<p>I really don’t know, and would hesitate to advise either way.</p>
<p>Thanks anyway.</p>
<p>Bump!</p>
<p>My son is graduating high school in 3 years and is considering requesting a gap year from one or more of the colleges that accept him. Does one need to present a detailed plan of what one hopes to pursue during that time off to get approval for a deferral, or is it largely automatic? Would one request a gap-year deferral before one has finalized acceptance or is that not considered appropriate? Given two close college choices, the approval of a gap-year deferral could well be an important deciding factor.</p>
<p>You don’t need to present a detailed plan, and I believe you don’t need to request a gap until after admissions, in general. I’m basing this largely on a friend’s comments - her son was sure he wanted a gap year, applied to selective to very selective schools and didn’t mention the plan until after acceptance.
Check at the specific colleges, of course, but my general impression is that approval is generally automatic, except for some recruited athletes. (I know of one who is having some sort of issue about a possible gap year - no details - he’s the son of a friend of a friend.)</p>