To gain life experience, to avoid burn out, to take a break from the world of academia.
My son is on a gap year to learn Spanish and enjoy living in another culture. I was an exchange student for a year after high school so my kids just think it is the normal route. He deferred for a year and starts college in the fall. He is living with Spanish friends of ours and taking classes at a language school. It has been an excellent experience. We are not rich. The language school was $3500 for the year. We do have friends in Spain which facilitated the experience and made me feel better about sending him so far away. He has grown up a lot.
The appeal for me was that I badly needed a break. I studied hard in high school, and am still doing that in college. I see the gap year as an “out” from stress. Although I didn’t take one, I have been travelling around every break. Truthfully, I have learned more useful and valuable lessons through experience than I have in a class room.
Some people need to work in order to save up money and pay for college later. I had a friend who had to take a gap year in order to do this