Questions about a Gap Year

Applying to College
1

<p>Hi everyone,</p>

<p>I am a high school senior considering taking a gap year starting this summer/fall. I have several reasons for wanting to do this, but the main one is that I applied to colleges last fall thinking that I wanted one type of school (I applied as a physics major), and realized when I was already halfway through the admissions process that I would like a more well-rounded education in a smaller LAC that's closer to home (New Hampshire). I was accepted to some good schools, three of the five are engineering schools (I want to be an English major now...), one is too expensive and too far away, and I just visited the other and decided it wasn't for me (VERY large, urban environment).</p>

<p>After talking with my family, I am looking at the option of taking a gap year and applying to small LACs that are closer to home (Bowdoin and Middlebury are my top choices so far, and yes, I will apply to safeties, haha.) My family is lower-middle class, so I don't have enough money to travel anywhere during the year. My plan would be to get a job at my high school and volunteer at one or two local non-profits while applying to new colleges. My questions are: </p>

<ol>
<li> How will colleges view my gap year? (Good idea, bad idea, etc.?)</li>
<li> Will it look bad if I'm apply to colleges during my gap year, rather than my senior year?</li>
<li> As long as I get a job and I'm actually doing something during my gap year, will it matter that I'm not, you know, teaching English to orphans in India or backpacking around Europe to discover my passions or something?</li>
<li> Is there anything in specific I should do during my gap year (other than apply for colleges, get a job, and volunteer)?</li>
</ol>

<h2>If you have any advice, I'd love to hear it :)</h2>

<p>I don't know if this matters, but I have good stats (2270 SAT, 1500 CR+M), TONS of extracurriculars and leadership positions. I'm also a first generation college student. I plan on studying English and going to grad school; maybe to become a librarian, archivist, or book curator (is that an actual title? O.o)</p>

<p>Thank you so much!</p>

2

<p>Are you paying a deposit fee and ensuring your spot for next year?</p>

3

<p>No; I wasn’t offered deferred enrollment or whatever it’s called, so I’d essentially be restarting the whole process over the summer and applying to different schools</p>

4

<p>Deferred enrollment is not something you’re offered, it’s something you ask for after admission, with a specific project in mind (which cannot include taking college classes elsewhere).</p>

5

<p>Sorry, I was getting thay confused with when a college accepts you for, say, the class of 2019 rather than 2018 (not sure what that is called). Either way, though, I am not comfortable with my current selection of schools. If I were to attend one of the two, though, I would be attending this year. I would only take a year off if I were to apply to new colleges and tell the current two “no”.</p>