So I was accepted off the waitlist at Conn and I am having a bit of a problem. I went through some emotional turmoil, and came to the conclusion that going away to college right away is not the best option for me at the moment (I wanted to transfer as well, solely due to my lack of “home” feeling to the college). I looked at the deferral policy on the website, but the school only grants a semester. I worry that my acceptance will be taken away, because I need more than a semester (I’m looking into interning full year as well).
You should talk to the admissions office of the college to see if they can make an exception, given your circumstances. If you think a gap year would be in your best interest, it may also be best to apply to a range of colleges that might be a better fit for you than Connecticut College.
I assume the reason behind your question is more related to whether or not Yale would consider how you used your gap year academically, with some hopes to counter your high school freshmen and sophomore year performance vs. having some credits under your belt if you get in. Certainly upward trends in academic performance and doing notable things in your gap year will make for a stronger application, but Yale will not ignore your full body of work in HS, so be realistic in your assessment of what you can shoot for after your gap year. If you are not happy with the school you got in, you need to rebuild your app list just like you did going into senior year with appropriate safeties, matches and reaches of schools you’d rather attend.
If a gap year “from a college” means that you already started college, then no, you can only apply as a transfer.
If you are considering a gap year before you start college (i.e. you’ve been accepted but have deferred admission and haven’t actually enrolled yet), then yes, you can be a freshman applicant as long as you don’t take college classes during the gap year.
If you are taking a gap year after an ED acceptance, you will be required to withdraw from the ED accepted gap year school in order to apply to other colleges & universities.
You have 3 threads on the same topic. You just graduated from high school but want to take a gap year to take courses to explore your interests and apply to Yale. You want to take a gap year and do an internship then enroll at UConn. Now it sounds like you want to apply to all new schools.
If you defer an acceptance, you have to follow that college’s rules. If UConn let’s you defer for only one semester, they may not hold your spot if you don’t enroll in the spring. If you take courses anywhere, many colleges will consider you a transfer. Transfer students don’t always get the best aid. If you’re not sure what you want or your choices aren’t affordable, you can take a gap year and work while you figure out what you want to do.