<p>Thanks, mathmom. I thought I was remembering correctly that the gap year suggestion is now built into the admission letter, but that was an unfamiliar idea even to the last two (new) admission officers I mentioned that to. They probably aren’t part of the process of finalizing the wording of the admission letter. All the admission officers I have ever talked to, and the one student I heard asked this question on Friday, say that Harvard is perfectly fine with admitted students taking a gap year if the students think that is the most fitting plan.</p>