<p>I'm currently a sophomore and am very adventurous and crazy about exploring cultures and learning languages. My parents don't necessarily approve, though they would likely consider it. They largely think that I should just go straight to university. However, I'd like to stop and smell the roses and possibly pick up another language. Would this hurt my chances of getting into the universities I'd like (i.e. McGill, UBC, Texas A&M, UT, UofT) ?</p>
<p>(X-posted with Batllo. I have assumed in my reply that you’re talking about finishing high school, and then taking a year before starting university, and that you’re just thinking a couple of years ahead. If that isn’t what you mean, then I completely agree with Batllo that you should finish high school first.)</p>
<p>Since you have a list of universities that interest you, you should really ask them. But in general, the answer is, no, a gap year does not affect your chances for admission.</p>
<p>My daughter is on a gap year now. Here’s how she went about it.</p>
<p>She applied to colleges during her senior year of high school, and made her gap year plans at the same time. (She’s on an organized program; she had to select the program she wanted to do, and apply.) While she was shopping for colleges, she asked each college that interested her whether taking a gap year would have any effect on admission, merit aid, invitations to honors programs, etc. At the places that interested her, the answer was *usually *that a gap year wouldn’t affect any of those things, but that wasn’t always the case. And there are institutions where taking a gap year can affect any merit aid you’re offered, so you do need to check. But if you’re admitted, most American colleges and universities will happily allow you to defer your enrollment for a year so that you can take a gap year.</p>
<p>After my daughter had selected her college and we had paid our deposit, then she asked for an official deferment, which the university was happy to grant. She had until July to request a deferment, I think. Deadlines for this will vary from institution to institution, but there usually are deadlines, so you need to have your gap-year plans mostly, if not completely, lined up by the time you’re deciding where to enroll.</p>
<p>It is possible to apply to college from your gap year, but it can be logistically complicated. The programs my daughter was considering all said they’d help as much as they could with college applications if the participant wanted, but they all encouraged participants to get into college and then defer enrollment if possible. It’s harder to coordinate things like transcripts and teacher recommendations when you’re abroad, several time zones away, with spotty internet access, than it is when you’re still in the 12th grade, with the opportunity to see your teachers and guidance counselor five days a week.</p>
<p>And you’re right that the hardest part of taking a gap year can be convincing your parents that it’s a good idea. Even harder in a terrible economy. There have been a lot of articles in the popular press about gap years in the last several years. Here are links to a couple.</p>
<p>[Is</a> a ?gap year? before college a good idea? - Parenting & Family - TODAY.com](<a href=“http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/24260521/ns/today-parenting_and_family/t/should-your-child-have-gap-year-college/#.TtJMqFaPa9s]Is”>http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/24260521/ns/today-parenting_and_family/t/should-your-child-have-gap-year-college/#.TtJMqFaPa9s)</p>
<p>[‘Gap</a> year’ before college gives grads valuable life experience - USATODAY.com](<a href=“http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2008-06-18-gap-year_N.htm]'Gap”>http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2008-06-18-gap-year_N.htm)</p>
<p>safarichick101 -</p>
<p>You might be a good candidate for a high school level student exchange program. Here are some worth investigating:
[AFS</a> Intercultural Programs | Connecting Lives, Sharing Cultures](<a href=“http://www.afs.org%5DAFS”>http://www.afs.org)
[Youth</a> for Understanding](<a href=“http://www.yfu.org%5DYouth”>http://www.yfu.org)
[Rotary.org:</a> Rotary Youth Exchange](<a href=“http://www.rotary.org/en/StudentsAndYouth/YouthPrograms/RotaryYouthExchange/Pages/ridefault.aspx]Rotary.org:”>http://www.rotary.org/en/StudentsAndYouth/YouthPrograms/RotaryYouthExchange/Pages/ridefault.aspx)</p>
<p>Oh, excellent idea, happymom.</p>
<p>hi happymom. could u pls suggest some student exchange programs for me also ? i hav finished high school, n have taken a gap yr .
thnx</p>