Hello everyone, I’m a rising senior who is hoping to take a gap year after I graduate from high school next year, and I was hoping for some advice.
I skipped a grade (7th), so I’ve always planned on taking a gap year and ultimately heading to college at the normal age.
However, I’m unsure of whether I want to apply to college in the coming admissions cycle (for the class of 2025) and then defer a year from a college that I’m accepted into, or wait and then apply the following year during my gap year for the class of 2026.
I’m aware that these are both feasible options, but I’m unsure which will give me the better chance of admission into my top dream schools (top LACs, especially Dartmouth, Amherst, and Williams).
Right now, I have solid academics and stats (4.0 GPA, 35 ACT), but my activities and awards honestly aren’t incredibly impressive (they’re still fairly strong though).
I know that my extracurricular profile as an applicant will be much stronger if I take the second option, since I’m planning on an internship with a congressman and academic research abroad during the gap year. However, I don’t know if I will be held to a higher standard given the fact that I would be on a gap year.
Any insight or advice would be really appreciated!