Gap year | Who is the fair for | The Go-Abroad Fair

Your gap year starts at The Go-Abroad Fair

Some young people (self-chosen or forced) do not study for a year and end up in a gap year. This is a period that can be very usefully spent in terms of personal development. There are loads of options on how to spend this year, such as backpacking, working, taking courses or preparing everything for your studies. You will learn all about these possibilities and more at The Go-Abroad Fair on 29 and 30 November.

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"From a year abroad, you become more independent and stronger. And it helps you to set your goals."

Read Yaora's story below

Do you want to make a dream start to your plans abroad like Yaora?

For her gap year, Yaora travelled to the other side of the world: China was the destination. Learning the language, meeting new people and travelling around; it was a very complete experience. Yaora: "It made me much more independent".

Yaora studies China studies at Leiden University. This programme is mainly about Chinese culture, and slightly less about the language (Mandarin). Students are therefore encouraged to practise speaking the language independently. Yaora chose to travel to China and apply to Beijing University. English was mostly spoken during classes, but in her free time she interacted a lot with Chinese people. "That was a really good experience, also to overcome my fear of speaking: you have to speak Chinese there."

On all levels, this move was perfect for her. "From a year abroad, you become more independent and stronger. In my case, it also helped to set my goals. In China, I had a lot of time to think, for example about the thesis I still had to write for my studies. And I also know now that I would fit very well into the Chinese-Dutch business world after my studies."