Whether or not to go to university will probably be the biggest educational decision you ever make. After battling with student finance, deciding whether or not to take a year out can be as terrifying as deciding where to move to for the three years. Some students will have planned their year out for months, but, for others, slipped grades may force a gap year , either to retake exams or to apply to different universities. Others might just need time to think. Thankfully, for U.K. students, taking a gap year remains a good option and it can be one of the most productive and fulfilling years of their life. Whether you've planned and budgeted for a year abroad, or have made a last-minute decision to delay your first year, the options are endless. Traveling, volunteering and so on are all there for the talking. With so many things on offer, it's important to remember that 12 months won't be enough time to do all of them, so decide early and work towards making whatever you want to do a reality. Researching a gap year is exciting, and often the place to start is at home. Family and friends can be a great source of inspiration. Your school or college might be fully equipped to advise you on what to do when further education is _ . Don't underestimate the power of the Internet, either. Typing a "gap year" into a search engine might seem too obvious, but planning to travel around the world for months on your own is not appropriate. To stay at home or go abroad is likely to be the first question you consider, but in this era of budget flights, doing both is practicable. A European inter-rail ticket can be as little as PS 159. For those loving traveling, they must be on the special watchfulness for tricks in the process. Agencies can organize your year abroad for you, and often, it is more effective to make the bookings through the agencies. But flights and other forms of transport within Asia and America are much cheaper when bought in the countries rather than bought in advance. The auther's attitude towards a gap year may best described as  _
supportive negative defensive sensitive