<p>I am heading to a good lac in the fall. I have just realized (For various reasons) that I've made the mistake of not declaring a gap year. Is it possible for one to take a year off from college?</p>
<p>why do you need to take a whole year off?</p>
<p>Pretty sure. Don’t think you have to declare it to anyone unless you’ve been accepted to a university. I know some people take time off, don’t apply anywhere and once they’re ready they just apply to the school and get their transcripts sent over</p>
<p>My school allows you to take a leave of absence, at any point in time, for up to two years (4 semesters) and be guaranteed to be let back into the program. </p>
<p>You just have to fill out a form, mainly for records.</p>
<p>I’d go ahead and look around your school website, or ask around (advisor maybe?). There’s no harm that can come from just asking.</p>
<p>edit: note, this is very different from medical leaves of absence - those require a lot more to get back into school (if they’re mental health, not physical).</p>
<p>Here’s what my school says word for word:
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<p>I know several people who have taken this option, and I actually think it can be a great idea if, like all other gap years, you have a solid plan for your semester(s) off. For one of my friends, it was a necessary break after a somewhat traumatizing semester. For another, he found a program that really fit his interests.</p>
<p>One major downside is that you probably won’t be able to graduate with your friends, which might make your senior year very lonely. There may be others, such as whether you’ll still be guaranteed housing after you come back and whether you’ll be able to keep your scholarship money. But definitely do talk about it with your academic advisers to see what your options are.</p>
<p>Why would you take a gap year?</p>
<p>Life at a LAC really that stressful???</p>
<p>I can’t say that the answer is universally “yes,” but I can say that a college that wouldn’t let you take a leave of absence would be a very rare exception.</p>