<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I am an international student (so far admitted to University of Michigan, still waiting for the others...) I have absolutely no experience with how does US school system work so I wanted to ask what's the deal with a gap year. Once I get admitted do I just write to the school that I want to defer and come a year later? What sort of reasons should I give for a deferment? Any comments about requested deferment would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance:)</p>
<p>Hi, I’m deferring too (although not international). I would recommend writing to each school to ask them specifically what they require. Some schools require that you submit your deposit regardless of which year you plan to begin attending, while others do not (in which case I don’t know what you do; I still need to ask my schools, but I think you still have to submit some sort of confirmation that you’d like to attend the next year). </p>
<p>I think most schools do not require you to tell them why you want to defer, but if they do, just be honest. I think saying, “I need a year off to work/travel/take care of personal problems/etc.” is not going to hurt, but I would only delve into the details if they ask.</p>
<p>When I contacted my schools, I asked them first off whether or not they allowed deferrals. They all said yes, so then I asked them about when to submit a deposit, whether scholarships would be rolled over or not, etc. They did not ask me why I wanted to take a gap year. </p>
<p>I think it’s really important to ask each school specifically.</p>
<p>@Paintster</p>
<p>Thank you for the advice, appreciate it :)</p>