2 years off before colllege - apply and defer a year or apply 2 years later?

Applying to College
1

<p>Hiya,</p>

<p>I'm a high school senior. Last year I had the opportunity to take a semester in Israel through a religious program and have subsequently decided that I would like to return for two years - for 5 months I will be working on a commune (known as a kibbutz) and learning Hebrew, and for about a year and a half I will be serving in the Israeli Defense Force.</p>

<p>I am not going to become an Israeli citizen and I fully intend to come back to the states afterwards for my undergrad studies.</p>

<p>So my question is this: apply this fall or next? My concern with applying this fall is that I won't yet be serving in the IDF, so I won't be able to write about it in my essays - it's something I consider very important, and I expect it will change me in certain ways, so I feel like applying before I undergo this journey will kind of detract from the reason I chose an alternative route in the first place.</p>

<p>However, admission rates get lower and lower each year. If I'm applying to competitive schools, and I apply for the class of 2018 versus 2017, I might be up against significantly tougher competition, and I can't imagine the fact that I'm older really puts the odds in my favor. </p>

<p>I ask all of this pragmatically, since my decision to go to Israel had nothing to do with college, and I won't be that upset if people advise me to apply and defer a year.</p>

<p>Thank you for your input, I apologize for the length of this post.</p>

2

<p>You can always apply this fall and defer somewhere so that you know you’re safe, and if you’re not completely satisfied, apply again next fall. You would just lose your deposit at the first school.</p>

3

<p>^ Incorrect. If you apply, get accepted and then make a decision to defer matriculation, you are bound by agreement to NOT apply to other schools during your deferral period.</p>

<p>It’s unethical and colleges who are holding spots a year later, need insurance that the deferree isn’t going to screw them as you suggest.</p>

4

<p>Wait on this decision. Your goals may change quite a bit during your time “off”. The list you will compose two years from now is likely to be very different from a list you make now. What you should do now, is line up the people who will write your letters of recommendation. They can save a hard copy or computer draft now, and make revisions two years from now.</p>