Whether you call it a "gap year", a

Whether you call it a "gap year", a "year out", or a "year off", the decision to delay going to university for a year after leaving school is a difficult, but important, one.

Becky Roberts, now studying history at the University of Warwick, doesn't regret her decision to take a year off. "I'd worked so hard for my A levels," she says. "I knew it would do me good to do something totally unrelated to studying before embarking on a three-year degree course. My year off working for may dad's company wasn't a holiday by any means but it was a break from the world of education, and that's just what I need."

Carl Sanchez agrees now halfway through a biology degree at Cardiff University. Carl spent much of his gap year traveling. "I worked for about three months to save up enough money, then went to stay with some friends who live in France. I ended up traveling round most of Europe, and even got over to Russia for a few weeks, which was fantastic."

Both Becky and Carl enjoyed their year off, but do they feel it's benefited them in terms of their university life now? "Definitely," says Carl. "When I left school, I was a normal, fairly irresponsible eighteen year-old. I hadn't been anywhere, I hadn't done anything. A year later, when I went to university, I felt much more like an adult than a child."

"I know a few people at Warwick who took a year off," says Becky. "Generally, we're more dedicated to our studies than those students who came straight from school. We've got different priorities. We want to have fun, of course, but we realize we're here to get our degrees, I don't think some of the others have quite realized why they're at university yet."

There are drawbacks to taking a gap year, though. Penny Cartwright went straight from school to study medicine at Imperial College, London. "I thought about taking a gap year but decided against it and don't regret the decision for a minute. Becoming a doctor takes such a long time " I'll be about 26 years old before I can start earning any money " that the sooner you start, the better, in my opinion. It might be fun, but it's really just a wasted year in terms of career development."

There's also the financial consideration. If you do decide to take a year off, and you don't want to work the whole time as Becky did, you have to be able to pay for it. Susan Jenkins, a Careers Officer, points out that parents are now less likely to fund their child's year off. "Twenty years ago, it was fairly common for parents to say to their son or daughter, "Here's two thousand pounds, go and have fund abroad for a few months." Nowadays, because parents have to pay so much more for the child's education while they're at university, they just can't afford to pay for this extra year too."

One option, of course, is to do what Carl did: work for a few months in order to save up for a trip abroad. Another option is to find casual work while traveling abroad. "There are now a lot of books and websites with loads of information for people who want to do this," says Susan. "It's a great way to see the world, gain experience, and get money for living expenses all at the same time. But don't expect to earn enough to save any money."

So, should you take a gap year? The answer is: it depends. If you want a break from books and essays, then it's probably a good idea - as long as you, or your parents, can afford it and as long as you're going to do something worthwhile during your time off. Sitting at home watching TV doesn't count! If you want to get your degree and start regular employment as quickly as possible, a gap year may not be so sensible.