Hi! My name is Rosie (she/her), and I am a second-year undergraduate studying English at the University of York! I was a bit anxious about joining university after taking a gap year, but it is honestly one of the best decisions I’ve ever made!
Making Friends
One of my biggest anxieties before joining university was about making friends. I can remember scrolling through my Instagram feed and being bombarded with posts about finding your people at uni: lifelong friends who would see you through new jobs, heartbreaks, marriages, even children. The idea was enticing, but also slightly terrifying… what if I didn’t find my group? I had taken a gap year and felt a little out of practice in the friendship-making department.
Maybe you feel the same…? However, with the gift of hindsight, I can reassure you now wholeheartedly that you will find your people at uni! At York, you are given countless opportunities to meet people. Venturing beyond your flat, there are a vast range of Freshers’ Week events and various College Orientation activities. For example, in my first year, Vanbrugh College ran a Meet-A-Mate-In-Your-Department event which introduced you to people who were both in your college and on your course. And let’s not forget your subject’s lectures, seminars, and workshops!
Don’t worry about being the only gap year student either – you won’t be. I was really surprised to find out just how common it is. I bonded with some of my closest friends to date over tales from our years out and a mutual fear of academic regression….
Returning to Academics 
This brings me to anxiety number two. I was rather petrified that after being away from an academic environment for so long that I would have regressed in my abilities. I felt like I had forgotten everything I had learned at school. And as the Summer of 2024 rolled around, the horrifying thought dawned on me that I hadn’t written an actual essay in over twelve months. For my degree – English – I suspected that maybe, just maybe, this might come up…?
I spent a lot of time worrying about this. Scared I would lag far behind my cohort. However, after meeting a lot of other students who had also taken gap years, I discovered that this was a rather common feeling. Hilariously, I was even told by one tutor that this distance from A Level studies was “probably for the best” as it allows you to return to your learning with fresh eyes. We all felt a bit rusty at first but got into the swing of it again fairly quickly, thankfully!
To get back into study mode, I decided to fully embrace the student lifestyle: romanticising my pre-reading by visiting little cafes in the city, exploring the vast array of books available in the university library, talking with tutors during their office hours, and late-night study sessions with friends. Time flies by at uni, so you have to make the most of it!
Choose York! 
The university experience is not just about academia though! The fondest memories I have of my first year at York happened outside of the classroom: late night pilgrimages to the Long Boi statue, going to my college’s Winter Formal, exploring all the city’s treasures (the Shambles are my personal favourite!)
I hope that this has helped reassure any anxieties you may have had about joining university after a gap year! York truly is a wonderful, welcoming and inclusive community and I would highly recommend studying here! With eleven colleges and more than 200 student-led societies to choose from, you are bound to find your people and make lasting memories in this beautiful city.
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