[pathy]

Practically everyone in Sweden takes a year off before starting university. To get motivation back, to travel, to work a bit and so forth.

Usually you don't really know what you want to do in life (or even what to study if you choose to go to university) when you are done with high school. Taking a year to experience new things and enjoying yourself is great excuses to take a gap year.

I took a gap year, got my drivers license, worked, went to Munich for three months to study German. Great time and gave time to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. Or at least partly figuring out what I wanted to do.