+ 1 thekarens. I wen striaght to 3 years uni after high school, then went working and went back and did night school. It was sooo hard to get back into the swing of studying, exams and researching. To be honest also the lure of money is hard to ignore as well.

If you know what you want to do at university, just go and do it. Even if you don't quite know but defineitely want to go, do it as the first year is really feeling out the direction you want to take, what department and lecturers are good etc.

I would only do a gap year if I had no idea what to do and then it would have to be organised (like employment or volunteering). Australia armed forces are offering a one "gap year" trial with no issues if you don't want to continue that is be interesting. You get paid plus get training credits like leadership skills etc which would be totally useful out in the real world.