confused about the gap year

[Leonidas93]

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So im reading all this stuff online about doing things to improve your app over the "gap year" you have off, but dont most people who take a single gap year apply at the end of their senior year? meaning the only time your activities over the actual gap year off would ever come up is during the interviews?

 

[Ismet]

So im reading all this stuff online about doing things to improve your app over the "gap year" you have off, but dont most people who take a single gap year apply at the end of their senior year? meaning the only time your activities over the actual gap year off would ever come up is during the interviews?

Many secondaries ask you to talk about your plans for the year between submitting the application and matriculation, so that's where you talk about your gap year plans. Also interviews and update letters.

 

[muddyduck7]

Taking a gap year also allows for your grades and activities / accomplishments during senior year to be included in your application. The conventional wisdom being that one will likely have better grades and more meaningful activities (senior thesis, RAing etc) during their senior year that can mitigate some earlier blemishes.

But yes, it seems rather silly to take a single gap year if you need to significantly improve your application. If that's the case, people often take two years - with the year in between designated to improve the application. For someone that has a solid application, taking a gap year can afford them a much needed breather and the opportunity to focus solely on polishing their application during the summer after graduation.