<p>I can see this might be a way to admit kids you weren’t really sure about, maybe were worried about maturity issues for example or poor high school preparation - let another college get them seasoned. I’ve never completely understood what the Harvard z list was about, but they are big believers in gap years. I know as far back as 2007 the acceptance letter suggest kids seriously consider one - and point out that student who do take time off generally have better GPAs than those who don’t.</p>