you've made a mistake there are always other options.

Now I'm going to get back to passing my A levels, or just reading The World According To Clarkson. Who knows. Maybe I'll just take a gap couple of months actually that sounds nice...