<p>I'm a Canadian high school senior...and I want to apply to top schools in the US. I have great marks and phenomenal ECs and reference letters.</p>
<p>Because it's already really late...do you think, if I took a year off, it would hinder my chances of getting accepted for Fall 2011 admissions to Ivy schools and other top schools?</p>
<p>Why don’t you consider making your apps this fall, for the current graduating HS class. Once admitted to your schools of choice, you can defer your entry. The reason for this is your teacher recs will be fresh and you won’t need to explain a gap year.</p>
<p>But there’s no way for me to be accepted because I don’t have SAT/ACT which is why I’d have to take the gap year in the first place</p>
<p>Check the dates for the exams. There may be one that you can fit in.</p>
<p>Also, look through the list of test optional colleges/universities at [The</a> National Center for Fair & Open Testing | FairTest](<a href=“http://www.fairtest.org%5DThe”>http://www.fairtest.org) Some of these are “top schools”.</p>