<p>Harvard does offer admissions to certain students with a delay of one year. To the best of my knowledge, they do not have to show what they are planning to do for that year. These students (often, but not always legacies) are informally known as Z-listers. Sometimes students are taken off the wait list and offered the same option - essentially a one-year deferral on admission.</p>
<p>This should not be confused with the fact that Harvard extols the value of a year off between high school and college. Nor should it be assumed that every legacy winds up with this option.</p>
<p>This Crimson article (from 2002) explains the Z-list:</p>
<p>[The</a> Harvard Crimson :: News :: The Back Door to the Yard](<a href=“http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=214982]The”>http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=214982)</p>